A Museum Dedicated To The Famous Vegetable And Aims To Educate The Public About This Special Onion
“Vidalia onions aren't just the most famous onions in the world; I think they may be the only famous onions in the world.” - Chef Bobby Flay
There's a museum in Georgia dedicated solely to the Vidalia onion. The 1,200 square foot Vidalia Onion Museum aims to educate the public about the special onion, with a history section, exhibits on its growing cycle and harvesting, a cooking display and an interactive children's room. The museum answers every question visitors may have about the Vidalia onion. But one question that people may have beforehand is, why is there a museum dedicated to this onion? What makes an onion famous?
“Most people recognize the name,” said Vidalia Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Alexa Carter Britton. “In fact, when we talk to people who are from somewhere else and they ask where we are from and we say Vadalia, they say, 'The onion? Did they name the town after the onion or the onion after the town?'”
The Vidalia onion is the most prized onion in the United States, revered by chefs, culinary experts and families. It's known as the sweetest onion in the world. The Vidalia is a hybrid seed, a cross between a Bermuda and a Yellow Granex onion seed. And it only has one growing region, which the museum – which opened in 2011 - is right in the middle of.
For the people of Georgia, it was a no-brainer to open a museum dedicated to the sweet crop. Said Britton: “It has a huge economic impact on our area. It can only be grown here. It has to do with the climate, the soil and the amount of rain. It's a winter crop and we don't have a real cold winter. So we can grow onions when it's cool.”
In fact, Wendy Brannen, the Executive Director of the Vidalia Onion Committee was quoted as stating that the Vidalia onion is Georgia's most valuable vegetable, possessing a farm gate value of around $150 million annually.
“The only thing better than the onions in Vidalia is the people. They're great cooks and friendly.” - Chef Bobby Flay
It's been established that the Vidalia onion can only be grown in that exact region of Georgia because of the sandy soil that's low in sulfur, the amount of rain water and other specific growing factors. But how did the Vidalia onion come to be?
In the late spring of 1931, farmer Moses Coleman discovered that the onions he had planted were not as hot as he expected. According to M & T Farms, the sweet onions were a struggle to sell at first. But he managed to sell them for $3.50 per 50-pound bag, “which in those days was a big price.”
Word spread of the sweet Vidalia onions. The onion that “doesn't make you cry when you slice them,” noted Britton. When Georgia began a farmers' market in Vidalia in 1949 people came from far and wide to get the Vidalia onions, which was called a Georgia Sweet for a while.
Despite their increasing popularity throughout the years, the growing region is “surprisingly small,” said Britton. “Even people in Georgia don't realize that you can't grow the Vidalia onion just anywhere in the state. You have to grow it right here.”
“They only make you cry when they're gone.” - Delbert Bland, Vidalia Onion grower
The Vidalia onion is a unique product, a one-of-a-kind crop. So to Britton it's no surprise that over 1,500 people a year visit the Vidalia Onion Museum. The visitors come from all over the world, coming from all directions. Many people are making their way across the United States and they'll stop, “get off the beaten path” and go to the museum to “see something a little different.”
A recent survey done by Britton in November revealed that the Vidalia Onion Museum visitors this past year came from 43 states and eight countries.
One of Britton's favorite things in the museum are the stories it holds. According to Britton there are videos of farmers and local citizens discussing the onions, the market, and the process of growing them. But there are some quirky stories as well.
“There's a funny story about a man who was getting mugged. But he threw an onion at them and beat them off. That's just funny to me,” she said through laughter. The museum also features clips of the Vidalia onion being mentioned on national television, from Cash Cab to CSI Miami.
“Anything that brings tourists here is a good thing for our town,” said Britton. And if there's anything that brings tourists to Vidalia, it's the onions. The Vidalia Onion Museum isn't the only onion-related attraction in the small town. There's also the Vidalia Onion Festival.
The Vidalia Onion Festival is the last weekend of April (the beginning of harvest season). Coming up on its 40th anniversary this year, the festival sees almost 30,000 people throughout the four day celebration. Dances, fireworks, races, carnival rides and games and multiple cooking shows and contests are some of the things that make up the unique festival.
Mentioned by all of the top chefs in multiple recipes, sought after by families all over the country, the Vidalia onion is not only important to Georgia, but to the country as a whole.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Gordonia/Altamaha State Park, a favorite for picnicking, family reunions and golf. Picnic tables and shelters surround a small lake where visitors can rent pedal boats and fishing boats during warmer months.