History buffs of all ages are sure to enjoy this spot!

As the quintessential southern city, Atlanta is seeping in history!  The Atlanta History Center is a long-running establishment that touches on SO much of it, it can boggle the mind.  The AHC is a museum, within a museum, within a museum. Of most interest to the younger crowd will be a series of historic homes.  More on that in a minute. We must make mention of other amazing touchpoints. There is a Centennial Olympic Games Museum, which chronicles Atlanta hosting the 1996 summer games, a museum detailing famed, Georgian golfer, Bobby Jones, a Southern Folk-Art Exhibition, highlighting traditional and modern works, an American Civil War Museum which contains an absolutely enormous collection of Civil War artifacts history buffs will enjoy, a Metropolitan Frontiers exhibit which documents Atlanta’s transformation from a rural region to the South’s largest metropolis, and finally, a museum dedicated to famed, Atlanta architect and avid art collector, Philip Trammell Shutze.  If you are still with us and have any energy left, let’s get back to the historic homes. 

A mock village gives a historically accurate look at yesteryear via a tour of homes.  Actors and actresses dressed in period clothing share information surrounding daily life that is sure to engage the entire family. The first stop is the original antebellum plantation home of Mr. Tulle Smith.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was originally considered a smaller farm, with a mere 200 acres and 11 slaves. The house was physically moved to the Atlanta History Center grounds in the ’60s and comprises of everything from a full basement kitchen, to slave quarters, to a blacksmith shop and smokehouse.  

Next up, is the Wood Family Cabin. A crude structure located within the woods. It simulates North Georgia settler and Native American life in the 1820s and 1830s. Finally, the piece de resistance is the famed, Swan House, designed by the aforementioned Shutze in the 1920s.  A beautiful piece of history fully furnished exactly as it would have been back in the day!  See up close how the Victorian elite lived. Originally commissioned by a wealthy cotton textile heir, the mansion is exquisite in every detail.  Meet the family driver, butler, maids, and lady of the house along the way and listen to their tales of entertaining in Atlanta’s most famous home.  Often stated to be the most photographed home in America, the entire estate is surrounded by breath-taking gardens so be sure to bring your camera!