The Atlanta History Center’s 13-hectare campus includes a museum, two historic houses and six beautiful gardens, all celebrating the region’s rich history. Learn about Atlanta’s rural origins, the development of folk art, or the 1996 Centennial Summer Olympics. The centre is also home to one of the largest collections of original US Civil War artefacts.
At the Metropolitan Frontiers exhibit, you’ll trace the history of the city of Atlanta from its agricultural beginnings, through its time as a transport hub and commercial centre, before its development into the bustling metropolis of today. See a log cabin dating from 1879, a horse-drawn fire engine, as well as video presentations and vintage film footage.
You could spend hours marvelling at the vast collection of Civil War artefacts in the Turning Point: The American Civil War collection. Amongst the cannons, uniforms and medals, you’ll find the original Confederate flag flown over Atlanta when the city surrendered. There are also many interactive exhibits bring this tumultuous era alive.
The most recent chapter of Atlanta’s history is covered in the Centennial Olympic Games Museum. Visitors can discover how the city transformed when hosting the world’s most celebrated sporting event, and watch some of the sporting highlights from 1996.
Head out from the main museum, and spend a few hours exploring the two historic houses on the campus. The Tullie Smith House, part of the Smith Family Farm, was built in the 1840s, and stands as one of the few houses in Atlanta that survived the Civil War. Costumed interpreters bring scenes to life, as you tour the house and its outbuildings, including the slave cabin, a sombre reminder of pre-Civil War conditions.
In contrast, the Swan House, built in 1928, is a grand mansion with carefully restored period interiors. Get a taste of the upper-class lifestyle of the Inman family as you tour the dining room and bedrooms, butler’s quarters and the kitchens, before making your way out into the elegantly-landscaped gardens.
The Atlanta History Center is open daily, except on national holidays. The general admission ticket includes all exhibits and historic buildings, as well as the off-campus Margaret Mitchell House. Free parking is available on-site, or you can access the centre by public transport.
