During your visit to this popular Atlanta, Georgia attraction, award-winning exhibitions, historic houses, enchanting gardens and interactive experiences offer something for everyone looking to explore Georgia’s past.
Exhibitions
Start your visit to the Atlanta History Center in its main building, the Atlanta History Museum, and explore a variety of permanent and temporary exhibitions that share the stories of the region and its people from the Civil War to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
Turning Point: The American Civil War
Turning Point: The American Civil War is one of the nation’s largest exhibitions on the Civil War. Explore the most critical conflict in American history through over 1,500 artifacts, photographs, dioramas, videos and interactive components.
Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in the Changing South
Trace the unique and evolving character of the South in the Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in the Changing South exhibition. Handcrafted pottery, woodwork, basketry, weaving, quilting and metalwork are among the 500 objects used to explore the lives of master folk artists while videos throughout the exhibition present folk art processes and are complemented by touchable examples of highlighted works.
Central Olympic Games Museum
Step into 1996 and relive the Centennial Olympic Games. The Central Olympic Games is recognized as one of the most significant exhibitions on Olympic sport and history in the world with artifacts, photographs, multimedia presentations, interactive displays and the only complete collection of Olympic torches and medals in the United States of America.
Down the Fairway with Bobby Jones
The seasoned golfer can learn about the life of Atlanta, Georgia, native golfer, Bobby Jones as well as the evolution of the world-famous Masters Tournament and the development of the modern game of golf in the Down the Fairway with Bobby Jones exhibition. While the exhibition’s largest display explores the story of the man who was considered the most important golfer in the history of the game, other artifacts such as eighteenth-century clubs, rule books from St. Andrews, early feathery and gutta-percha balls, replicas of Jones’ four Grand Slam trophies, medals from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and Master’s Tournament green jackets worn by Atlanta golfer Charlie Yeates highlight the game of golf from its early history to the modern era.
Historic Houses
In addition to its award-winning exhibitions, the Atlanta History Center invites its visitors to travel back in time and experience what life was like in the 1860s on the Smith Family Farm and the late 1920s in the Swan House.
Swan House
Explore the elegance of Swan House and learn about what life was like in 20th century Atlanta, Georgia. Known as one of the most recognized and photographed landmarks in Atlanta, the Swan House was built in 1928 and offers a look at the lifestyle of the Edward H. Inman family, heirs to a cotton brokerage fortune, who lived there. Explore the rooms of historic house, or head outside to explore its gorgeous gardens, flowing fountains and spectacular surroundings.
Philip Trammell Shutze: Atlanta, Classicist, Connoisseur, and Collector
The Philip Trammell Shutze: Atlanta, Classicist, Connoisseur, and Collector exhibition, housed on the second floor of the Swan House, was a collection compiled by Philip Trammell Shutze, one of Atlanta’s renowned twentieth-century architects of residential and commercial buildings. Acquired by the Atlanta History Center in 1982, the collection is comprised of porcelain, silver, furniture, rugs and paintings. Delight in beautiful displays of English and Continental pottery and porcelain, Chinese export porcelain and American and English period furniture.
Smith Family Farm
See what the Civil War was like on the home front as costumed interpreters portray the family, neighbors, enslaved workers and friends of a 1860s farm site. The Smith Family Farm includes the Tullie Smith House and detached kitchen, surrounded by a dairy, blacksmith shop, smokehouse, double corncrib, slave cabin and barn. In addition, the farm site features traditional vegetable, herb, field, flower and slave gardens.
Historic Gardens
22 acres of gardens, woodlands, nature trails and grounds demonstrate the horticultural history of the Atlanta region. Discover one of the state’s most comprehensive collections of plants native to pre-settlement Georgia, many of which are rare or endangered, in the Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Garden. Meander among the Azaleas and rhododendrons featured in the contemporary Frank A. Smith Rhododendron Garden. See how Asian plants and their American counterparts co-mingle in Cherry Sims Asian American Garden. The Swan Woods Trail is surrounded by remnants of cotton fields, towering pine, beech and tulip trees and unique wildlife. In addition, the Swan Woods Trail features the Garden for Peace, part of an international gardens network dedicated to promoting peace.
Veterans Park
In addition to its historic gardens, the Atlanta History Center includes Veterans Park. Pay your respects to the men and women who served and continue to serve our country. Veterans Park was designed as a unique gathering place that encourages reflection, personal connections to veterans and a celebration of the lives of those who have sacrificed to secure each American citizen their freedom.
Stop by the Coca-Cola Café or Swan Coach House for a snack or lunch. At the Coca-Cola Café you will find Chick-fil-A, an Atlanta favorite since 1967. This 1950s soda shop displays original Coca-Cola posters and serves sandwiches, wraps, salads, sides and soft drinks. In the Swan Coach House visitors can enjoy updated Southern favorites and sophisticated regional fare in an elegant atmosphere.
Travel Tip
- In addition to its permanent exhibitions, the Atlanta History Center features a variety of temporary and traveling exhibitions throughout the year.