You Could Easily Spend All Day In Georgia's Atlanta History Center
By Lisa Sammons|Published April 12, 2024
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Lisa Sammons
Author
Lisa loves animals and has dogs, rats, cats, guinea pigs, and snakes. She is passionate about animal rescue and live music - traveling across the country to see a favorite band is a pretty regular occurrence! Being out hiking in the woods enjoying the scenery with her beloved dogs is another favorite hobby, and also checking out the Pokemon Go scene in whatever city she happens to be in at any given time (coffee and dog leash in hand). You can reach Lisa at lsammons@onlyinyourstate.com
I recently had the opportunity to go to the Atlanta History Center. I had never been before and had heard good things, but because my last museum visit was to Chicago’s world-class Field Museum, I felt like Atlanta’s biggest museum might not be quite as impressive. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Atlanta History Center was an incredible, all-day adventure. I had only set aside about five hours to explore the museum and ended up having to rush through and not get to see anything. Visiting the Atlanta History Center is definitely going on my list of activities to recommend everyone see when visiting the state capital. This place was so informative and covered such a variety of topics that could interest just about anyone. Check it out:
There were all kinds of photos and items on display from Atlanta-specific history.
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I had to laugh at how small the original Atlanta airport looked in this photo: certainly nothing like the mighty Hartsfield-Jackson of today!
While there was a heavy focus on Georgia history, as you might expect, there were also plenty of artifacts related to things like the broader Civil Rights movement and agricultural history in Georgia.
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One room had the Texas, a fully-restored locomotive, with tons of information on Atlanta's history as a major rail depot.
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My main reason for wanting to come to the Atlanta History Center at all was to see the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama.
Lisa Sammons/Only In Your State
The Atlanta Cyclorama is one of my favorite hidden gems in Georgia. It's a massive circular painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta that you stand inside of. I hadn't seen it since it had been moved to the Atlanta History Center. The presentation and restoration was beautiful, and there were tons of informative signs explaining the history of the painting and the process of restoring and moving it to the museum.
How long does it take to go through the Atlanta History Center? If you're interested in seeing the entire museum, I recommend arriving as soon as the doors open.
While there are some permanent exhibits here, like the Cyclorama, other exhibits are only temporary, so you can get a new experience each time you come.
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The day that I visited was chilly and overcast, so I didn't spend much time walking the property, but what I saw was absolutely gorgeous.
The Atlanta History Center sits on 33 acres of land and has several gardens, fountains, and trails.
In addition to the main building, History Center admission also includes a visit to Smith Farm, Swan House, and the Wood Family Cabin, all of which are on-site.
Lisa Sammons/Only In Your State
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to check out the interior of the homes (tours were offered at select times throughout the day), but I did make a point to stop and pet the adorable sheep and goats at Smith Farm.
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Overall, I was incredibly impressed by my visit to the Atlanta History Center, and irritated at myself for skipping over it for so many years!
