History buffs love to visit Atlanta, Georgia. Whether you enjoy local history, literary history, African American history, presidential history, medical history, or flight history, there is something for you in Atlanta. While visiting one or all of these sites, stay at a historical home, Stonehurst Place Bed & Breakfast.
- Boasting 33 acres of historic houses, gardens, and exhibitions, you could plan an entire Atlanta history-based vacation just by visiting the history center. This list is only a sample of the variety of this expansive site.
- The Atlanta History Museum features 20 onsite and online exhibits where visitors can learn about the people, cultures, and history that made Atlanta what is it today. This is the perfect place to start your journey into the history of Atlanta, Georgia.
- More Than Brave. The Life of Henry Aaron will be available until September 2025. Fans of baseball and those interested in African American history should not miss this exhibit.
- The Swan House was completed in 1928 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Once a family house, it opened as a museum in 1967. It features an architectural drawings collection, the house garden, and an exhibit of Chinese and English porcelain and pottery.
- The Wood Cabin sits in a meadow in Swan Woods. Stepping inside the cabin brings a sense of North Georgia as part of the frontier.
- The Quarry Garden is the Atlanta History Center’s largest artifact. Once overrun and abandoned, it has been meticulously brought back to life to showcase rare and endangered native plants.
- The Atlanta History Center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am until 4 pm. The historic houses open at 11 am.
- The Margaret Mitchell House is technically part of the Atlanta History Center, however, it is located five miles south in Midtown.
- While living in the first-floor apartment, Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind.
- The exhibits inside the home span the popularity as well as the issues of both the book, the film, and their impact on American culture and telling of history.
- Be sure to plan a visit if you are a fan of the book or film, or interested in the American Civil War, or curious on how popular culture can impact the telling of history.
- While part of the Atlanta History Center, a separate ticket is required. The Margaret Mitchell House is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am until 4 pm.
- The Wren’s Nest is another literary history site in Atlanta. It was the home of Georgia author Joel Chandler Harris who wrote 35 books of folklore and fiction including Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings – Folkore of the Old Plantation.
- The house became a museum in 1913 and is the oldest house museum in Atlanta. Most of the furnishings belonged to Harris and his family and no modifications have been made since it became a museum.
- The Wren’s Nest is open every Saturday from 11 am until 3 pm. Tickets include a 30-45 minute guided tour. Purchase the 1 pm tour to also enjoy the weekly storytelling performance.
- The Wrens’ Nest and the Margaret Mitchell House (listed above) are both part of the Southern Literary Trail.
- The Carter Center is a not-for-profit organization that was founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter with the following mission: “The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. It seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.”
- The adjoining Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum is open to the public.
- A highlight of the museum is a life-size replica of the Oval Office. Sit behind the desk and make your own presidential proclamation.
- The Atlanta Presidential Museum has many free events. Check the calendar to see if one is being held while you are in town.
- The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm.
- Atlanta, Georgia is a central part of African American history in the United States.
- The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is home to a sacred site. The crypts of Dr. and Mrs. King sit in the middle of the site.
- Freedom Hall features art from Africa and Georgia. The second floor is an exhibit space that currently houses a place to learn more about Dr. and Mrs. King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Rosa Parks.
- The Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden is a place of serenity as well as a reminder of the strength of one’s voice.
- A ticket for Dr. King’s Birth Home can be acquired while visiting The King Center. Note that Dr. King’s Birth Home is currently closed for renovations.
- The King Center is open seven days a week from 10 am until 5 pm. Admission and parking are free.
- An affiliate of the Smithsonian, the museum focuses on public health along with the history and accomplishments of the CDC. If you are interested in medical history this needs to be on your Atlanta bucket list.
- Current exhibits include The Story of the CDC which includes an iron lung, Global Symphony which includes multimedia vignettes on topics such as Legionnaire’s Disease, and Collisions which is a five-foot diameter representation of the microscopic world.
- The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 am until 5 pm. The museum is open late on Thursdays until 7 pm. The museum is not open on the weekends. The museum will be temporarily closed in 2024 from October 25 until November 22 so that the Health is a Human Right II: Achieving Health Equity exhibit can be installed.
- This history of flight museum features aircraft dating back to the 1920s.
- A truly unique highlight is the opportunity to try to fly in the Boeing 737 flight simulator.
- Make sure to bring your camera to get pictures of yourself standing in the engine of a Boeing 747 or leaning against the tires of a Boeing 757.
- Housed at the headquarters of Delta, many of the exhibits are inside airplane hangars.
- The Delta Flight Museum is open six days a week from 10 am until 4 pm. Public tours are offered on Tuesdays at 1 pm. The museum is closed on Wednesdays. The museum also closes for special events so be certain to check the calendar for ticket availability before visiting.
