Atlanta History Attractions

After ordering his troops to destroy Atlanta in 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman sat on a hill and watched the entire city burn. Today, Sherman’s hill is the site of the Jimmy Carter Center—the offices of the former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Little wonder that the city of Atlanta’s symbol is the phoenix—the mythical bird that is reborn from its own ashes—and its motto is Resurgens, Latin for “rising again.”

Unlike other cities with historic preservation districts, Atlanta has little architecture dating back even 100 years. The city was destroyed a second time by the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 and continually rebuilds itself.

But that doesn’t mean Atlanta has forgotten its past, and there are plenty of historic sites to see on your Atlanta vacation.

A Basic History

A good introduction to the area’s roots is the Atlanta History Center. The permanent collections include one of the largest Civil War exhibits in the country and the Centennial Olympic Games Museum. Added attractions include child favorites Tullie Smith Farm, an 1840s plantation-style venue, and Swan House, which depicts urban Atlanta life in the 1930s.

 

• Tour the Swan House to see how Atlanta families lived during the 1920s and 30s.

Courtesy of Georgia Department of Economic Development

Civil War Sites

There are few signs marking the Battle of Atlanta. However, several sites from the Atlanta campaign are preserved in the surrounding area. The largest is the 3,000-acre Kennesaw Mountain National Park, which features historic breastworks and cannon emplacements. Another is Pickett’s Mill Battlefield, one of the best preserved sites in the country.

For a unique depiction of the 1864 campaign, visit the Atlanta Cyclorama and Museum—the longest-running show in the United States. It features the largest oil painting in the world, on display since 1883. Miniature figures in the foreground, music and narration enhance the painting through a theater-in-the-round experience.

The Cyclorama is also home to the locomotive called The Texas, one of two trains participating in “The Great Locomotive Chase.” After Union spies stole The General in 1862 while its crew was having breakfast in Kennesaw, Confederate soldiers used The Texas to chase The General and recapture it near Chattanooga. The General remains in Kennesaw at the Smithsonian-affiliated Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. 

Next: Gone With the Wind Sites