Georgia Vacation and Travel Ideas for Literary Tours
Uncle Remus Museum
214 South Oak Street
Eatonton, GA 31024
Website: http://www.uncleremus.com/museum.html
Email: - none listed
Phone: (706) 485-6856
Joel Chandler Harris is the politically-incorrect author of the children's series Uncle Remus. The two-room log cabin-once occupied by slaves-showcases collector items and shadow boxes. The lovely gardens hold a statue of Brier Rabbit, Harris's famed character. The most interesting part of the Harris legacy is that his books are no longer in print due to the language. A visit to the cabin will give a tourist a look into post-Civil War life in the South. Special note: It is worthwhile to read one of Harris's stories since this type of writing is no longer popular.
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Joel Chandler Harris Home (Wren's Nest)
1050 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW
Atlanta, GA 30310
Website: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/har.htm
Email: wrensnest@mindspring.com
Phone: (404) 753-7735
Joel Chandler Harris (1948 - 1908), author of the Uncle Remus Tales and editor of the Atlanta Constitution, lived in this house from 1881 until his death in 1908, and did most of his writing here. The Uncle Remus tales were based on the African-American oral storytelling tradition, and revolve around the artful Brier Rabbit, who frequently must rely on his wits in times of adversity. Initially, the books enjoyed great popularity among both African American and white readers, in part because of the idealized view of race relations that they presented. Today, Harris's works are more controversial, particularly among African American writers.
The Victorian Queen Anne-style home is today the oldest house museum in Atlanta. For the most part, the house has been unchanged since Harris's death, and contains many of his furnishings. Harris' s children named the house the Wren's Nest upon finding a nest of the baby birds in their mailbox. Wanting to leave the birds in peace, the family built a second mailbox.
In addition to this site, there is an Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, GA, Harris's birthplace, 43 miles from Atlanta. For more information visit http://www.uncleremus.com/museum.html or call (706) 485-6856
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Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
990 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
Website: http://www.gwtw.org
Email: museumshop@gwtw.org
Phone: (404) 249-7015
Margaret Mitchell (1900 - 1949) and her husband, John Marsh, lived here from 1925 until 1932, during which time Mitchell wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning epic, Gone With the Wind. Originally built in 1899 as a single-family home, the house was divided into apartments several years before Mitchell took up residence, Mitchell affectionately referred to the tiny Apartment #1, where she lived, as "the dump." Today, Apartment #1 is the only interior area of the building that has been preserved as an apartment. It is decorated with period furnishings.
Guided visits to the site begin at the Visitors Center, which features the exhibit "Before Scarlett: Girlhood Writings of Margaret Mitchell, 1907-1918," continue through Mitchell's apartment, and conclude with the Gone with With the Wind Movie Museum. The museum displays objects and correspondence relating to the filming of the 1939 classic, including the famous front door of Tara. Tours last approximately 60 - 90 minutes.
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Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
501 Auburn Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
Website: http://www.nps.gov/malu/
Email: Go to "Contact Us" section of website
Phone: (404) 331-6922
Martin Luther King Jr. was born here on January 15, 1929. Admission is free to tour the home, but tour groups are limited to fifteen people. Learn about King's life with his Christian family, the era of Jim Crow laws and how the Nobel Peace Prize recipient learned to preach about the non-violent Civil Rights movement, despite living during racist times. One can see the coal cellar, a chore of young "ML" along with family photographs and the bedroom he shared with his brother. Special note: This is an extremely popular site. Either get there early morning or go when school is in session.
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Sidney Lanier Cottage
935 High Street
Macon, GA 31207
Website: http://www.historicmacon.org/slc.html
Email: Go to "Contact Us" section of website
Phone: (478) 743-3851
The Sidney Lanier Cottage House Museum is the birthplace of writer, musician, and Confederate soldier Sidney Lanier (1842 - 1881). Lanier is best known for his poetry, in particular "The Marshes of Glynn" and "Song of the Chatahoochee," but he was also an accomplished musician, and was first chair flute in the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in Baltimore. Lanier died at age 39 after suffering for years from tuberculosis, which he contracted while imprisoned in a Federal camp during the war. His wife, Mary, outlived him by 50 years, and collected and published many of his writings.
A tour of the cottage showcases Lanier's medals, original books and his collection of flutes, along with Mary's, wedding dress and other Lanier family memorabilia. The cottage is furnished with period antiques, faithful reproductions of window treatments and textiles from the mid-nineteenth century, and still boasts its original 1840s floorboards.
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The Flannery O'Connor Andalusia Foundation
West side of Highway 441, four miles NW of Milledgeville
Milledgeville, GA 31059
Website: http://www.andalusiafarm.org/
Email: wiseblood@alltel.net
Phone: (478) 454-4029
Flannery O'Connor (1925 - 1964) lived here from 1951 until her death, writing numerous novels as well as her acclaimed collection of short stories, A Good Man is Hard to Find. Although suffering from an illness that would eventually claim her life, O'Connor wrote prolifically, entertained visitors, and traveled throughout the United States during this period for speaking engagements. Andalusia was not only O'Connor's home, but also the inspiration for the setting of much of her fiction.
The interior of Andalusia's main house, built in the 1850s, provides a glimpse into O'Connor's world. The bedroom where she worked is furnished with her desk, bookshelves and other furniture. Andalusia also features a 19th century plantation-style home, occupied by resident farmers Jack and Louise Hill. The grounds of Andalusia feature marshes and bogs along with a plethora of wildlife including foxes, white-tailed deer, and hawks.
The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home in Savannah, GA, is also open to visitors. For more information visit: http://www.flanneryoconnorhome.org/ or call: (912) 233-6014.
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Lewis Grizzard Museum
Moreland, GA
There is no address or phone listed. The website is only a long article. Email: dstamps1@bellsouth.net for any museum information.
This is probably one of the most interesting museums a tourist can ever visit. One reason is it is very hidden, actually so hidden a large produce stand is the main attraction. However, Grizzard followers come in droves, while others stumble upon the museum while buying fresh peppers or ears of corn. Grizzard, once referred to as the "Mark Twain" of the time period, published eighteen best-sellers and had a syndicated, widely read column. On display are his high school letterman jacket, manual typewriter and photographs. The museum is run by Dudley Stamps, his lifelong friend, and a visitor can directly email Stamps with questions (email address listed above).
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