Museums & Historic Houses

Ware-Lyndon Historic House (293 Hoyt Street) This antebellum house was built for physician Edward Ware, and later owned by mill owner Edward Lyndon. It is the only surviving house from the formerly popular 19th-century neighborhood of Lickskillet, much of which was razed and redeveloped in the mid 20th century.

There is a free self-guided audio tour of the house, and a small museum displaying artifacts related to the house and to aspects of local Athens history. Art exhibitions are held at the adjacent Lyndon House Arts Center.

The house is open Tuesday-Saturday. Tuesday and Thursday, 12pm-9pm; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9am-5pm. Admission is free.

Taylor Grady House (634 Prince Avenue) This striking 1840s neoclassic mansion, with two-story columns rising on three of its sides, is a National Historic Landmark. Self-guided tours of the house, which was once occupied by the “New South” politician Henry Grady, are available Monday to Friday, $3 per person (Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am-3pm; Tuesday and Thursday 12pm-4pm).

TRR Cobb House (175 Hill Street) This house museum explores the life of Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, a 19th-century lawyer, politician and advocate of slavery, with displays of historic artifacts and period furniture. The house is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm. A donation of $2 per adult is requested.

Probably the oldest surviving house in Athens is the Church-Waddel-Brumby House, (280 East Dougherty Street) currently occupied by the Athens Welcome Center. The house is restored to the 1820s period, when it was occupied by University of Georgia, Franklin College president Moses Waddel.

The Welcome Center/House is open daily: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday, 12pm-5pm.

Georgia Museum of Art This art museum is both the official state art museum and the university art museum of the University of Georgia. Its permanent collection focuses on American paintings, including African-American and coastal art. It also hosts rotating special exhibitions (see details of current and upcoming exhibitions).

The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday. Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; Thursday 10am-9pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm. Admission is free.

The Special Collections Libraries at UGA display items from the collections of their archives, frequently focused on aspects of Georgia history. The exhibit galleries are open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm and Saturday, 1pm-5pm. Admission is free, and groups can also schedule a tour of the galleries (two weeks advance notice required). See details of current exhibitions or how to reserve a tour.

Outdoor Attractions

The highlight of Athens’ outdoor attractions is the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (2450 South Milledge Avenue), 4 miles south of downtown Athens. This beautiful 313-acre garden offers miles of trails, thematic plant displays and specialized horticultural collections.

The gardens are open daily (the visitor center is closed on Mondays). Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Dogs are not permitted.

Athens also has several historic cemeteries dating back to the 19th century. The 1882 Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery (530 Fourth Street) was founded as a burial place for African-Americans: around 3500 people were buried there, mostly in unmarked graves. The cemetery has recently been added to the National Register of Historic Places; award-winning restoration work was completed in 2008.

The small Jackson Street Cemetery was the original town cemetery for Athens (it is also known as the Old Athens Cemetery), created in 1810 and used primarily in the first half of the 19th century. It is located on the present-day University of Georgia campus, opposite the UGA Main Library.

Much larger is the 100-acre 1856 Oconee Hill Cemetery, on the banks of the North Oconee River. An excellent example of the landscaped 19th-century cemetery tradition, the cemetery’s rolling grounds offer beautiful views, elaborate funerary sculpture and a peaceful place to explore the history of Athens.

Tours

Several guided tours of the history and culture of Athens are available through the Athens Welcome Center. Bus and walking tour options are available, with standard tours exploring the history of the city and specialty, seasonal tours devoted to its musical and haunted history. Tours prices start at $15 per person.

Free self-guided tours of Athens’ historic neighborhoods, its music history, African-American history, Civil War history and other topics are also available. See details of current tours