Four historic houses, 33 acres of curated Goizueta Gardens, and 100 years of Atlanta history make up the Atlanta History Center. Founded in 1926, the Atlanta Historical Society aimed to preserve, study, and educate on Atlanta history. In 1990, the organization officially became the Atlanta History Center as it is today. Now, with a range of exhibitions and decades of dedication, the center offers young students a wealth of knowledge to explore.
Immersive Field Trips
The center’s free digital guide is a perfect planning resource, with archival images showcasing each exhibition, information on upcoming exhibitions, self-guided audio tours, and accessibility tools. Explore 19 buildings and gardens, each with its own unique historical significance. The Atlanta History Museum serves as the center’s hub, featuring award-winning exhibitions dedicated to Atlanta history. View the stunning, year-round display of seasonal blooms of the Rhododendron Garden from under the gazebo — designed by a local Atlanta architect in the 1900s. Step back to the Civil War era and learn about the Indigenous people of this land at the Wood Cabin. Atlanta’s oldest surviving farmhouse, the Smith Farm, also stands here, telling stories of Georgia farm life and enslavement.
Student Programming
Atlanta History Center’s unique programs and events aim to connect visitors with Atlanta’s rich history and culture. Toddler Storytime presents an educational activity with stories on a range of topics designed to engage young visitors. Smith Farm offers up-close encounters with heritage animal breeds — learn about what makes them unique as you watch them perform tricks for treats. And for a gallery designed specifically for children, check out the Goizueta Children’s Experience. This 5,000-square-foot space teaches local history through immersive exhibits and hands-on play. With themes that rotate annually, the center keeps learning fresh and engaging.
School tours let students explore interdisciplinary themes throughout the center. Each tour is broken down by grade level and aligns with state social studies requirements.
Educational Resources
Check out the center’s Learning Lab for an abundance of online resources. Featuring toolkits for various topics, grade-level lesson plans, and activities to round out learning, these resources offer a lot to learn about Atlanta. Their Civil Rights toolkit highlights stories from the Birmingham Children’s Crusade—a series of nonviolent marches in which over 1,000 students skipped class to protest. The toolkit is curated for different grade levels and includes videos, readings, and activities to engage students in history about people their own age. Their Atlanta in Five Objects activity provides three different ways to explore the objects that make up Atlanta culture. Intended for grades 6-12, students are encouraged to inquire about the significance of seemingly mundane objects around them, explore the museum with a scavenger hunt, and create their own exhibitions from objects that make up their stories.
