archibald smith plantation home

Fussytraveler22

We wanted to get out of the city of Atlanta and get a taste of the southern country side. That is almost impossible to do with the endless suburban sprawl and strip malls surrounding Atlanta. Roswell was a perfect outing. Lunch in the small but historic town and a visit to the Smith Plantation. In under an hour, we were given an insightful tour by Kenny Sumner of the house and got a taste of southern living over three generations.

Kobenomad

Do make sure you take a tour of the house and listen to teh stories. It will make a great afternoon outing for the entire family and expose the kids to some real local history. Highly recommended.

russellp597

This is an old cotton plantation house that the old cook ended up living in and became a bit of a local celebrity. well worth doing the tour.

JJS3

If you want to understand more about the history of Roswell, this is one of the places you have to go to. Smith is one of the few places in the Atlanta Metro area where you can see historic buildings that existed before the Civil War - Sherman tended to burn most of them. Also take in Bulloch Hall (Teddy Roosevelt's mother's home) and Barrington Hall (the home of the Founder of Roswell) - all date before the Civil War. Park at City Hall, walk to the adjacent Smith Plantation and then go have lunch or dinner at Canton Street.

mgriz

We went here on a 3rd grade field trip, and it was very educational. The tour guide was very informative, and the artifacts are very intriguing. If you're planning to do the tour on your own, it can take as long or as short of time as you'd like; however, with the guide, it took about 30-40 mins., as she would give information then allow for time for everyone to peruse through the rooms to see all the items. The most interesting thing is this home was owned by the same family, passed down for several generations to finally one of their servants. There are so many original items kept here. The town of Roswell has a great downtown area with cute shops and restaurants.

RDEshadow

We only had a brief period of time here, but we toured around the grounds and saw what we could. Very interesting history and architecture. The grounds were neat and clean and guides were on hand to explain what we were looking at.

KyGaLisa

The Plantation holds their annual 'Fall Farm Days' on the 2nd Saturday of October. (This year, Oct 11) from 11 - 3:00. There are lots of historical demonstrations and fun things for the kids to do and crafts to make, AND a horse or mule-drawn wagon to take you for a spin on the grounds! It makes for a great day with the family. We have been attending for about 8 years now.

jh284

It is a trek but if you're intersted in historical sites go here. The tours are very informative on the history of the house. Plus Rosewell is a beautiful town with amazing antique stores. Definitly allocate an extra half and hour to explore outside the home too.

Watsson

Antebellum house that survived the Civil War virtually intact. Filled with original furnishings. The best part was the docent's talk -- filled with gossipy tidbits about the families that lived there and dirt-dishings about the neighbors.

johnwC597TI

Roswell was a really nice place in general. I was really impressed with the plantation home. There's an interesting history mainly because the last person to live there hoarded all the family items so everything inside is related to the history of that house rather than cobbled together which was a nice touch. I learnt a lot about plantations in Georgia. The tour was good and the out houses give a lot of info as well. Fee for going in the home for a tour. Free to wander around outside and look in the outbuildings. Loads of free parking nearby in the City Hall area

Castleseeker

I was given a pass port admitting me to three pre Civil War mansions in Roswell Georgia. It was our plan to visit all three houses in three hours and shove on to other things; making the 250 mile round trip just once. As it was we immersed ourselves in the Smith Plantation Home for several hours and had an immensely satisfying experience. I was quite taken with the state of conservation and maintenance of the house interior, exterior, and grounds. The house is well furnished with furniture and smaller period articles. The ensemble of outbuildings was quite intact and added clarity to the picture of life on a plantation manned by slaves. The docent on hand is quite versed in the details and lore of the plantation and made the tour quite informative and interesting. Photos are allowed inside the house and I was able to make a fine set of the interior and grounds. We will come back and visit the other grand houses one at a time. The passport allows one to visit all three houses for one discount price. The passport has no expiration and one can visit the houses together or spread out over months or years. Nearby parking is free.

KWeberinRoswell

We had a great experience at the Smith Plantation Home Pavilion ~ staff was wonderful to work with and made the event extra special with their helpful suggestions.

DEJinVA

Good tour and narration of the history of the plantation. May not be a good selection if you have preschoolers and tweens as their attention span may not survive the narrations.

GGD277

I was looking forward to visiting this site, as it was the only "plantation" in our vacation area. It's an OK experience, but if you have allergies/asthma beware of the traffic pollution (it is right next to a busy throughway), and lots of mold & dust in the house. The guide seemed knowledgeable, but seemed to have given the tour so much that she thought her canned jokes were funny. $8 a piece to tour.

JaneRichard

Unique home with an abundance of history. Good place to spend an hour if you happen to be in the neighborhood.