Downtown Adairsville
Luxury Resorts, Artist Studios, Dinner Theater, Book Store, Characters Famous BBQ, and Civil War History in Historic Adairsville
Listed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places, Adairsville offers an array of interesting Victorian architecture, inviting shops, restaurants, and B&B inns. Here are just a few of the highlights that attract visitors to Historic Adairsville.
Adairsville Depot History Museum & Welcome Center
This museum and welcome center is located in the W&A Railroad Depot on Adairsville’s Historic Square. It recounts the town’s fascinating history, including pivotal roles in the Great Locomotive Chase of the Civil War, Georgia’s early peach and chenille industries, and the development and advancement of the Dixie Highway. Visitors may pick up a self-guided tour brochure with insight into Adairsville's most historic homes.
Day visitors to this resort will enjoy the enchanting Antebellum gardens and the ruins of the 1840s manor house. The Barnsley Historic District Museum tells the story of the Barnsley family and details the estate’s role during the Civil War. In addition to garden tours, visitors may enjoy casual and fine dining, championship golf, sporting clays, a relaxing spa day, and more.
Character’s Famous BBQ
Award-winning BBQ at its finest, served straight-up with no frills! Fans drive from neighboring states to eat the BBQ Pitmaster Champion’s food. At Character’s, find picnic tables at the Flea Market, and get ready for some good eatin'.
Part Time Artist Studio & Gallery
The gallery features paintings and drawings by artist Skip McNutt, whose most noted work is the Great Locomotive Chase mural commissioned through the Adairsville Heritage Foundation and funded by a federal grant. Stop in to learn more from the artist, then step across the street to see the mural on the W&A Rail Depot that depicts Adairsville’s famous role in the chase of Andrews’ Raiders.
Public Square Opera House Dinner Theater
Inside the historic 1902 Stock Exchange, this second-floor opera house hosts four historic dinner theater productions each year. Downstairs, visitors can browse and shop in the antiques emporium.
Sculpture on the Square and Photo Fence
In conjunction with Art in Bartow, the City of Adairsville and Adairsville Downtown Development Authority, and community cultural supporters installed five steel sculptures by Georgia artist J. Doyle Rogers, along with 10 digitally produced photos for public enjoyment.
A new tribute to all Veterans, complete with picnic pavilion (by reservation), dog park, playgrounds, splash pad, a volleyball net, giant checkerboard, and biking and walking trails.
Historic Festivals, Events & Recreation
Visit during the first weekend of October for the Great Locomotive Chase Festival. A three-day tradition since 1968, the festival features carnival rides, concerts, and so much more.
Bargain hunters mark the first weekend in June on their calendars to attend the Dixie Highway 90-Mile Yard Sale. Adairsville is a prime location for this annual mega-sale, situated at the halfway point. Make Adairsville your home base and enjoy great stays and delicious food.
Annual events taking place on Adairsville’s Public Square include monthly Car Cruise Ins from March to October, the Adairsville Farmer’s Market each Saturday morning from June to August, a Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration, Halloween on the Square, and Christmas on the Square on the first Monday of December.
Annual activities in Historic Logtown include the Spring Clean Up each April, BBQ & Blues each May, the July Cancer Navigator’s Motorcycle Ride, and the Community Yard Sale in September.
After you have filled your days with sightseeing, shopping, and touring, stop by Manning Mill Park to wet a hook or take a leisurely lakeside stroll on the recreation park’s 1.5-mile illuminated trail. This park is also home to one of Adairsville’s most significant events, as Adairsville Celebrates America takes place here on the last Saturday in June.