Planning to visit Roswell, Georgia? I envy you. I’ll always treasure the time I spent there while researching my book. There is so much to see and do, especially if you are a history buff like me.
Touring the historic district is like taking a step back in time. Magnificently preserved historic homes and churches stand as memorials to those who founded this lovely city so many years ago. The town square, small cottages on Factory Hill, and familiar streets, now paved, exist much as they did more than 175 year ago. Along Vickery Creek, most of the mill buildings are long gone, but old stone piers, earthen platforms and granite walls bear witness to a rich history that was by turns courageous, turbulent and tragic.
Most of the original homes and
churches are within the Roswell Historic District, which closely follows
the boundaries of the town as laid out by Roswell and Barrington King
in the 1830s. The entire historic district was added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 1973. Several of the founding family homes have been
purchased by the City of Roswell as house museums including Great Oaks, Mimosa Hall, Bulloch Hall, Smith Plantation, and Barrington Hall. Several operate as event facilities and are popular destinations for weddings.
For those who enjoy the outdoors,
Roswell’s award-winning park system and Chattahoochee River National
Recreation Area are sure to please.
Stop by the Visitors Center and
watch a video, view some exhibits, and pick up some helpful maps and
tourist information. The visitor center is located at the intersection
of Atlanta Street and Sloan Street on the historic Town Square.
Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau
1099 Alpharetta Street
Roswell, GA 30075 USA
770-640-3253 / 1-800-776-7935
Helpful links for planning your visit
Roswell Visitor Information
City of Roswell
Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau
(with information on attractions, dining and lodging)
Chattahoochee River National
Recreation Area
Roswell Research Facilities
Roswell Historical Society
Roswell Research Library and Archives
Historic Homes and Sites
These are links to a few of my favorite historic sites.
Each site has a connection to the founding families,
the mill workers, or the Roswell mills.
Historic Homes of the Founding Families
Historic Sites
Whether it's your primary destination, or you're making a side trip from Roswell, you MUST visit Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs, about 30 miles west of Roswell. They have a state-of-the-art visitors center to help acquaint you with the local history, including the story of the New Manchester mill workers. And the amazing mill ruins are absolutely a MUST SEE. You can tour the exterior of the mill ruins on your own, but you can only explore the interior as part of a tour. It is a bit of a walk to the the factory remains, but well worth the effort. If they happen to offer a guided tour, I highly recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity. The tours are interesting and informative, and the staff is the best. They love their work, and it shows.
Sweetwater Links
Douglasville Convention and Visitors Bureau
(with info on dining, lodging & attractions)
Friends of Sweetwater Creek State Park
Sweetwater Creek State Park
From Visit Roswell & Sweetwater Creek State Park to RoswellWomen
As an Amazon Associate, we earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com at no cost to you. Purchases of qualifying products from other affiliates generated by links on this site, may result in additional sources of affiliate commission.