Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails

Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails - Events

June - July - August - September - October - November - December

OCTOBER 2008

40th Annual Great Locomotive Chase Festival - Friday through Sunday, October 3 through 5, Adairsville. Popular arts and crafts festival in the town that witnessed Andrews’ Raiders Civil War escapade. Enjoy food, entertainment, and Saturday parade, with street dance in the evenings and gospel singing on Sunday. Visit the depot railroad museum. Admission $3.00. Directions: I-75 to Exit 306, west on Georgia Hwy. 140 to Main Street, turn left then go one mile to Adairsville Public Square. 770-773-3451, www.notatlanta.org.

Battle of Allatoona Pass - Saturday & Sunday, October 4 & 5, Allatoona Pass Battlefield, near Cartersville. Walk through the railroad cut in the pass. Tour the star fort earthworks, and follow the old Tennessee Road as the soldiers did in 1864. Explore life in the tent city, and enjoy rifle and cannon demonstrations. Visit the Clayton-Mooney House, used as a hospital during the Civil War. Admission to house tour. Directions: I-75 to Exit #283, go east 1-1/2 miles to battle site. Shuttle and parking available at Allatoona Landing Marina, just beyond the event site. 770-975-4226, www.redtopmountain.com/.

33rd Annual Andersonville Historic Fair - Saturday & Sunday, October 4 & 5, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Pioneer Farm Park, Andersonville. Experience Civil War battle reenactments, encampments, blacksmiths, gunsmiths, quilting, chair caning and more. Antiques, Civil War collectibles, arts and crafts, plus live entertainment on two stages. Admission: Adults $4.00, Children $1.50. Directions: I-75 to Exit #127, west on Georgia Hwy. 26 to Georgia Hwy. 49, then south about 10 miles to the City of Andersonville, located on the west side of Georgia Hwy. 49. 229-924-2558, www.andersonvillegeorgia.com.

Sunday In The Park - Sunday, October 5, 12:00 to 6:00 pm , Oakland Cemetery , Atlanta . Annual Victorian festival, featuring fun for all ages, at Atlanta ’s most historic cemetery. Among many others buried here are thousands of Confederate veterans, Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, golfing great Bobby Jones, and six Georgia governors, including John B. Gordon and Joseph E. Brown. The festival features live entertainment and several food vendors. Guided walking tours and horse & carriage tours are available. Local story tellers tell tales of those who made Atlanta the city it is today. A large artists market offers handcrafted items. Oakland ’s traditional Teddy Bear Tea (bring your favorite bear) is held in the Kids Area, busy with crafts, games and clowning. Visitors have the opportunity to view artisans presenting living history demonstrations, plus enjoy antique autos on display. Admission: $2.00 suggestion donation. Directions: I-20 to Exit #59, north on Boulevard to Memorial Drive, turn left and proceed to Oakland Avenue, turn right for one block to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, turn right into cemetery entrance. 404-658-6019, www.oaklandcemetery.com/.

Haunted Depot and Hayrides - Fridays & Saturdays, October 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 & 31, 7:00 pm, Historic Ringgold Depot, 155 Depot Street, Ringgold. Experience the thrills and scares of the historic Ringgold Depot during this Halloween season. If the Depot doesn’t scare you to death, take a haunted ride along Chickamauga Creek. Directions: I-75 to Exit #348, north on Ga. Hwy. 151 to Nashville Street in Ringgold (a.k.a. U.S. Hwy. 41), then right on Nashville Street to Depot Street. The depot is on the left. 706-935-5290, www.cityofringgold.com.

Kennesaw Mountain Trails Workday - Saturday, October 11, 8:30 am to 1:00 pm, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club helps maintain the trails at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. There are no membership requirements other than a willingness to work. Trail building experience not necessary. Meet at the park maintenance area behind the Visitor Center. The Park provides all necessary tools and safety equipment. 770-427-4686, www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm.

Mule Day Southern Heritage Festival - Saturday, October 11, 10:00am to 4:00 pm, Callaway Plantation, 2160 Lexington Avenue, Washington. A celebration of plantation life in the Old South with draft mule and horse events and contests, primitive demonstrations, Civil War encampment, food, arts & crafts show, history, food and prizes and fun for the whole family. Admission: $5.00 per carload. Directions: I-20 to Exit #165, north on Georgia Hwy. 80 to U.S. Hwy. 78, then west on U.S. Hwy 78 to about 4 miles west of downtown Washington. 706-678-2013, www.washingtonwilkes.org/.

Prater’s Mill Country Fair - Saturday & Sunday, October 11 & 12, Saturday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Prater’s Mill, about eight miles northeast of Dalton. Stroll among displays of original artwork and craft demonstrations. Enjoy pony rides and hiking on the nature trail or paddle down Coahulla Creek. Taste the finest Southern cooking and tap your toes to authentic mountain music. You can even buy a bag of freshly ground cornmeal at this historic Civil War era mill, used as a campsite at different times by both Union and Confederate soldiers. Admission: adults $5.00, children under 12 free. I-75 to Exit #341, north on GA Hwy. 201 to GA Hwy. 2, then east. 706-694-6455, www.PratersMill.org.

23rd Annual Tour of Southern Ghosts - October 15 through 19, 22 through 26, and 29 through 31, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, Stone Mountain Park. Meet professional storytellers spinning their tales of famous (and not-so-famous) Southern Ghosts along the lantern-lit paths of the Antebellum Plantation grounds. The stories are a little scary, many times humorous, but never too frightening and always appropriate for young children. Admission: Adults $12.00, Children ages 12 and under $5.00. 770-469-1105, http://www.artstation.org/ToSG/SouthernGhosts.htm.

Ringgold Gap Civil War Festival - Friday & Saturday, October 17 & 18, Ringgold. A celebration of the arts, with period music, dance, storytelling and other entertainment, plus a living history. The festival’s highlight will be unveiling of a statue to honor General Patrick Cleburne. 706-965-1249, http://ringgoldgapfestival.com/

1860s Halloween Carnival - Saturday, October 18, 5:00 to 9:00 pm, Jefferson Davis Memorial State Historic Site, Irwinville. Enjoy ol’ fashion games with a splash of modern. Kids and parents will enjoy prizes, carving pumpkins, winning cakes on the cake walk, and being “scared to death” with a late-night haunted hay ride. Refreshments will be served. Admission: $1.50, plus $3.00 for tickets to play games and rides. Directions: From I-75 take Exit #78, go east 14 miles on GA Hwy. 32 to Irwinville. Turn left on Jeff Davis Park Road and proceed one mile to the site (on left). 229-831-2335, http://gastateparks.org/info/jeffd/.

Candle Lantern Tour - Saturday, October 18, 7:00 pm, Fort McAllister State Historic Park, Richmond Hill. Tour Fort McAllister by candle light and witness skits put on by Civil War soldiers as they carry out their nightly duties. No flashlights please. Admission: $2.50 to $4.00. Directions: I-95, Exit #90, then 10 miles east via GA Hwy. 144, look for signs. 912-727-2339 for reservations, http://gastateparks.org/.

Landscape of Slavery: The Plantation in American Art - August 23 through October 19, Morris Museum of Art, 1 Tenth Street, Suite 320, Augusta. This exhibition examines depictions of plantation structures, plantation views, and related slave imagery as a special part of the American landscape tradition. Admission fee. Directions: I-20 to Exit #200 (Riverwatch Parkway), turn left and follow River Watch Parkway into downtown Augusta, which turns into Jones Street, left onto 10th Street, cross Reynolds Street and turn left onto Tatnall Street; museum parking is the second entrance on the right. 706-724-7501, www.themorris.org/.

The Women of Roswell - Monday, October 20, 7:00 pm , Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Visitors Center . Phillip Whiteman, a Civil War expert and longtime Kennesaw Mountain volunteer, will discuss the ordeal of the female Roswell, Georgia mill workers who were arrested for treason and sent north. Admission is free. Directions: I-75 to Exit #269, west on Barrett Parkway for approximately 3 miles, then left onto Old Highway 41. Turn right at the next traffic light, Stilesboro Road , and the visitors center is on the left. 770-427-4686, www.nps.gov/kemo/.

Pirates of the Chattahoochee - Saturday & Sunday, October 25 & 26, National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, 1002 Victory Drive, Columbus. Pirates take over the museum and invite families and children of all ages to help them have fun. We will have live music, costume contests, a cannonball toss, pirate bowling, boarding drill, and pirate story time. And there is always treasure in the sand pile! Directions: I-185 to Exit #6, west on Macon Road, which changes to Wynnton Road, then south on 10th Avenue. 706-327-9798, www.portcolumbus.org.