Excellent spot for sightseeing. Great for adults; mildly ok for kids, as its light on interaction. Lovely, knowledgeable Docents waiting to share the story. Nice home, small for its era of plantation homes. It was nice seeing the true story of the impact of African Americans - without them there is no Roswell. Without black free labor there is no America in the way we see it now. Free labor fueled the wealth of many dynasties. A nice one hour or 1.5 hr is enough time to see everything. You may want to read up on the house and area before you arrive to ground you in the founding of Roswell. If you love antiques, there's tons to see! Lots of pics on wall. This specific founder wasn't ostentatious so its the opposite of gold, lavish, etc. Its humble wealth! They were devout Presbyterians who were conflicted on owning slaves; private/ secret abolitionist who taught their slaves to write. Telling other locals it was for God so his slaves could read the Bible. But truly it was so they had a skill and could be more than slaves! Remarkable! Fun visit. There are two more grand homes, larger, more lavish by 2 other Roswell early founders, about a mile away. So if you have more time, do it all in 2 to 3 hours. We sat on the porch for 30 min just rocking, nice chairs! We may not ever go back but it was worth seeing! read more

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The city of Roswell has 3 preserved antebellum houses open for public tours. We stopped by all 3 one Saturday afternoon in February. All are located within a 1/2-mile radius, and 2 are literally within about 200 yards of each other. Our third stop was at Smith Plantation. It is located close to the Roswell business / restaurant district, and is adjacent to the city hall (with which it shares a parking lot). Like the others, there is no fee here. We entered via the front door and interacted with the welcoming docent, who asked for our zip code and how we'd heard about the venue. You are then free to wander the house via whatever route you like. Most rooms have a sign with a 4-digit code. You call a phone number (the same one used at the other 2 houses) and enter successive codes as you proceed. For each code, there is an accompanying description of the room's historical context and of its furnishings. These mansions all seemed to follow the same basic floorplan - a central linear hallway with 2 or 3 rooms off each side and a staircase at the end. This home had been upgraded / modernized in the 1940s, so some parts have a different feel than the other 2 open homes. For instance, this one has a kitchen that is more relatable, and there is an actual master bath added upstairs. This also seemed to be the smallest of the 3 homes. There is a bit more information about the last people who lived in the house, as they were there until the 1980s. There are also a few outbuildings here. If you only had time to tour one house of the 3, I'd still begin with Bulloch Hall. However, this place was nice to visit if you have another 30 - 45 minutes. read more

Hidden treasure in Roswell. Wonderful experience. Hostess was knowledgeable and pleasant.

After walking through the art fest we visited the plantation which is situated behind the Roswell Courthouse. I dialed the number to activate the self guided tour and it was very informative. It was also the first time I had to explain what a slave was to my little one. Not sure whether I could adequately convey the meaning to our 4 year old but I guess we are taking baby steps. I felt this educational and important to remember and acknowledge our past which still bears scars in today. Oppression of anyone will eventually bite you. read more

Smith Plantation Home - Museums Near Me - Roswell, Georgia

Great info and displays Highly recommend Easy to follow Great area just to stroll Phone walking tour for each section read more

I enjoyed a fascinating tour of this well-preserved home. With a very informative guide, we learned the history of the family and later generations who owned the home. The guide noted that the furnishings belonged to the family (which is not always the case in historic homes), and took time for questions from visitors. Don't miss the buildings behind the home after your tour. The garden, cookhouse and slave dwellings are interesting to see. There is also a cell phone audio tour. This home is definitely worth a visit as a day trip from Atlanta. read more

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The Smith Plantation Home was built in 1845 by Archibald Smith using slave labor. Smith was a businessman, an indualistist, a slave owner and one of the six founding members of the city of Roswell, GA. The home is exceptionally well preserved and you can take a tour of the place. ($8 adults, kids $6) But no photography inside. There are letters dating back to the time of Civil war as well as a beautiful piano dating back to 1833. I think what I found poignant about my time at the Smith Plantation Home was the discussion of the use of slave labor. It's one thing to read about it in books but to see it in person is haunting and heart breaking. I commend the operators of the home to feature this in their tour when they could easily just have gloss over this part of the history. It is a great addition to the charming historic city of Roswell. Hope you'll stop by and see it for yourself. read more

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Love knowing the history behind it. The surroundings is beautiful as well. Love to stop for lunch around the vicinity.

The home was actually elsewhere, and re-settled onto this land. The enslaved persons home was also elsewhere, and re-settled onto this land. That said, it does not take away from the feelings and education you will get from visiting this place. I love the fact that the swan house, which is a beautiful mansion, reminiscent of a prior age is walking distance, as well as the Atlanta, history museum. Highly recommend it! read more

Great place to visit. Tour guide was very knowledgeable. Building seem well maintained and all artifacts are supposedly original to the home. read more

Smith Plantation Home - Museums Near Me - Roswell, Georgia

Wow, what a history lesson I got today. Not only is there a lot if information regarding the house and its past occupants, but because the property still has several of the buildings, I received a great history lesson on how a farm during the 1800's operated. Well worth the 2 hours to go through it completely read more

Beautiful grounds -- certainly majestic in nature. The only complaint is that we waited 45 minutes for a tour that never started and was supposed to begin every hour on the hour. However, you do have the option of doing a self-guided tour for free. A saving grace if you've traveled to see the plantation and was unable to do a traditional tour. read more

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Great tour and history lesson, our tour guide whose name I forget (Unfortunately, because she was really good) knew everything about the house and family history. The tour lasted an hour and is great value at $8 per adult. And after the tour of the main house you can spend as much time as you like in the grounds, and looking around the out buildings. We visited out of school vacation time mid week, and it was really quiet with only 9 people on the tour. Well worth a visit. read more

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When I was 5, my mom read me the entire "Little House on the Prairie" series on a week long road trip. Ever since then, I've loved American History, and I always point to that experience in my path to becoming a History major @ UGA. Whether you are a history buff, tourist, or looking for a worthy cause to give some time to, I highly recommend the Smith Plantation Home. The Smith Family moved to Roswell as one of the founding families of the town in 1839, and they built this farmhouse between 1843-1845. Three generations lived in the home for over 150 years, and it is completely furnished with family originals. Docent led tours are offered on the hour from 10-3 Monday through Saturday, and 1-3 on Sundays. If you have some extra time in the area, buy the "passport" ticket to Historic Roswell, which gives you admission to all three of the public plantation homes in Roswell, including Bulloch Hall, the childhood home of President Theodore Roosevelt's mother, Mittie. Smtih Plantation also offers special Holiday programs, from a Mother's Day Open House, to a Black History Month Hat Tea. They even have a day camp during the summer, where kids can pan for gold, work on an archaeological dig, and cook over an open hearth. read more

I suggest buying the Trilogy Tour Pass for $18 at the Roswell Visitors Center. The website is confusing and offers incorrect info (i.e. There is ONLY one home on the tour that does NOT take charge cards: Archibald Smith Home... The website states only cash for all three. Additionally, the contact phone number never worked for me and I tried it over several days) The tours are offered at the top of the hour and last about an hour... Check for daily hours of operation. Bulloch: my docent was a sweet young lady with terrific energy named Alyssa. I was the lone visitor at that hour and enjoyed a private tour. Alyssa was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of detail about the home, property and family. I truly enjoyed the visit and walked away with some great information. She also offered some pointers on other local sites in which she thought I'd be interested. Barrington: Sue was my docent and, being the final tour of the day, I was the solo visitor again! Sue was able to talk about the family and history of the property the entire hour. She shared wonderful tidbits and pointed out a lot of terrific pieces throughout the home. I felt she really knew the family members personally. Smith: Matt was our docent and I really appreciated his style. I shared this final tour with a couple from PA. Matt did a nice job asking about us before introducing himself. This tour was also terrific... And as Matt pointed out, the only tour that covers the life of the home through its most recent owner. He did a great job of telling and showing the home's history from its original owner in the 1840's through its final inhabitant in the early 1990's. I had to split my visit into two days in order to see all three homes. The Trilogy Pass allows you to come back at your convenience... It isn't necessary to try and see all three on the same day. The homes share an interesting history and I'd highly recommend them to anyone visiting the area. read more

I love house museums, especially those offering the unexpected! This place is like a little brigadoon offering an incredible contrast to the frantic bustle of Atlanta. This isn't period specific but a glance at the normal accululation of layers of family history in a two story plantation house - a piece of Georgia so far overlooked by Hollywood. The guide was friendly and knew her stuff - we also got to chat with the Director who was extremely personable and talkative and made us feel like we had encountered Georgia's most underrated gem - thanks! read more

Great property. Tour hasn't started and it's 30° out and they're a half hour late.

I have just walked around this place and that is all. I personally love the historic feel of the place and parking is really easy, especially early on the weekends. I have been here a few times for family photographs because it offers some great shots. I'd love to learn more about the history of the place. Perhaps after I check the place out for the tour and other features I can change my review. read more

Very interesting tour. Katie did a great job as our guide. The house is beautiful and you get an interesting look at the history of Roswell.

I think the reason there wasn't gloss over anything that the smith slave owners did because there are still people who has had families that where here maybe including me who has experienced it and the stories that are ashamed to be told was still some times told my stories of Mississippi through my great grand mother who spoke of her mother and her grandmother was Vague but was vivid enough to tell that they were still segregated at her time she was born in 1914 my great grandma lived till she was 96 she told me that they never would be with whites at all but she was very light but she still did not say if they where mixed maybe so because even though grandma spoke of her mother and grandmother she never spoke of her grandfather I remember her saying he grandma would rocker her to sleep at a like age 4 or 5 and she would wake up laughing because her grandma thought she was fast asleep but she said she would take her again and rock her some more. I listened to her a lot about her grandmas hair being very thin and long down her entire back she said her skin was fair but the portrait of her looked so black and I asked why she said because that is how the photographer had to draw it I was like wow. The portrait made her look really brown skinned but she was really light and she always wore her hair in a ball because her hair was so long and silky she said she would put her hands straight through it. She mentioned of her father and her mother grand ma but never grandpa so I'm am going to find out what and who he was read more

Beautiful plantation. The woman who gave the tour was wonderful & knew a lot about the family history. It's an hour long $8 per adult. Awesome history lesson, would really recommend it. read more

Great place loaded with history and family details!

Really awesome property!!! Tour guide was fantastic and had so much information to give! For adults, it's $8 (cash or check only) but you get a discount if you want to visit all 3 historical plantations....I also just found out that the 2nd and 4th Sat of each month they do cooking demonstrations out in the old cook house...over the fire and everything! How cool!! read more