120 S Clark St, Milledgeville, GA 31061-3336

Completed in 1839, Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion is one of the finest examples of High Greek Revival architecture in the nation. Designed by noted architect Charles Clusky, an Irish immigrant and built by Timothy Porter of Farmington, Connecticut, the Mansion looms over Milledgeville with its stately columns and imposing facade. Serving as the residence for Georgia's chief executives for over thirty years, the Mansion's history encompasses the antebellum, Civil War, and early Reconstruction phases of the state's history. Such noted state leaders as George Crawford, Howell Cobb and Joseph E. Brown resided in the building and used it as a stage for speeches and also to introduce guests of national standing. Georgia's Old Governor’s Mansion also served as a stage on which many elements of the complex social issues of the antebellum period were played out. Slavery and the complexity of society and gender roles are among the issues that shape the history of the building and are explored in tandem with the issues of politics. During the Civil War, the Mansion was claimed as a "prize" in the "March to the Sea," when General William T. Sherman headquartered in the building on November 23, 1864. Following the war, Georgia's seat of government was relocated to Atlanta, and the Mansion was abandoned. Given over to Georgia Normal & Industrial College (currently known as Georgia College) in 1889, the Mansion served as the founding building of the institution and is the campus's most treasured structure. Beginning in the late 1990s, an initiative was begun to return the Mansion to its antebellum splendor. Following five years of intensive historical, structural and material research, Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion began its long awaited historic restoration in November of 2001. Funded through the Georgia General Assembly and a generous grant from the Woodruff Foundation, over three years of painstaking work has restored the original layout, coloration, lighting and appearance of the building. Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion now serves as an historic house museum whose mission is to care for, collect, interpret and exhibit items (including artifacts, structures, and gardens) that illustrate the history of the site and its inhabitants during the years the Mansion was the official residence of Georgia’s governors (1839-1868). Tours focus on the history of the building, its occupants both free and enslaved, and the myriad complexities of Antebellum society in Georgia and its history. Georgia's Old Governor’s Mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 and is an accredited museum of the American Alliance of Museums. In 2015, the Mansion was named an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

200 W Hancock St, Milledgeville, GA 31061-3326

Begin your Milledgeville exploration at the Visitor Information Center. Here you will fall in love with the First Lady of Georgia, find local maps, receive gracious hospitality, learn of upcoming events and absorb the tips of local delicacies. Visitor favorite, the Historic Trolley Tour, departs from the Center.

2628 N Columbia St, Milledgeville, GA 31061-8763

Historic farm in Milledgeville, GA where Southern fiction writer Flannery O'Connor lived and worked from 1951 until her death in 1964.

1534 Irwinton Rd, Milledgeville, GA 31061-3827

2971 N Columbia St, Milledgeville, GA 31061-8797

200 W Hancock St, Milledgeville, GA 31061-3326

While Milledgeville's Trolley Tour is known as the best way to take in the town, unfortunately at this time all weekly tours are canceled. As we reposition to bring back the tour, we recommend other trolley or historic attraction tours in Milledgeville. For those interested in exploring the history of the former Central State Hospital campus, regular Central State Trolley Tours are your perfect chance. Make the most of your visit discovering Milledgeville, visit our complete list of guided tours to learn our history-filled stories.

620 Broad St, Milledgeville, GA 31062-7525

Since its founding in 1842, the Central State Hospital Campus (originally known as the Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum) has been one of Milledgeville’s most well known and intriguing sites. The site gained national recognition during the 1960s as the worlds’ largest mental institution with over 12,000 patients, 6,000 employees, and more than 8,000 acres of land. Today, Central State Hospital serves over 200 existing patients and has downsized to roughly 2,000 acres of land. Take a free self-guided driving tour that highlights the historic buildings of the campus and mentions important people from CSH's past as well as the significance of certain periods in the Hospital's history. Brochures are available at the Milledgeville Visitor's Center and outside Just Imagine Cottage. For those interested in exploring more of the history of the former Central State Hospital campus, a guided trolley tour is offered monthly.

300 West Franklin Street, Milledgeville, GA 31061

The site of Flannery O'Connor's grave.

320 S Wayne St, Milledgeville, GA 31061-3444

2400 N Columbia St # 39, Milledgeville, GA 31061-2069

3069 N Columbia St U.S Hwy 441, Milledgeville, GA 31061-8478