Awesome Architecture Tours for Groups
Plan your group tour to Georgia and step into the state's most fascinating buildings and architecture.
Georgia boasts exquisite architectural structures far and wide, from stately Greek Revival estates to ornate Victorian homes and sprawling antebellum properties to soaring modern marvels. With guided tours and behind-the-scenes access, Georgia's architectural gems are just waiting to be explored. Savannah, in particular, offers a unique layout. Designed in 1733 and still largely intact, Savannah is a dream for both architecture lovers and walking tour enthusiasts wishing to explore stately mansions, Gothic Revival gems and quaint Queen Anne cottages.
The following destinations offer visitors a well-rounded architectural education that includes history, culture and art, all with a touch of Georgia's signature Southern hospitality.
Depending on your preference, explore Southwest Georgia's landmark properties and iconic architecture, or head east to Georgia's coastal region, which includes Savannah, known for its meticulously preserved historic district, oak-lined squares and blend of architectural styles.
The Crescent, Valdosta
Start your pilgrimage with a visit to this stately neoclassical structure, built in 1898. The three-story building is on the National Register of Historic Places and features a two-story, crescent-shaped portico with 13 enormous columns (representing the original 13 colonies). Guided tours for groups of 10 or more are led by volunteer members of local garden clubs and may be arranged with a donation.
Pebble Hill, Thomasville
This sprawling former shooting resort spans 3,000 lush acres, so allow plenty of time to explore. The centerpiece is the expansive, two-story 2,6000-square-foot main house, featuring a blend of neoclassical and colonial architecture. Don't miss the stables complex, log cabin school, pump house and formal gardens, which are filled with native plants. House tour audio narratives are available in French, Japanese, German and Spanish, in addition to docent-led tours in English — with a Southern accent, naturally.
Lapham-Patterson House, Thomasville
Round out your tour day at this Queen Anne-style property, named a National Historic Landmark. Built as a winter getaway for wealthy Chicago merchant C.W. Lapham in 1884, the home is exemplary of Victorian ingenuity, featuring a hexagonal dining room, fish scale shingles and a cantilevered balcony. Lapham, who survived Chicago's Great Fire of 1871, designed the 19-room home to have ample escape routes, to the tune of 24 exterior doors. The property welcomes tour groups of all ages, with a focus on students.
Overnight in Thomasville or head to Savannah
Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, Savannah
Built in 1819, this historic landmark stands as one of Savannah’s most architecturally significant homes—showcasing the neoclassical elegance of the English Regency style. But beyond its grand façade, the site offers a deeper interpretation of Savannah’s early 19th-century society. Through guided tours, visitors gain insight into both the lives of the elite families who resided here for more than a century as well as the enslaved individuals whose labor sustained the household. The preserved slave quarters here are among some of the oldest and most intact in an urban setting in the American South—offering a powerful lens into the stark contrasts of privilege and oppression.
Green-Meldrim House, Savannah
A masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture, this is one of Savannah’s most striking and storied landmarks and open for public tours. Built in the 1850s for cotton merchant Charles Green, the home features cast-iron accents, intricate woodwork and elegant interiors that reflect the city’s antebellum affluence. It also played a pivotal role during the Civil War, serving as Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s headquarters during his occupation of Savannah in 1864. Visitors can walk the same halls once tread by generals, dignitaries and socialites while learning about the home’s connection to both Savannah’s prosperity and its turbulent past.
Mercer-Williams House Museum, Savannah
Groups can explore a curated home tour that provides an intimate look inside this hauntingly storied residence, designed by New York architect John S. Norris for General Hugh W. Mercer (the great-grandfather of celebrated songwriter Johnny Mercer). Though no Mercer ever actually lived in the house, in Savannah, the majority of historic homes use the name of the home’s original family in addition to the most prominent family. This house of deep rose-colored bricks was made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Overnight in Savannah
Hay House, Macon
The Hay House is a stunning example of Italian Renaissance Revival style, topped by a two-story cupola and featuring sparkling stained glass. Dating back to 1859, the four-store, 18,000-square-foot mansion was technologically advanced for its day and featured central heat, a speaker-tube system and even hot and cold running water. Groups of 20 or more receive a discount with an advance reservation. For a chance to see a secret room, book the behind-the-scenes tour, offered twice a month.
History & Heritage Tour, Madison
Don't miss a chance to view some of the state's finest examples of antebellum architecture in charming Madison, where knowledgeable local guides lead custom group tours. Choose your tour highlights from properties in the quaint city's historic district. Visit the 1809 Piedmont Plain-style Rogers House; the Morgan County African American Museum; the 1811 Greek Revival-style Heritage Hall; and Rose Cottage, built in 1891 by Adeline Rose, who was born to enslaved parents.
Overnight in Madison
High Museum of Art, Atlanta
Whether you come to see its 15,000 works of art, or jaw-dropping architecture, a visit to the High is a must. The original 1983 building, with its dynamic, sculptural design, won celebrated American artist and architect Richard Meier the 1984 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. In 2005, Italian architect Renzo Piano added three new buildings and a special roof system featuring 1,000 scopes to filter ethereal natural light into the upper galleries. In addition to live music performances, lectures and classes, the museum offers group tours with advance reservations.
Southern Trilogy Historic Homes, Roswell
Historic Roswell is an architecture buff's dream, with three stately homes built between 1839 and 1845 in close proximity to one another. Start with Bulloch Hall, the childhood Greek Revival-style home of Mittie Bulloch, mother of President Theodore Roosevelt. Barrington Hall, constructed by Roswell's founders, features metro Atlanta's only open-to-the-public antebellum gardens. Georgian-style Smith Plantation includes 10 original outbuildings and artifacts from the original family. Tours of 15 or more guests should book in advance and are available in French and German.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Lilburn
Opened in 2007, this Hindu place of worship is the largest of its kind outside of India, and features five towering pinnacles, 86 decorative ceilings and 340 columns. Designed in India, the 34,000 pieces of pink sandstone, Carrara marble and limestone were carved there and shipped to Georgia, where they were pieced together like a massive puzzle on the property's 30 acres. The temple provides guided tours to groups of 10 or more with advance notice, and audio guides are available in a variety of languages.
Don't-Miss Dining: The Swanson, Perry
Here, you can take in the historic architecture of the Swanson, which began construction in 1790. As if supping in beautiful environs weren't enough, don't miss the decadent fried green tomatoes, Southern fried chicken and famous buttery biscuits. This charming Middle Georgia favorite offers set and custom group menus.
Must-Stop Shopping: Tannery Row Artist Colony, Buford
Prepare to fall in love with the work of painters, print-makers, mixed-media artists and potters at this vibrant collection of open studios. The space, situated in historic downtown Buford, offers complimentary admission for visitors to watch as nationally acclaimed artists create their unique wares, all available for purchase.
