Tours

Specialty Tours

The city of Milledgeville has a rich history, especially for those interested in the history of the former Georgia capital. Go beyond the windshield tour and step inside our attractions. In order to teach you as much as possible about our history, several attractions offer tours to visitors. 

Historic Trolley Tours

For groups we offer customized group trolley tours of the Historic Milledgeville Tour, Central State Hospital Campus Tour and children's programming throughout the year. 

The Historic Milledgeville Tour is a fully narrated tour of Milledgeville’s historic district! Featuring grand architecture, beautiful squares and historic neighborhoods, the sixty minute tour provides an overview of Milledgeville’s history during its sixty-eight year period as the capital city of Georgia. During the course of the tour, guests will cruise the historic district via trolley and also be escorted on a guided walk through the former statehouse square and St. Stephens Episcopal Church, consecrated in 1843. The Historic Milledgeville Tour may be customized with additional stops at sites of historical significance including St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Brown-Stetson House, Georgia's Old Governors Mansion or Lockerly Arboretum. 

For those interested in exploring the history of the former behavioral health institution, Central State Hospital Campus Trolley Tours are your perfect chance. Board 'Milly' the trolley and set out on a guided driving tour through the grounds of one of Milledgeville’s most well known and complex sites, including a stop at Cedar Lane Cemetery. 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. Hear about the history of the institution as well as the redevelopment of the grounds from a former Central State employee and tour guide.

The trolley can hold up to 22 people. A private trolley tour is $175 per hour and includes your guide and trolley driver. 

Please note, the trolley is ADA compliant but moderate mobility is recommended for those who wish to disembark at the statehouse square, St. Stephens Episcopal Church and Cedar Lane Cemetery.

For groups, please call the Visitor's Information Center at info@visitmilledgeville.com or call (478) 452-4687 to reserve a special tour. 

 

Old Governor’s Mansion

Regular Tours:

Parlor interior Old Governors Mansion

This National Historic Landmark house is furnished in period antiques and is open for guided tours Tuesday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Whether your appreciation lies more in history, art or architecture, you’re sure to enjoy a tour through this beautiful mansion. Tours begin on the hour, admission charge, group rates available. Closed Mondays and all holidays. Admission: $10/person, $7 for seniors and pre-booked tours, $2/student. Call 478-445-4545 for more information or visit the website.
 

The Collections Tour:

FOCUS:  This tour, hosted by the Mansion Curator, gives visitors an opportunity to hear an in-depth discussion of the Mansion's varied material and textile collections, the process of building the collection following the recent $9.5 million dollar restoration of the structure, and culminating in the methodologies employed in locating both original and period appropriate pieces and materials for display within the museum.

The program will center on specific rooms of the structure and if you have ever been interested in learning about antiques and the tenants of historic preservation, then this is a program that you don't want to miss!

Reservations are required to participate and can be made by calling the Mansion offices at 478-445-4545.  Reservations are due the day before each program. Cost is $15/adult, $8/senior, $10/adult groups, and $4/student.

Curator’s Tours:

This tour is an in-depth look at the Old Governor's Mansion and focuses on the recent restoration. You will see additional areas of the Mansion that are not usually part of the regular tours. Reservations are required and due the day before each program. Tours are held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Cost is $15/adults, $8/senior, $10/adult groups and $4/student. Call 1-800-653-1804 for more information.

Labor Behind the Veil Tours:

A historically documented tour, "Labor Behind the Veil: The History of Slaves and Free Persons at Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion 1839-1868" gives mansion visitors a glimpse of the working lives of the men and women who lived and worked on the mansion grounds.

The tour researched and developed by mansion director Jim Turner, assistant curator Matt Davis and Deitrah Taylor was years in the making and included reading historic letters, ledgers and documents to piece together the workings of the mansion.

By the end of the tour, visitors should understand issues of race and sex in the Antebellum South and the governors' political views about slavery, furthering the mission of the Old Governor's Mansion Historic House Museum. "Labor Behind the Veil" tours are available by appointment only. Call (478) 445-4545 to book your tour.

 

 

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