what sound does the sheep make?

This weekend I went to the Atlanta History Center, because it was the weekend where you could get into some museums free with a Bank of America card. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the place. There were exhibits on the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta’s growth, folk arts in the south, Bobby Jones and golf, and a pretty awesome Civil War exhibit.

Unfortunately, my experience of the Civil War exhibit was slightly marred by a school group that was present. Apparently the kids and their adult sponsors were assigned to find one fact to share with the rest of the group. So the kids would walk around with a friend, and then they’d get to a spot and read one random thing aloud. One kid would shout, “that’s my fact!” And then the other would say, “No, I want that one!” Even the adults were pretty annoying about it.

My favorite part about the history center, though, were the historic homes and the gardens. First up, I toured Swan House, which was owned by a very rich family with many things named after them in the 1920s and 1930s. The house was absolutely beautiful inside, and the voice on the audio guide was oh so soothing. Apparently the home is one of the most photographed sites in the country:

Beside the home was this garden:

And this playhouse:

Why oh why couldn’t I have been a rich kid in Atlanta in the 1930’s? I mean, I’d be happy living in that playhouse even now.

After Swan House, it was off to a farm. When you go from 1920s opulence to an 1840s farm complete with an outhouse, smokehouse, blacksmith shop, slave quarters, etc, it’s a bit of a letdown, no matter how much you love pioneers. It’s much more fun to fantasize about living in the other house. But the farm did have sheep!

Although this got me paranoid that I smelled like sheep for the rest of the day. Sheep and sweat--the most alluring scent known to man.