5 literary tours to check out this month

Enjoy a February weekend exploring Atlanta’s rich literary history! Atlanta’s literary community thrives because Atlanta is a city that highlights the voices of all its residents, allowing the city’s complex past and present to fuse together. Follow our itinerary to enjoy a weekend celebrating the city’s vibrant contribution to the literary world! 
 
🐦‍⬛ The Wren’s Nest
The first stop is The Wren’s Nest, the historical home of journalist and folklorist Joel Chandler Harris. Take your time exploring this cultural center, house museum, and National Historic Landmark in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood. Joel Chandler Harris, born in middle Georgia during the Civil War, became one of America’s most popular writers by the turn of the 20th century. He worked from a young age to support his family and formed a close friendship with George Terrell, an enslaved man, who shared African folktales. These stories inspired Harris’s creation of the beloved character Uncle Remus, who originally became popular upon his publication in The Atlanta Constitution in 1879. Harris’s first book, Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, sold over 10,000 copies in just four months, making him an international literary sensation. Over the next two decades, he published 35 books and thousands of articles, influencing writers like Mark Twain. Upon his death in 1908, Harris’s legacy lived on through The Wren’s Nest, a national memorial to his work. The Wren’s Nest is open on Saturdays for guided tours and live storytelling.
 
📚 Margaret Mitchell House
The next stop on our tour is the Margaret Mitchell House, a historical museum located within the Atlanta History Center Midtown. One of America’s most popular stories began in a small apartment in Atlanta. Born in 1900, Margaret Mitchell grew up in a vibrant and ever-changing Atlanta, where she was surrounded by tales of the Civil War shared by her grandparents and family acquaintances. The outcome was Gone With the Wind—a grand, sweeping romance set during the Civil War and Reconstruction era that shaped the way Americans looked back on the Civil War for decades. On the tour, you will examine both the novel and Margaret Mitchell’s personal life, as well as confront the propagation of the book to promote the “lost cause” ideology and how narratives shape how we view history. Purchase tickets here. 
 
🎭 Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse
Take a break from walking tours and check out a performance at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. The Atlanta Shakespeare Company is dedicated to creating a living theater where the connection between actor and audience is centered around the power of poetry. Located in Midtown, the company embraces Original Practice, using Elizabethan stagecraft and techniques to bring Shakespeare’s works, as well as original pieces and American classics, to life, with a ready-to-eat cafe style menu for each performance. The Company is currently performing is Romeo and Juliet.
 
⚖️ National Center for Civil and Human Rights
No trip to Atlanta would be complete without a trip to the Center for Civil and Human Rights. The Center is deeply connected to Atlanta’s history as the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the heart of the modern Civil Rights Movement. In a series of exhibits, the Center links the history of civil rights to the continuing fight for justice and equality. On display in the “Voice to the Voiceless: Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection” exhibit are the works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preserved from the period between 1944 and 1968, including notes, manuscripts, and other written works. Integral to Atlanta’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. was renowned not only as a prominent civil rights leader and activist, but also as an eloquent orator and minister. King was known for writing some of the powerful speeches he delivered, several in famous spots around Atlanta. To dive deeper into a fascinating aspect of Atlanta’s history, click here to get involved.
 
🐂 The White Bull
Finish the day off with a delicious meal at the White Bull, a restaurant named after Ernest Hemingway, who famously referred to a blank page as “the white bull” as it not only filled the legendary American author with fear but also sparked a sense of excitement. Situated in Decatur, Georgia, the White Bull is a vibrant space full of creativity, passion, and craftsmanship with a daily menu and new dishes to try each day. Chef Pat Pascarella maintains an ongoing local-global culinary conversation with international inspirations and local roots. Reflecting its literary inspiration, the menu features a mix of unique and occasionally quirky dishes. Check out their menu here.