Next Stop Adventures

Adairsville was the first town in Georgia to be listed in its entirety in the National Register of Historic Places.

Its historic status spans an approximately 170-acre district with more than 130 well-preserved 19th century homes, churches and buildings.

Most of the storefronts around the square date from 1884 to 1920, on a layout that's barely changed since 1846.

The railroad came through in the 1840s, and the town grew up around the tracks. A depot has stood right in the middle of it all since 1847.

In 1862, the stolen train from the Great Locomotive Chase came through here.

And this weekend, October 2-4, the whole town fills up for the Great Locomotive Chase Festival, named after that chase 🚂

🎟️ $5 for all 3 days

📍This is Adairsville, GA.

Would you visit this town?

👋 I'm Yanitza. I find places most people drive right past and unique experiences that always feel like an adventure. Follow along so you don't miss the next one.

In 1862, a stolen train raced through this Georgia town, and now there's a festival named after the chase every year. Can you guess the town?

On April 12, 1862, a Union spy named James Andrews and his men stole a locomotive called The General at Big Shanty, now Kennesaw. Their mission was to cut the rail line supplying Chattanooga.

Here in Adairsville, they were pursued by another locomotive, the Texas, and the chase didn't end until they were stopped near Ringgold. It became known as the Great Locomotive Chase.

Both trains, The General and the Texas are each listed on the National Register of Historic Places in other counties.

Every year, Adairsville celebrates with the Great Locomotive Chase Festival, and it returns this October 2-4 in Historic Downtown Adairsville.

This is a hometown tradition since 1968 with food vendors, arts and crafts, a parade, and more.

We will be there and hope to meet with some of you!

Who's going? 👇

📍 Adairsville, Georgia

City of Adairsville

Most people don't know the founder of this Georgia town built his own mansion overlooking it.

This home sits within Adairsville's Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1836, William Watts bought this land, believing the railroad would one day run straight through it. He was right - and by 1854 the town he founded was officially incorporated as Adairsville.

Watts built his own home on the hill overlooking the town he founded. Along the path, guests once arrived by horse and carriage.

It became known as Founder's Manor.

Above the entrance, the inscription "A.L. '09" still remains - Latin for "Anno Lucis," or "in the Year of the Light."

This house holds layers of history most visitors never hear about.

It's said the home was built around the remains of an original Native American structure.

There is a section of the house that once served as a chapel, and some say the home was also used as a Civil War hospital.

Somewhere on the property, there's said to be a sealed cave with a history all its own.

One of its most notable residents was Dr. Joe Bowdoin, who co-founded the town's waterworks with a fellow doctor to fight recurring outbreaks of typhoid fever, and served as mayor for years.

The new owners have many dreams on the horizon for this historic property. Along with plans of Bed & Breakfast/Wedding Venue, they're giving it some nice touches along the way.

But among the many things they'll keep is a circa 1890s piano, from a prestigious French piano maker.

This is Founder's Manor in Adairsville, Georgia.

What's your favorite part of this historic house?

📍 The Founder’s Manor l Estate in Adairsville - Adairsville, Georgia

Founder's Manor

It’s said this Alabama church has been abandoned since the 1950s 🤯

The Edna Hill Methodist Church was built in 1907 on top of Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County, Alabama. It served a small rural congregation along the old Gaylesville to Fort Payne Road for nearly 50 years before its doors closed for the last time in the late 1950s.

Today the church sits on the Little River Canyon National Preserve property near Fort Payne, still standing after more than 115 years.

It was listed on the Alabama Register of Historic Places in 1978.

I haven't found much information on why it was left abandoned.

As I stood here, I kind of felt like it still has a life of its own.

It's captivating.

Would you visit this abandoned church?

📍 Edna Hill Methodist Church, Fort Payne, Alabama