About this vendor
On 33 acres in beautiful Buckhead, we offer the widest variety of event options at one location. Let beauty and serenity set the scene at the glorious historic Swan House Gardens. An outdoor gathering at this iconic 1928 mansion rises to unforgettable heights on a private lawn with majestic cascading fountains and the elegant intimate Boxwood Garden. After your ceremony, stroll across the bridge for cocktails outside on the Museum Terraces. If you prefer an inside option, the Atlanta History Museum has award-winning exhibitions, and we allow beverages in the exhibits for a very fun cocktail hour!
Enjoy simple elegance with your dinner reception in the Grand Overlook ballroom. This unique ballroom featuring Brazilian cherry wood floors, barrel vaulted ceiling, and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the magnificently illuminated Quarry Garden. The combination of these venues is as versatile as they are breathtaking.
As a facility rental, we provide tables and folding chairs inside, as well as complementary parking. All outdoor furniture will need to be rented. Catering would be provided through one of our amazing catering companies we partner with and can average $120 to $200 per guest. Beverage service and bartenders are additional and are provided by the History Center. It is about $84 per person for a 4-hour premium full bar.
We have a full property minimum on Saturdays of a peak month: April, May, June, September, and October. The facility rental fee for the Swan Gardens, Atlanta History Museum, and Grand Overlook ballroom on a Saturday is $13,500 and we have an additional $6,000 beverage minimum. Fridays and Sundays are $10,000 with a $3,000 beverage minimum.
Most of our weddings can expect to spend between $600 to $1,200 per guest after all vendors and costs are added up and divided out per guest.
We look forward to making more history by hosting your unforgettable wedding with us.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Ballroom
- Garden
- Historic Venue
- Museum
- Trees
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
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Reviews
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4.6
out of 5.030 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 7
We loved our venue and had a great experience working with the venue coordinator, Steven, who was always very responsive and organized.
There are so many spaces on the property th...
at are beautiful and spacious (great for larger weddings and helps provide flexibility for unpredictable weather). My husband is an architect and loved the contrast between the historical swan house and the modern museum. Not to mention how the reception ballroom in particular had great acoustical properties.
Our venue coordinator, Steven, was great to work with as he was quick to respond to emails and helped talk us through good suggestions and solutions. On the day of the wedding, he stayed after the museum had closed and personally came by to make sure we were good before he left. We felt very well supported and welcomed at this venue by Steven.
It is also important to note that a large historical venue like this does have its rules, understandably. In general, costs can add up here as any furniture outdoors is not provided by the venue, and there are some restrictions on the vendors you can choose. The venue cares about the guest experience, vendors, and staff so it has strict rules regarding weather. But everything was well worth it - it truly provided the ideal backdrop for our wedding and a wonderful experience for us and our guests. We will always be grateful we were able to have our wedding here!
Steven, who we worked with at the Atlanta History Center, was incredibly professional and responsive throughout our entire wedding planning process. No matter how big or small our ...
questions were, he always had answers, and he generously offered advice whenever we needed it - whether it was about furniture arrangements or our rain plan.
We are so happy we chose the Atlanta History Center for our wedding. The venue itself is stunning, and combined with the level of support Steven provided, nowhere else could compare.
When I initially reached out to book the venue, our date was unavailable. I let Jailyn, the venue liaison, know that I was devastated, and begin looking at other venues. A few week...
s later, I received an email from Jailyn informing me that the party that had previously booked our date had rescheduled and she thought to reach out to me. It was such a serendipitous occurrence because cancelations are very RARE at the AHC! And just like that, I knew we were destined to have our wedding there. Working with Jailyn from the initial tour to the day of the wedding was a breeze! She was professional, responsive, patient and knowledgeable about everything, including things outside of her purview. She worked with all of our vendors to ensure that we were all on the same page and maintained constant contact. Without her, our wedding (and the planning leading up to it) would not have gone as smoothly.
In terms of the venue itself, the pictures say a lot more than I could ever say. It's a bit pricey, but worth every penny. It's beautiful, well laid-out and requires very little decor (though you could go full opulence, if you wanted to). And an added bonus is that you and your guests get free admission to the museum the weekend of the wedding.
The Atlanta History Center is by far the #1 wedding venue in Georgia, if not the entire Southeast. The grounds of the swan house, history center and gardens are absolutely stunning...
. The best part is that it is completely secluded and you feel like you are at a villa in Italy, but it is extremely convenient for guests being are only 25 minutes away from the ATL airport.
Steven was our wedding coordinator at AHC and absolutely knocked it out of the park. He made excellent recommendations, was extremely communicative (less than 24 hour response times) and made our wedding the best day of our lives.
I will say the venue books up fast (18-24 months in advance) so if you are interested definitely DO NOT WAIT.
I truly cannot thank Steven and the AHC enough for the best day of our lives!
Going into our wedding, my husband and I had no clue about what we wanted. Our planner showed us so many venues all over the southeast US and we just couldn’t decide on anything. W...
e toured this venue on Easter and Steven was so helpful. He showed us all around, answered all our questions, and gave us recommendations for vendors. He was always very quick to respond to emails throughout the entire process. Our wedding was absolutely beautiful. All of the staff we encountered, particularly Katherine and Kevin, helped us at the rehearsal and on the day of the wedding. We could not have imagined a nicer venue.
The Atlanta History Center was amazing and really did a much better job than I expected for a museum, a non-wedding venue. From the beginning, when we arrived for our tour, we lov...
ed that there was ample free parking - no required valet or $20 fee per car. Then we met Steven who gave us the best tour of any venue we toured, and we toured a lot. His honest no-frills approach to the property tour was refreshing and his referrals for vendors based on what we were looking for were perfect for us. He also talked with us about our budget and helped us realize quickly what was realistic to expect if we did a wedding there. We worked with Jailyn on the day of the wedding, and she was a joy! So calm on the wedding day, which I needed, and very helpful with our clueless family arriving. It was recommended in the afternoon that we move the cocktail hour inside because of potential weather, and we did not want to. The History Center, our caterer (Affairs To Remember), and decorator (Unique Floral expressions), made a quick pivot to setup the cocktail hour inside for us. We are so glad we took their advice because it did rain. Our guests did not even realize cocktails were supposed to be outdoors and we received numerous compliments on how cool it was to tour the exhibits.
The lawn on the fountain side of the mansion was not in the best condition, but we do remember being warned about that when we booked. In retrospect we should have had the ceremony on the column side. Some of our elderly guests really had a hard time with the steps on the fountain side, and the grass on the column side was perfect.
In the end, we went over budget, but we have no regrets, and we can’t imagine it would have been as magical at another place.
Oh, and our planner, Shatila at All That Sparklez, far exceeded our expectations as a planner!
Thank you Atlanta History Center!
Steven was one of the best vendor partners throughout our whole process – always prompt to reply to any questions and concerns, and helped make our wedding day and the reception we...
had the very best!! This is an iconic Atlanta venue and the AHC team makes the process easy from start to finish. You can ensure the day will go off without a hitch and simply celebrate your day, as you should.
WOW! My daughter’s wedding reception was absolutely perfect! Steven Dickson was my Event Director at the Atlanta History Center, and he was always available to answer our question...
s. I never felt like he was too busy and he was extremely professional. Steven paid attention to every detail of our event which made selecting the venue a breeze! The bar service was excellent and the Overlook Ballroom lends itself for an elegant affair! We couldn’t be happier! Thank you Steven, it was a pleasure to work with you over the last year!
With 350 guests, every aspect (i.e. wedding ceremony in the beautiful Swan House Garden, cocktail hour on the Museum Terraces and reception the Grand Overlook Ballroom) of our da...
ughter and new son-in-law's wedding was spectacular. The staff at the AHC was extremely professional and a pleasure to work with in executing our families' dreams for this very special day in our lives.
Our daughter's wedding & reception was held at the Atlanta History Center. The setting was gorgeous inside and out, providing a beautiful backdrop for their photos in a number of l...
ocations. Most importantly, though, was the care and attention to detail the staff provided to make the day as special as it could be....professional, positive, and well-organized. Originally planned as an outdoor event but everything was moved inside due to inclement weather ....accommodations were made without missing a beat and it was just as special and beautiful. Can't speak highly enough about how positive all our experience was. Highest recommend as a wedding venue!
We had the wedding of our dreams at the Atlanta History Center in October. When we tried to nail down our best decision of the wedding weekend, we kept coming back to venue choice....
The AHC offers such a stunning variety of spaces, from the Swan House & Gardens to the Museum Terraces to the Grand Overlook Ballroom. It was so important to us that we have a seamless transition from our ceremony to the cocktail hour and reception, in three different & beautiful locations. We felt so at ease working with Robin and the entire AHC events team - they organized our timeline, floor plans, bar packages and more with total ease. We are still over the moon about our wedding and we credit so much of that to the Atlanta History Center!
After our first visit at the Atlanta History Center, we knew it was perfect for our reception! It is a beautiful location, with many spots to take pictures. Steven was great to wor...
k with, and he was very helpful and professional throughout the process. We are very pleased with how everything turned out!
One cannot go wrong with having a wedding on the Swan House gardens of the Atlanta History Center (AHC). I took to heart having our wedding at a place that promotes the historic pr...
eservation of Atlanta. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour at the Swan House and the reception at the Grand Overlook Ballroom. My husband and I sought to work with Robin (Director of Sales) as she was highly recommended by our caterer. Robin was incredibly responsive, accommodating and kind to us and our vendors. Since AHC holds the liquor license, alcohol must be provided through them. We opted for a custom premium bar and it was a welcoming surprise that they offer a taste testing of their featured wines. We had our caterer provide mixers for our signature drinks and it is a testament to their top-notch bartenders that our guests loved our signature drinks as well as any drink that was concocted with their many in-house mixers. At first I was hesitant with having our wedding at the Atlanta History Center since it required me to do the heavy lifting of seeking out all of the vendors rather than being a packaged event that many places offer, but it allowed us to carefully select our premier wedding team that we consider are the best in the city, and quite honestly should rank among the best in the country. It was a dream come true having our wedding at the Atlanta History Center and we love that we can always visit the Swan House and reminisce about our wedding day.
From the first tour until the last guest left, we had a great experience. Shelby was so helpful and reassuring, it made the process a dream. The ceremony was on the Swan House lawn...
, cocktails were in the boxwood gardens, and the reception was in the ballroom. I cannot imagine a more beautiful location. The wedding and reception got rave reviews from all our friends! Highly recommend the venue and Shelby.
STAY AWAY! I attempted to schedule a tour for my wedding and received the absolute worst treatment from the staff but especially from a pissy man named Steven.
I am not sure what ...
kind of organization would hire such an awful human being but I would 100% go by Sophie L's review and stay far away from this dump.
We had our ceremony in the Swan House Gardens and the cocktail hour in the boxwood gardens. It was absolutely gorgeous. Everything was better than I had expected. Everyone at the A...
tlanta History Center was great.
I had the absolutely worst experience trying to book a tour here and would warn all brides to stay away. First off, let me start by saying Swan House has been my DREAM venue for ye...
ars so I was so excited to book a tour and hopefully plan my wedding here. I am in shock in how I was treated and can not believe they treat potential customers so horrendously. First, I reached out to Shelby about pricing who then told me to check the website for a brochure. She refused to accommodate a tour of the property and sent me short, snappy and snarky emails to me. When I reached out to her managers, Susana and Robin, to try to move forward - I was treated even more awfully. I was passed along to FOUR different people after we had a site confirmed - only be told they could no longer do it. When I expressed my frustrations, Susana told me "it is unfortunate for all involved that we just weren’t a match." and essentially told me I was not welcomed or allowed to be married there. It's disgusting, it's intolerable, it's rude, it's not how you treat human beings. She then proceeded to tell me they BENT OVER BACKWARDS trying to schedule a tour with me (ummm hello, as a potential bride I need to tour the space!) and refused to accept any fault in the terrible communication. I can't believe such a gorgeous venue hires such terrible people. You've ruined my ideal venue!
Steven at the AHC was a pleasure to work with. his attention to detail is impeccalbe. he is approachable and answers all of your questions promptly. the venue is just beautiful and...
the best place for our wedding event! We had our "garba" or prewedding indian event there and it was a dream come true. the staff were amazing and helped make it a perfect night. can't thank you enough!
Robin was our go-to person and was FABULOUS. We had our wedding outside, and she was helpful with planning the rain plan "B". I only wish I could have used sparklers for my exit- t...
hey unfortunately are not allowed. But the bubbles looked beautiful. My photos are amazing- the space is gorgeous. They even kept all the exhibits open inside the history center so my guests could view during the cocktail hour. So happy with the venue!
Working with Robin and the Atlanta History Center events team was a complete delight from our initial visit to final walk through! Taking photos on the gorgeous grounds is a must a...
nd these shots are now some of our most favorite. During cocktail hour in the atrium guests enjoyed visiting the permanent and rotating exhibits while we ate a private dinner before our entrance. The Grand Overlook ballroom was the perfect space for dinner stations and dancing with a live band. You will not regret having your wedding reception at this this classic venue!
We knew as soon as we walked into the ballroom that this venue was special. The hardwood floors, unique ceiling and warm space is one of a kind. We were able to use the newly renov...
ated atrium for our ceremony, which proved to be a wonderfully elegant setting. The flow of the evening from the atrium to the exhibit hall for cocktail hour and then into the ballroom for the party was just perfect. And our favorite part... the outside settings were just beyond our wildest expectations for pictures. It was a perfect fall day, and our pictures outside walking through the grounds capture the beauty of the day. I would highly recommend this setting for a unique yet intimate wedding location.
Getting married at the Atlanta History Center was such a magical experience. Words can't describe how wonderful it was to walk out of the Swan House and down the grand stairs to my...
groom. Everything about this venue was perfection, including the staff there. They were extremely professional and did their absolute best to make sure our day was flawless.
The Atlanta History Center was a beautiful venue for our November wedding reception. We used the Swan House for first look and bridal party photos prior to the wedding and held the...
reception in the Grand Overlook. The ballroom is beautiful and our guests really enjoyed viewing the museum during the cocktail hour as well. We received many compliments on how elegant and classic everything was. Although the price is a little steep for an Atlanta venue, we worked with an excellent and caring team from start to finish. I would highly recommend this venue to other brides.
Our guests were raving about how beautiful the setting was...truly storybook. The AHC is easy to work with and they are flexible when you want to visit the site after you have boo...
ked. The only reason the review is not 5 stars is because it is one of the more expensive venues due to the combined rental fee and the beverage charges.
The Atlanta History Center is an absolutely stunning venue. We got married in the Swan Garden and had the reception in the Grand Overlook Ballroom. The History Center staff were ...
great to work with, but we were assigned a different site coordinator a few months before the wedding which is why I rated service at a 4. There are only a few other downsides which may or may not be downsides depending on your wedding. First, it's a huge property, so if you choose to do your ceremony and reception in different places on the grounds like I did, your guests will have to do a lot of walking and it's not the best if you have lots of elderly or handicap guests. We ended up renting a couple of golf carts and having our ushers help out some of the guests. Second, although I absolutely loved the History Center, if I had it to do over again, I'd probably have shopped around longer to see if I could get more for my buck out of the facility rental. It's not a place to go if you want more of a complete package with your venue (tables, chairs, linens, etc included). As an example, the chairs that the History Center provides leave plenty to be desired and you can't even use them in the Swan Garden for your ceremony. The History Center has nicer chairs you can rent for $6/chair, but for that price, I suggest you shop around. We ended up renting nicer chairs for both the ceremony and the reception, but for less than what the History center would have been. Last, once you book the History Center you are pretty much locked into choosing from their preferred vendors (unless you want to cough up a few thousand more to use someone who's not on their list).
Other pluses: Parking is free (they also have valet services for an additional fee);
We loved our wedding at the AHC (Swan House Gardens for the ceremony and Grand Overlook Ballroom for the reception). Robin was great to work with, especially since I was living ac...
ross the country and had to plan everything remotely. The staff set up our tables (with number of chairs for each table) and had a staff member available to help direct guests. This venue is great for large weddings, and I loved that the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception were all on-site (but in 3 very different locations).
The only drawback is that the venue is on the pricier side. But for us, it hit all our needs so there were no regrets in booking them for our wedding.
Robin at the Atlanta History Center was very professional to work with. She helped make our day truly memorable
The venue is undeniably gorgeous and the staff was great. We used the Swan Gardens for the ceremony and the Grand Overlook for the reception. The grass in the garden was in terri...
ble condition (almost non-existent). I supposed there's only so much they can do about nature, but for the cost I woud expect them to keep the the grass as green as possible. Only downside is that the AHC makes you buy all alcohol from them, and it gets pretty pricey. I used Soiree Catering and Events as well as Production People, both of their list of vendors. The vendors were great and gave me good deals which helped offset the price of alcohol. And it's such a beautiful venue that it really doesn't need much help by way of decorations. If you're like me, the AHC will be worth the sacrifices you'll have to make in other areas of your budget.
My husband and I fell in love with this place as soon as we saw it. The Swan House was a beautiful place for a wedding and the Grand Overlook ballroom was a perfect place for the ...
reception. Robin was great to work with and answered all my questions very quickly. Would definitely recommend this venue to anyone! They do have a list of required vendors for Catering (which BOLD American is on there and they are fantastic), but their list for other vendors is just a suggested list.
We had our wedding at the beautiful Atlanta History Center on Memorial Day weekend 2010. The ballroom and gardens are beautiful, and our pictures came out great. However, even tho...
ugh we were having our wedding there, they wanted to charge us extra to walk around the gardens and take pictures. They also make you use their vendors on their list, or else you pay $2,000!!. We used someone they recommended for the plates and silverware who showed up two hours after the event started!!! We had to serve Indian food appetizers on napkins and thought we wouldn't be able to serve food! Everything was set back and we left the ballroom 30 minutes after the agree-upon time, and AHC wanted to keep our deposit as a result, but it was their recommended vendor who set everything back. Also, when we arrived there, the wood floors looked like they weren't polished from the previous wedding. They make you pay everything upfront, about a month or two in advance, so we couldn't debate the wood floor issue.
Contact
130 W Paces Ferry Rd, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta History Center