Delve into thousands of years of history, hike along forest trails or over rolling hills and visit the Native American burial mounds that Cartersville is known for.
The Cartersville area has a long, fascinating history. Go to the Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site, once home to thousands of Native Americans. See large earthen mounds that date from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1550, a village site and plaza. Inside the museum find hand-carved stone effigies and artifacts made from wood and seashells.
Visit Bartow History Museum, housed in the 1869 Courthouse in downtown Cartersville. Browse old photographs, documents and newspapers and hear oral testimonies that cover more than 200 years of Bartow County history. While in the downtown area, don’t miss the Coca-Cola sign on the wall of Young Brothers Pharmacy. Dating back to 1894, the sign is the world’s first painted outdoor wall advertisement for the famous drink. Gaze up at the 40-foot (12-meter) fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex at the Tellus Science Museum.
If you are into art, devote at least a few hours to exploring the Booth Western Art Museum. View the work of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century artists that touch on themes such as the Civil War and cowboys and cowgirls. The museum’s Presidential Gallery contains signed letters from every president of the United States.
Explore Cartersville’s outdoor recreation options. Hike through more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) of forested trails at Red Top Mountain State Park. Go for a refreshing swim in its 12,000-acre (4,856-hectare) Lake Allatoona and make use of the lake’s picnicking, camping and boating facilities.
Enjoy the sports facilities and Olympic-size swimming pool in Dellinger Park or kayak or canoe on the Etowah River. Try wakeboarding while pulled by an overhead cable on the lakes of Terminus Wake Park.
Cartersville is 55 miles (88 kilometers) north of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and less than an hour away from Atlanta. The city is within easy reach of some of the most popular destinations in the south, including Nashville and New Orleans.
