The Wren's Nest

The Wren's Nest House is a rather unique opportunity to experience how affluent people lived around the turn of the century, learn about an Atlanta "native" - Joel Chandler Harris; about where "Uncle Remus" and "Brer Rabbit, Bear, Fox, etc. originated; and finally, re-live the oral tradition of storytelling via live session from one of the talented volunteer storytellers. I signed up for a tour without any expectations - sure I knew who the author was and knew and have read many of the works - but that was about it. I had also heard about the place but didn't know much more than it was a museum located somewhere in Atlanta. The museum was Chandler's home on the West End - you learn much about the home's history (originally a rental but finally purchased by Chander and architecturally modified into the current beautiful Queen Anne Victorian in the Eastlake style); his family and their history as they lived there; and furnishings (some rooms are just as they were left from the era, only delicately cleaned to help retain the original appearance) as you tour the museum via the Docents - Nannie Thompson is something of a fixture with much of the history of the home as she's been there for some time. She provides much of the flavor of the tour with her comments and observations, a real treat to interact with and something you don't typically find in a museum. As you tour you find out much about Chandler's life growing up on a plantation in Eatonton and working at the nearby Turnwold plantation as a printer's devil, living in Savanna and later working for Henry W. Grady at the AJC as a journalist. It was Chandler's interaction with the slaves on the Turnwold plantation that provided many of the stories there resulted in the Uncle Remus tales - it was also this interaction that prompted Chandler to become a proponent in inter-race relations as he became more affluent in later life. I learned much about the man and his contributions, literary, culturally and to Atlanta, via this museum tour. The tour for us was made complete via a storytelling session provided by a volunteer storyteller - make sure you arrange your times to take this in as it's a real treat. The storyteller we had recreated some of the Uncle Remus tales for us using expressions and techniques mostly forgotten in today's high tech, 3D, over-produced Hollyweird era. It was quite easy to visualize the story's events via the mellifluous tones of the speaker, frequently punctuated with upturns in volume and body language to emphasize a point or turn in the story. The scene immediately brought back a lost memory of being in a grade school classroom while one of my teachers was reading a favorite passage from a book. How did we ever lose this important and valuable teaching method?

Visiting the Wrens Nest is like a step back in time. For me, being a Black Woman, this is NOT always the experience I want to have. However I must give this owner a rating and kudos on their care in preserving the family history and opening this venue to up to the community. This venue has an awesome backyard "amiptheater" / stage and sound booth which features many music artists throughout the year. Annually we are hosted and attend the Historic West End Neighborhood Concert. This year we heard Vivian Green! The backyard is lovely, offering "just enough" lighting for romantic table settings or grass picnics while enjoying music. Its treated for pests/insects and is like an oasis (very quiet)away from the busy main street of Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. The venue, now has ample parking with the use of a stripped and renovated lot next to the neighboring church. Look out for several Jazz series hosted during the late summer/fall. A billboard notice is usually posted on their grounds, facing the street with the announcements. This is an inclusive space, however some of the rocky paths make it hard to walk, or use a wheel chair. Note: Do not wear stilettos!

Such a cute little gem! Attended a charity concert featuring Eric Roberson. Parking was no problem and very easy to get to. The grounds were very well kept, and staff was very friendly. I would definitely come back.

Went here this past weekend for an Edgar Allan Poe experience, it was definitely interesting but unless you followed into the room where Poe was you didn't get a piece of his writings. The parking is not marked and is across the street. But I thought the acting was good and the creepy asylum vibe was fun!!

Let's not be too generous in what is essentially a house that costs $8 a head to walk thru only the bottom floors (4 rooms) and hear the life story of the man who wrote the br'er rabbit stories ( and some other stuff). We did not hear any of the stories just a life history of mr Harris. So I was kind of bored and my 8 year old could not wait to leave. My wife liked the furniture, but that is pretty much the end of the positives. Yes it is a beautiful old house. Yes it is mostly original. No it is not worth $8/ head unless you love watching this old house reruns and frequent antique shops. I did not feel welcome there, maybe because we were the only people there on a Tuesday morning. My kids picked up a "I think we are bothering them" vibe. Me too. So much for southern hospitality. So, no it isn't all that great to deserve any more than 2 stars. Watch out for the neighborhood, it looks very dodgy. Sorry, I was really hoping this would be a cool old museum/ story place / house. We will not return or recommend to others with kids

Need a place to take your history-buff/book lover Atlanta visitor who frankly my dear couldn't give a d*mn about Ms. Scarlett? Then I highly recommend this spot, which is truly a hidden gem of Atlanta, Southern, and literary history. Though only the bottom floor of this house museum is open, the Wren's Nest, home of author Joel Chandler Harris, is replete with tons of info about all of those subjects. if you time your visit right, you'll get to stay for story time. And trust me, you want to stay for story time (grown ups most definitely included). It's worth the couple of bucks for admission (there's tons of free parking on site), but I caught a free tour during the Atlanta Preservation Center's yearly "Phoenix Flies" events, which open up dozens of historic sites around the city to visitors for free. I'm glad the Wren's Nest chose to be a part of that event, and I look forward to returning with my history buff and book loving friends and family.

I've been before and was disappointed that the museum was not in great shape. The grounds were unkept and sidewalks were in dire need of repair. The storyteller did not show and we left wondering if we might return at another time. Parking is limited but you can find curb parking across the street on Culberson Street SW. Our guide for the museum was very knowledgable and interacted well with us. She was friendly and we enjoyed our time with her.

This is one of those Atlanta landmarks that isn't quite on everyone's radar but is pretty cool. I went this past weekend since my uncle and his family were in town. My boyfriend and I had been meaning to go for years but were scared we'd be out of place with no kids in tow. Luckily my cousins are 8, 10 and 14, so we said "yes" once my uncle asked us to tag along with them. All the 19th century relics inside the home were pretty spectacular, and the storyteller was riveting. My young cousins loved hearing the tales even though they didn't know who Joel Chandler Harris was. My 8-year-old cousin said she was scared of the house, but I explained to her that it was the style of the times and promised there were no ghosts! However, our docent pronounced the word "nuclear" like a certain former president ("nu-cu-lar") and contradicted her facts a couple of times. So that's why I couldn't give this place 5 stars. Otherwise a great place to visit if you are familiar with the old Brer Rabbit stories. Kids dig it too.

After hearing about The Wren's Nest for years while living in the Atlanta area, we finally decided to go check-it-out while visiting from Texas. Very authentic, very original home (with pictures to prove it!) that has been a museum for over 100 years. Not a lot of emphasis on the Braer stories, which may have something to do with Disney buying the rights for Song of the South. Natti/Nannie, our 80+ year-old personal guide who has a long history with the property, made all of the difference - - she is a prize, and you should visit while she is still able to do the tours. Even though they host events, I suspect they struggle financially being located off-the-beaten-path - - so spend the $8 knowing you are helping preserve a bit of the old south. Not for small children who do not have a lot of patience.

I cannot believe I forgot about this place. I spent every summer here as a child, going on field trip after field trip and never getting enough of the stories and history. It's engaging for children and there's plenty for adults to learn as well. Well worth the trip to visit for visitors and natives alike - especially since many natives have never been. It's not just for history buffs; everyone can take something away from spending time at this well-preserved piece of Atlanta history (which anyone will tell you - it's rare for Atlanta to preserve it's history). Go!

As I get older, I look for things to do that are educational and inexpensive. I've been to bars, restaurants, plays, the whole bit in many citiies. But it's not enough. I want to learn more about the place I'm visiting. The history, the culture, the people. The Wren's Nest is one of those places. I can learn about Atlanta and one of it's most prominent residents, Joel Chandler Harris, and also see what a house was like in the 1800's, which I find fascinating. The staff was so friendly and helpful without being overbearing, since I like to look at things at my own pace. I know they do storytelling and other activities, and I will return for sure.

I was really looking forward to taking my grand kids for the story telling when they came down to visit us. So much so we rearranged our schedule to be there at 1:00 on Saturday. After an hour drive we got there in time for the tour of the house which was interesting to the adults. One o'clock comes and no Storyteller. At 1:15 no Storyteller. At 1:30 I asked what was going on and when was the Storyteller coming. I was told the one that was scheduled just didn't show up and they had to call another one who was on their way but they didn't have any idea when they would show up. The management was very apologetic and embarrassed but there wasn't much they could do. Very disappointing.

My fiancé and I were looking for something fun to do this afternoon and stopped in at the Wren's Nest for a tour. The tour was so informative and interesting and the house was beautiful! It was low-key and lovely!

The tour guide, Nannie, is a treasure. The Wren's Nest is worth the trip just to see her. Very interesting tour and lovely home.

The Wren's Nest is a wonderful place to visit. I took a group of teenagers there. They loved the story-telling and were fascinated by the tour. It was tough to tell what they were more awed by -- the amazing tales of Harris' live and friends or the fact that the house is nearly as it was left when Harries died. OK, meeting Harris' 4x great-grandson was a hit too! Wonderful place -- keep up the great work!

Every spring break, my husband and I let our daughter (now 12) chose where she would like to go. To our surprise she chose Atlanta, she had a trip agenda for all the things she wanted to see and do. I picked up a visitors guide just to see some of the other things Atlanta had to offer, while we were at the Atlanta zoo, I saw on the brochure a listing for the Wren's nest, I said to my husband I would like to see this Victorian house (I love the Victorian era) he said ok call and see what the hours are. I called and a very nice young man answered and gave me directions from the zoo and said come on over. When we arrived we were greeted by Lain, he informed us that they were closed but that it was ok and he would love to show us around. I had no idea that this was the home of Joel Chandler, and that Lain was Joel's great great great grandson This tour was worth more to me than any tour I could have taken on that trip, to be able to be shown around by a desendant and for him to share his experiences as a boy visiting that house and sitting at the dinner table that still sits in the house today (priceless). A what a great young man to have taken the time out of his day to do this for us. The Warwick family Texas