Cartersville and surrounding Bartow County are welcoming a new family center to the Lakepoint Station this summer.
It has a rock climbing wall, nine holes of blacklight indoor mini-golf, 36 holes of outdoor mini-golf, arcade games, a laser maze, a mirror maze and gem mining.
At 1,200 acres, Lakepoint is a huge sporting complex. It has wakeboarding, beach volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball and plans to add tennis and zip-lining. The south campus is building out right now, but more amenities will be added in the future.
The rest of Cartersville is also full of outdoor fun, especially in the summer and fall.
The Etowah River flows through a broad valley south of downtown, leading west to Rome, where it forms the Coosa River, a tributary of the Alabama River. The city limits extend eastward, upriver, as far as Allatoona Dam, which forms Lake Allatoona, a large U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir. Red Top Mountain State Park sits on a peninsula in the lake, just outside the city limits.
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WELCOME TO TOWNThe Cartersville Welcome Center is located in the Train Depot adjacent to the Downtown Development Authority offices. The center has information about various things to see and do in Cartersville. Restrooms are open to the public. Bottled water, souvenirs, maps and brochures are also available.The welcome center is open daily, except Sundays and holidays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (5450 GA Highway 20; 800-733-2280)
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*MAIN ATTRACTIONSBarnsley Resort in Cartersville offers cottages, dining, a spa, golf and more. Godfrey Barnsley poured his heart and soul into this grand Southern country estate two centuries ago built as a gift for his beloved bride. Tales of chivalry, dreamlike appearances and royalty add to the legend of this special destination, where fine cuisine, sport and play bring couples and families together. (597 Barnsley Gardens Road; 770-773-7480; barnsleyresort.com)The Cartersville Farmer’s Market runs all summer, opening at daylight and closing at noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Held in the Founder’s Oak parking lot across from City Hall, the market offers fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and handmade crafts.If you want to take a load off while still seeing some of what the city has to offer, you can attend performances at the Grand Theatre and Legion Theatre. Call 770-386-7343 or 770-387-2610, respectively, to see what’s showing.Tellus Science Museum is a world-class, 120,000-square-foot-museum that opens minds and ignites a passion for science. Tellus features four main galleries: the Weinman Mineral Gallery, the Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and the Collins Family My Big Backyard. A 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope is also located at Tellus, along with an 80-foot-long apatosaurus and a replica Wright flyer. Children can conduct hands-on experiments seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (100 Tellus Drive; 770-606-5700; tellusmuseum.org)
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*EXPERIENCE HISTORYVisitors can learn about Cartersville’s local history at the Bartow History Museum (4 E. Church St.; 770-382-3818; bartowhistorymuseum.org) and see America’s story at the Booth Western Art Museum (501 N. Museum Drive; 770-387-1300; boothmuseum.org), or they can simply take a walk or drive through historic neighborhoods.Rose Lawn Museum in Cartersville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The restored Victorian mansion now serves as a museum, but it was once the home of nationally renowned evangelist Samuel Porter Jones, for whom Nashville’s Union Gospel Tabernacle (now known as the Ryman Auditorium) was built. In 1978, following a drive by local citizens to save Rose Lawn, the home was purchased by Bartow County and developed into a museum to house the writings and memorabilia of Sam Jones and Rebecca Latimer Felton, another Bartow Countian distinguished for her role in history as the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. (224 W. Cherokee Ave.; 770-387-5162; roselawnmuseum.com)Etowah Indian Mounds, on the south side of Cartersville along the Etowah River, were home to thousands of Native Americans during the Mississippian Period from 900 to 1500 A.D. Also on the Etowah River there are now four public launch ramps.
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BLUEGRASS BOOGIEthe Cartersville Bluegrass and Folk Festival features two stages of bands at the Cartersville Train Depot performing throughout the day, a vendor area and a children’s area. This year’s event is Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.>More than 4,000 people attended the free event in 2014.To learn more, visit CartersvilleBluegrass.com.
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SHOPS TO HITWhether someone is a first-time visitor to Downtown Cartersville or has lived there for a long time, the Cartersville Downtown Development Authority also invites everyone to explore the dozens of shops that call it home:B and B Antiques, Meg Pie, Blue Sky Outfitters, C.A.N.O.P.Y, Creative Tag Estate Sales, Guitars and More, Cartersville Antique Gallery, Cohutta Fishing Co., the Herb Shoppe, It’s About Time Boutique, Lilly N Jake, Love’m and Leave’m, Lullabelle’s Closet, Lulu Boutique, The Olive Branch, Spool of Dreams Boutique, Periwinkle, Southern Guitars, Copperwood, and Spring Place Pottery
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GRAB A BITEThe local flavor offers everything from Southern flavor to fine dining:Appalachian Grill, Black Bear Lounge, Ate Track Bar and Grill, the City Cellar and Loft, Coconuts Ice Cream, the Local Bar and Grill, Four Way Lunch, Jefferson’s, Ross’ Diner, Swheat Market, Tacos and Subs, Maine Street Coastal Cuisine and Table 20