Museum shops outside-the-perimeter filled with unique finds
March 19th, 2008, 7:02 pm Hobbies News
nside the Perimeter, there are great shops associated with museums, gardens, historical areas and other places I’ve loosely defined as “museum shops” (see last week’s article in Buyer’s Edge). Outside I-285 there are equally fascinating places to visit with shops to browse. Here are some items you can’t find just anywhere:
Museum Replicas Ltd.
While it’s not a museum, the showroom could be mistaken for a museum shop. If you’ve ever hankered for your very own historically accurate suit of armor, this is the place. Helmets from different eras cost $85-$275; torso armor begins at $90. Women’s gowns, squire’s clothing, costumes, swords and more are available at the showroom, through its catalog or online.
Showroom open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays (except holidays). Museum Replicas Ltd., 2147 Gees Mill Road, Conyers. 1-800-883-8838, www.museumreplicas.com.
Booth Western Art Museum
Have a bullet-shaped mint (Bite the Bullet, $1.50) while you peruse the cowboy movie posters books ($20 each) or admire the Painted Ponies ($20-$40), which are miniatures of the life-size painted pony in the lobby. Artistic shoppers will love the Crazy Crayons ($4.25-$8.95) made from bits of crayons recycled from schools.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays, Fridays-Saturdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays; 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Booth Western Art Museum, 501 Museum Drive, Cartersville. 770-387-1300, www.boothmuseum.org.
Chattahoochee Nature Center
With 40,000 students visiting its grounds each year, the center has lots of kid-friendly things to buy. Bandana Tree Quest ($7), a board game printed on a scarf, is perfect for outdoor games, while Key Chain Field Guides ($8.99) help identify trees and animals. A T-shirt featuring drawings of endangered animals’ scat helps identify those critters, too, if you should see any. For the adults, there are lots of books and bird feeders of all sizes (to $79.99).
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-2055, www.chattnaturecenter.com.
Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site
Look no further for lovely reproductions of pre-European Indian statues and jewelry. In the Etowah Indian Mounds shop are replicas of effigies ($50-$150) and gorgets strung on necklace cording ($4.67) by Ancient Hands. Don Townsend Shell Carver also offers gorget reproductions, including one of a woodpecker for $189. In addition, there are exquisite baskets made by Gail Reed ($69-$129).
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2-5:30 p.m. Sundays. Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site, 813 Indian Mounds Road S.W., Cartersville. 770-387-3747, www.gastateparks.org/info/etowah.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
If you’ve ever wanted to eat or dress like a Civil War soldier, here’s your chance. Try hard tack ($1.99, recipe included), buckle your belt with a brass buckle cast from originals found on battlefields ($17.99), or warm your head with a kepi ($12.99), a short-brimmed wool cap. Confederate gray and Union blue are available.
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw. 770-427-4686, Ext. 0; www.nps.gov/kemo.
Marietta Museum of History
In 1887, the Western & Atlantic Railroad produced a 44-page booklet touting Marietta as a winter resort destination. Unfortunately for local tourism then, many of these ended up in an attic. Luckily for us, they’re for sale at the Marietta Museum of History for $25 each. If you ever wanted to tour Marietta like it was in 1887, this would be the guide for you. But if it’s Southern foods you’re craving, Georgia peach butter, preserves or jelly can be had for $3.50 a jar. Or you can learn to cook Southern-style from any of the numerous cookbooks for sale, including “Southern Cooking” by Mrs. S.R. Dull, reprinted from the 1928 original ($24.95).
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Marietta Museum of History, 1 Depot St., Suite 200, Marietta. 770-794-5710, www.mariettahistory.org.
Road to Tara Museum
True “Gone With the Wind” fans know that some of the book’s most dramatic scenes were set on the road between Atlanta and Scarlett’s home, Tara. The museum shop in the old Jonesboro Depot offers enough memorabilia for the most devoted fan. It has bookmarks ($9.95 each) commemorating the 70th anniversary, purses ($29.99 each) with scenes from the movie and a jewelry holder ($29.95) sporting Scarlett’s green curtain dress. Old-fashioned items are for sale, too, like pure lye soap ($3.95 per cake) and a small cookbook, “Rebel Cornbread & Yankee Coffee” ($7.95), with authentic Civil War recipes.
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. Road to Tara Museum, Jonesboro Depot Welcome Center, 104 N. Main St., Jonesboro. 770-478-4800, www.visitscarlett.com/attractions.htm.
Southeastern Railway Museum
The Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society owns and operates this museum. Its many trains are popular with fans young and old. In the shop, for youngsters there’s a great puzzle featuring one of the museum’s trains (New Georgia Railroad, $14.95), lots of Thomas and Friends merchandise (from the TV series), and a cute “train crossing” ($7.95) sign for the yard or wall. For bigger kids, there’s a reproduction of a switchman’s lantern ($99.95), made of tin from original drawings, a chunk of rail ($40) or used railroad spikes ($7-$10).
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays through March; Thursdays-Saturdays beginning in April. Southeastern Railway Museum, 3595 Buford Highway, Duluth. 770-476-2013, www.srmduluth.org/default.shtml.
Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History
Musical history buffs can sound the charge with an 11-inch brass bugle ($31.25), while kids will want their own Confederate money (reproductions, $1.85 per set). To correspond in the antebellum tradition, there are pen boxes ($30.50), horn writing pens ($4.25), ink blotters ($9.50) and glass inkwells ($7.95). Or for a battlefield token, there’s a big jar of fired minnie balls, left over from the war ($2.50 per ball).
9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, 2829 Cherokee St., Kennesaw. 770-427-2117, www.southernmuseum.org.
Stately Oaks Plantation, Juddy’s Country Store
Stately Oaks Plantation’s store is housed in Juddy’s Country Store, whose building served as a general store from 1894 until recently. For kids, there are lots of old-fashioned candies (price varies) and toys such as brightly colored sock hobby horses ($12). For adults, there are realistic Dogwood Pins ($7.95) handcrafted from aluminum cans, a commemorative Jonesboro plate ($19.95) with sketches of its historic buildings and Moonshine Jelly (5-ounce jar, $2.79).
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