Giddyap to north Georgia

By VIVIAN HOLLEY, Special to the Times
Published March 27, 2007

Wyatt Earp, Geronimo, Wild Bill Hickok - all are iconic names carved in Americana. Today their larger-than-life legends, along with compelling images of their place and time, are alive and well in, of all places, the Peach State.

The wide-ranging collection of the Booth Western Art Museum is in Cartersville, a town in the rolling hill country of northern Georgia. About 250 paintings and sculptures are displayed within the clean lines of an 80,000-square-foot museum, an apt backdrop for a fresh look at times past.

But don't look for the frontier depictions of Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. Instead, you get the perspective of about 100 20th century artists. Some of them are known for their Western works, but others - Andy Warhol and LeRoy Neiman, for instance - assuredly are not.

For visitors who grew up with old cowboy movies on TV, or who caught them the first time around on Saturday afternoons in the neighborhood movie house, the Booth can be an adventure in nostalgia. Familiar faces such as Gene Autry, John Wayne and Ronald Reagan look invincible as ever in a gallery titled the Reel West, an assemblage of vintage movie posters.

Other galleries are themed to the American West (subdivided into sections such as "First Peoples" and "Colliding Cultures"); the Mythic West (action-packed artwork that found its way to book covers and magazine articles); and the Cowboy (pictured at work and play, with a bow to the occasional cowgirl).

There's also a fascinating Presidents Gallery, with a portrait or photograph and a signed letter - including some of historic significance - from the 42 men who have held the office.

The War Is Hell Gallery presents Civil War battle paintings in chronological order.

For kids, there's Sagebrush Ranch, where they can climb into a model of a stagecoach, create a cow brand and learn a rope trick. The "ranch" has a farmhouse, barn, bunkhouse and corral.

Opened in August 2003, the Booth museum is the creation of local collectors who chose to share their treasures while remaining anonymous. Visitors are helped with a 15-minute orientation video.

Close to the museum are the boutiques, antiques shops and restaurants of small-town Cartersville.

For a weekend getaway in the area, you can't beat Barnsley Gardens, a few exits north on Interstate 75 at Adairsville. The resort is a charming village of 33 English-style cottages modeled after designs by 19th century architect Andrew Jackson Downing. Tucked inside the cottages are 70 suites, each different but with country-style decor and a wood-burning fireplace.

The resort has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, a swimming pool and a full-service spa. You can take your pick of walking trails that thread Barnsley Gardens' 1,300 acres or go fishing, horseback riding or mountain biking.

For something less demanding, kick back in a rocking chair to soak up vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

For a sense of area history, walk through the ruins of a red-brick mansion that was built by English cotton broker Godfrey Barnsley. He also laid out the original formal gardens.

In a story worthy of a romance novel, Godfrey's wife, Julia, heiress to a Savannah shipping fortune, tragically died before the Italianate manor was completed, and the family's fortunes dwindled after the Civil War.

The gardens have been handsomely restored. And Julia's ghost is said to roam among the roses and English boxwoods. True romantics arrange to have their dinner served amid the old manor's sweet-scented ruins.

Fast Facts:

If you go

Booth Museum of Western Art, Cartersville, Ga. From Atlanta, head north on Interstate 75 to Exit 288/Main Street. Drive about 2 miles west on Main Street, then turn right on Museum Drive. Call (770) 387-1300 or go to www.boothmuseum.org.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays.

Admission: $8 adults; $6 seniors and military; $5 students; kids 12 and under free.

Where to stay: Barnsley Gardens Resort, Adairsville. From I-75, take Exit 306 west on State Road 140 and follow the signs, about 10 miles. Three restaurants. Call toll-free 1-877-773-2447 or go to www.barnsleyresort.com.

Information: Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau, (770) 387-1357, toll-free 1-800-733-2280 or www.notatlanta.org.

[Last modified March 27, 2007, 07:10:40]