A run of family friendly programs is coming up this spring at the Chief Vann House Historic Site, and even an educational adult only program.
For details on each program, visit online at
gastateparks.org/chiefvannhouse or on Facebook at ‘"Friends of the Chief Vann House."
On Saturday, Feb. 5 the Vann House is participating in the Georgia Historical Society’s Super Museum Sunday, and we will be offering free admission from 1-5 p.m. Families can enjoy a free open-house style tour of the historic Vann House, tour the Visitor Center gallery containing artifacts, historic documents, historic illustrations and more.
Visitors can also explore our outdoor exhibits: A 19th Century Cherokee Farmstead, a Vann Workhouse/Kitchen two-story cabin, a 1920s spring/bathhouse atop a natural fresh-water springs and a one-mile medium difficulty nature trail to the original site of the Moravian Mission. Visitors should arrive by 4 p.m. to best enjoy the experience, museum and grounds, which close at 5 p.m.
Archaeology themed activities will be held on Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Families can discover “artifacts” in the dig-boxes or learn about ancient pottery by crafting their own. Visitors can join a ranger to see and touch hand-crafted, pre-contact tools and weapons as used by Native Americans, see the tools used by modern archaeologists from Kennesaw State University's Student Anthropology Club, or speak with state archaeologists as they present artifacts and maps from the Vann House’s past excavations. Andrew Lee of 'The Primitive Arts" will be demonstrating knapping, the crafting stone tools. Visitors can piece together broken pottery, participate in an activity on soil stratigraphy and more. There are no excavations currently taking place at the Vann House.
If botany is your interest, check out Apple Grafting on Sunday, April 2, with Joshua Fuder, Agriculture & Natural Resource agent from Cherokee County’s UGA Extension Lab. Mr. Fuder's work as a botanist and apple restoration enthusiast brings him to the Vann House to host a full class on grafting your own apple trees from root stock. Participants will leave with their own newly grafted roots after an in-depth class. Due to working with sharp instruments, participants must be 18+. Call to pre-register.
Visitors who tour the Vann House during March and April can view their collection of framed, unique 18th century maps featuring the southeastern states or early British Colonies, and the development of the charted Gulf and Atlantic shorelines. These maps are donated replicas (copies) of rare collections that tell the early story of European settlers beginning to chart and immigrate into the shores of the “New World” in search of minerals, slaves and, in many cases, a new home. The maps will be on display in the Vann House and are include in admission.
Regular hours are Thursday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. In December-March, they are closed on Sunday. Last tour of the day always begins at 4 p.m. The address is 82 Hwy. 225 N. in Chatsworth. Contact information is
706-695-2598 or vann_house_park@dnr.ga.gov.