Marietta Square offers a clear starting point for culture lovers: Around the square, you’ll find museums, live music, theater and a variety of cultural events. Marietta’s offerings range from art and local history to stage performances and special museum collections. These themes can help you decide which visits will shape your stay—without requiring you to follow a set itinerary. They can also help you weigh the cultural focus of your stay as you begin choosing a hotel in Marietta.
Art and Collections
The permanent collection at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art spans the 18th century to the present. The museum offers self-guided and guided tours, as well as special exhibitions throughout the year. The program therefore includes both a broad historical span in the collection and additional exhibitions as reasons to visit. If you’re planning a group visit, check the tour arrangements and fees in advance; both may change.
The Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum is located in historic Brumby Hall, built in 1851. The collection includes Scarlett O’Hara’s mourning hat, worn by Vivien Leigh, and six original costume designs by Walter Plunkett. The items on display may change, so check the current exhibitions before your visit. This helps distinguish the collection from the historic building that houses the museum.
Marietta’s History
The gallery spaces at the Marietta History Center present the diverse history of Marietta and Cobb County through exhibits, artifacts, photographs and interactive displays. The Kennesaw House is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Marietta. The William Root House was built around 1845 for Hannah and William Root, early settlers of Marietta. Its reconstructed gardens reflect gardening practices of the mid-19th century. Together, these places offer different insights: one presents the history of the city and county in several formats, while the other is a house with a specific historical connection and a garden designed to match.
The Marietta Fire Museum preserves antique fire engines, tools and equipment dating from 1854 onward. Marietta City Cemetery was established in the 1830s. It is the final resting place of a broad cross-section of the community’s early residents. These two places complement the museum perspective with the history of firefighting and the memory of Marietta’s early residents.
Stage, Market and Trails
The Strand Theatre offers live theater, movies, concerts and comedy. These different types of performances are presented side by side; as you look at the program, you can consider whether you’d like to include a performance, a movie night, music or comedy in your stay. The Marietta Square Farmers Market has a different focus: It gives farmers and producers a place to sell their goods directly to consumers. The market offers heirloom tomatoes, as well as fruit and vegetables. What’s available varies by week and season.
A trail section within the city offers a specific way to explore Marietta’s surroundings on foot: It runs 3.5 miles from Kennesaw Mountain to the Kennestone Hospital area. Marietta is just minutes from Interstate 75 for convenient access.
The attractions have different focuses rather than all promising the same kind of visit: an art collection and local history, theater and a market, or a trail section with named endpoints. Consider which of these themes matter to you, and plan your stay accordingly. That leaves room to choose individual interests instead of trying to fit every attraction into a single itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Smyrna, Powder Springs, Austell, Acworth, Vinings, Kennesaw, Mableton
Back to the main travel guide: Cobb.
