A magnificent Gothic/Tudor-style mansion, built for Coca-Cola heir Charles Howard Candler in 1920, Callanwolde today serves as a fine-arts center for city residents. Classes are given in pottery, painting, photography, drawing, and more, and there are numerous workshops for adults and children. While touring the house, you may be surprised that most of the rooms are bare, and only Callanwolde's exquisite walnut paneling, beautifully carved ceilings and moldings, grand staircase, magnificent marble and stone fireplaces, and leaded-glass windows evoke its luxurious past. But this is a working arts center, not a museum, and the rooms are used for classes and workshops.

The estate occupies 12 acres (originally 27) in the Druid Hills section of Atlanta, an area planned by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park. Visitors are welcome to peruse shows of local artists in the Petite Hall gallery upstairs; enjoy the lawns and formal gardens, which are maintained by the county; and participate in the many events here--concerts, storytelling evenings, and dance performances. Especially memorable is Christmas at Callanwolde, when the entire house is decorated for the season and shops are set up in different rooms. Attending a function here is the best way to experience the estate.