It's rather surprising that it took so long for restoration efforts to get under way on the dilapidated Tudor-revival apartment house where Margaret Mitchell wrote most of her epic novel and lived with her husband, John Marsh, from 1925 to 1932. The structure was built as a single-family dwelling in 1899, then moved to the back of the lot in 1913 and converted into a 10-unit apartment building six years later. It remained an apartment building until 1979, when it was abandoned and eventually boarded up. When the newlyweds moved in, they called it "The Dump"; it was not an affectionate nickname. According to a friend of Mitchell's, she disliked living there (finances left few alternatives) and would probably be offended by the notion of its restoration. But the house has been attracting its share of visitors--37,000 in its first year from all 50 states and 70 foreign countries.

The building includes a re-creation of Mitchell's first-floor apartment and exhibits telling the complex story of the famous novelist. Tours, which last about an hour, begin in the visitors center, where guests see a 17-minute film titled "It May Not Be Tara," featuring an overview of Mitchell's life and interviews with some of her friends and family members. Also in the theater is an exhibition of photos taken of Mitchell in her teens and 20s. The guided tour of the house includes a visit to the Mitchell-Marsh apartment, which is furnished much as it was during their stay there. Mitchell wrote much of her novel in the front room, seated at a typewriter and desk below the beveled glass windows in the small corner alcove. Like most writers, she preferred to keep her literary efforts private and would throw a towel over her typewriter when friends dropped in--which was often.

Beyond the apartment is an exhibit that celebrated Mitchell's life, explores her civic work, and examines the impact of her book and the subsequent movie. Here you'll see her typewriter, which she used to write her novel, and the Pulitzer Prize she won for her efforts. The tour concludes in the museum shop, which includes a variety of GWTW collectibles and memorabilia.

If you finish your tour around mealtime, walk one block north on Peachtree to Pasta da Pulcinella, an excellent little hole-in-the-wall pasta place that is open for lunch and dinner.