A Second Life for the Georgia Museum of Art

The Georgia Museum of Art, UGA's on-campus art museum may be closed for renovations until early 2011, but is still open to visitors...and you will not be accompanied by clouds of dust, the clamor of drills or masks as visitor attire; you can visit the museum virtually.


The museum recently launched a virtual museum in Second Life featuring paintings and drawings from its permanent collection. The virtual museum contains an almost exact replica of the galleries at the museum in Athens and is available to all residents of Second Life.

Second Life is a free, virtual online world that is imagined, created and maintained by its residents. Since its inception in 2003, Second Life has provided a world that supports all forms of expression and offers educational, business and entertainment opportunities to millions of users.

The Georgia Museum of Art can be found in Second Life by stopping by the UGA CTL Island: UGA's virtual world in Second Life. The Georgia Museum of Art hopes to utilize Second Life as an educational tool for its current audience as well as a new online audience.

What easier way to take part in one of the many places Athens has to offer than for free and from the comfort of your own home?

"Museum Mile" House Tour: 1850s

The final stop on our tour is the former Ware-Lyndon House, which is now actually known as the Lyndon House Arts Center.

See this video for more information on its history and the features of the visual arts complex.

"Museum Mile" House Tour: 1850s

The third on our tour of Athens' house museums is the T.R.R. Cobb House.

Check out this video for information and tour hours.

"Museum Mile" House Tour: 1840s

The second on our tour of the four house museums in Athens will be the Taylor-Grady House, which dates back to the 1840s.

Watch this video to find out more about the history and hours it is open to the public.

"Museum Mile" House Tour: 1820s

When you visit Athens, one of the first stops you should make is at the Athens Welcome Center for information, tours, and brochures. One of the tours offered by Classic City Tours is called the Museum Mile Tour of Historic Interiors.  This tour takes you to each of the four unique house museums in Athens.  In each house, you will see a different era of Athens History, from the 1820s Church-Waddel-Brumby House, to the 1840s Taylor-Grady House, and the 1850s Ware-Lyndon and T.R.R. Cobb Houses.  

Throughout the week I will be posting videos from each of the houses (just the exterior - you have to take the tours to see the insides!).

Let's start at the beginning with the Church-Waddel-Brumby House, which now houses the Athens Welcome Center.

The Athens Welcome Center is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday noon - 5 p.m.  During daylight savings months (April - October), it stays open util 6 p.m.