GRIFFIN REGIONAL WELCOME CENTER
Our friendly team is here to assist you!
GRIFFIN REGIONAL WELCOME CENTER
143 N. Hill St,
Griffin GA 30223
(770) 228-8200
Hours of Operation
Monday : 8:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday : 8:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday : 8:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday : 8:00am – 5:00pm
Friday : 8:00am – 5:00pm
The Griffin Regional Welcome Center’s first floor is home to:
- Regional Visitor Information Center (RVIC) professionals to help you find info on sights, activities and tours
- Griffin’s General Store & Gift Shop
- Griffin-Spalding Art Association Gallery (free admission)
- Conference facilities available for rental (inquire for rates and scheduling).
- Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce
The Welcome Center’s second floor features:
- Griffin Archives
- History of Griffin Museum
Facility Amenities:
- Free Parking on-site and nearby
- Information/Services Provided
- Maps & Brochures Available
- Gift Shop
- Meeting Facilities
- Public Restrooms
- Electric Car Charging Stations
- Near I-75
- Suitable for All Ages
- Family-Friendly
- Free Admission
- Open Year ‘Round
Admire the notable structures that beautify the landscape of the Griffin+Spalding area.
Archives and Museum
The Griffin Spalding Archives is located on the second floor of the Welcome Center, which is handicap accessible. Their mission is to identify, acquire, and preserve archival materials that document local history and to make such records available to the public for research and enjoyment. The curator is a walking encyclopedia of local knowledge!
The Archives is open for research Monday – Friday 9am-4pm
Phone 770-233-4130 ex.398
Location:
143 North Hill Street. 2nd Floor of Welcome Center
The Griffin Museum is located on the second floor of the Welcome Center, which is handicap accessible. The museum features an impressive array of Griffin artifacts and memorabilia dating from as far back as the mid-1800’s.
The Doc Holliday Museum, representing Griffin’s legendary son, is also part of the Griffin Museum.
There are displays of medical, dental and pharmaceutical supplies and equipment, going back to the days of the medical colleges. The cotton industry is well represented by equipment from the turn of the century. There is also furniture made from salvaged wood from some of the mills. The police and fire departments have a display of old uniforms, log books and accessories. Even the Boy Scouts are represented.
Also included are miscellaneous bits of Griffin’s heritage. It’s well worth an afternoon to come discover the hidden treasures in the Griffin Museum.
Black History Month
During the month of February, the Griffin Museum celebrates Black History month. School kids from around the community come to tour the museum and a special Black History Month display.
History of the Welcome Center Building
The late Mr. B. R. Blakely, Sr., a prominent local citizen and entrepreneur involved in agribusiness, banking, and wholesale distribution, originally constructed the building in 1899. Due to its proximity to the Dixie Highway and the Central and Southern Railroad and Depot, the site was a strategic marketplace and shipping/receiving point. Local historians recall that the role Griffin Grocery Company played was extremely instrumental in Griffin’s commercial development. Early in the century, it is believed that the building was one of the first warehouses in the region with major cold storage facilities. The wholesale grocery business thrived and Mr. Blakely later added a flour mill and additional storage facilities to the property. This addition virtually connected the Griffin Grocery Company building the contiguous Union Depot located at the west end of the property (at the intersection of Eighth and Broad Street). After abandonment, the Union Depot building, like many other depots throughout the country, was demolished in the mid-1970s, leaving Griffin Grocery Company Building as the only remaining landmark and reminder in the central commercial district that a depot once existed.
The rehabilitation of the Griffin Grocery Company Building was carried out in accordance with the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Building. Its rehabilitation and preservation along with the Streetscape Program have already helped foster the revitalization of the downtown business district and encourage other investments and development.
The total area of the facility is 19,700 square feet. Project funding for renovations was provided by the Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement Activity (TEA) and the City of Griffin.
