Pre-Mockingjay Part 2: Swan House Capitol Tour

Do you ever binge-watch movies just before a new sequel premiere?

I do, but here's one better...before Mockingjay: Part 2 hits theaters this November, go on the Atlanta History Center's behind-the-scenes Swan House Capitol Tour! You get to see filming sites, movie artifacts and learn bits about The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay: Part 1 that most people never will!

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Travis S. Taylor

By the way, President Snow is not the only one who can wield a white rose with confidence!

There are an incredible many awesome aspects to this tour, yet I do think that sitting at President Snow's office desk is among the top! This room is not on the general Swan House tour (which is another one I highly recommend!) and many of the artifacts located here are from the movies. 

The desk here is a remarkably similar desk to the one in the movie, however, the real one was purchased by the president of a neighboring country! You're going to learn quite a lot of fun facts when you visit. 

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Swan House

I remember the very first trailer (here's a clip) I saw for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire that included the scene of President Snow's mansion, what we Atlantans know as the Swan House, and just how exciting it was. It was magnificent to know that such a beloved Atlanta icon was going to be on the big screen in such a fantastic way! 

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Dining Room

You'll see a lot on the tour, including the wallpaper in the Dining Room, which is gorgeous! It features 50 kinds of birds, and not a single one repeated—although I do not think there's a mockingjay, but feel free to explore. 

It's original and a bit faded, so you can just make out a hint of the original watermelon pink color...which is quite stunning, and in spectacular condition given the house was completed in 1928!

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Swan Table

If you've toured the Swan House before, you know that it gets its name from the swan motif throughout the house. Many of the house's swans appear in the The Hunger Games movies filmed here, including the gorgeous swan tables in the Dining Room. 

When my tour guide found out that my middle name is Swann, a huge smile crawled across his face. And I have to admit, splendor aside, I love that I have something in common with the Swan House, one of the more spectacular icons of Atlanta. 

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | President Snow's Desk

This room, not the only one under lock-and-key, is reserved for patrons of the Swan House Capitol Tours. That's to say this is a special tour and one you will not soon forget!

The photograph of me sitting at President Snow's desk wasn't my first photo at a presidential desk. My first was sitting at the president's desk...in the Oval Office...in Madame Tussauds'...in New York City. So, while I've yet to tour the White House in Washington, D.C., I have now sat at TWO presidential desks! I told you...I'm a "professional tourist"!

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Morning Room

The Swan House's Morning Room, originally a pistachio green color, was used as President Snow's office in the movies. The room was painted white for the films and then repainted pistachio green after filming. 

Preservationists (and I consider myself one), DO NOT FRET! The room had been restored to its original color far prior to the agreement with the film studio. So, they did not paint over original paint. 

Personally, I think it's awesome that the Inman's 1928 home has been immortalized in a globally sensational movie! Generations from now, many will enjoy the splendor of Swan House. How cool is that! 

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Morning Room Mirror

It's quite fascinating how much the Swan House mirrors the magnificence of the producer's vision of President Snow's home. 

The set of convex Federal-era mirrors in the Swan House's Morning Room were left in-place for scenes in the movies. They're absolutely stunning, so it's not a surprise, but a wonderful happenstance that visitors on the Swan House Capitol Tour get to see them up close and personal.

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Library

From the Swan House Library you peer out onto the side porch, which was President Snow's breakfast room, where he enjoyed a meal with his granddaughter. That side porch lets out onto the Swan House Gardens, which I hope visitors spend a little time exploring prior to their Swan House Capitol Tour.

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Swan House Garden

The above pictured garden was the scene of a grand party in The Hunger Games. You get to explore the many gardens of the 33-acre Atlanta History Center complex during your visit, and during the tour you'll get to see photographs and video of many of the spaces you're visiting on the tour, which makes it more real-time, realistic, as-if-you-were-there!

Swan House Capitol Tour, Atlanta History Center | Mirgill Joseph

I'd be totally remiss if I didn't say "Thank you" to my awesome tour guide, Mirgill Joseph. He's been with Atlanta History Center for more than eight years and does for the Center a lot more than give tours. This wasn't my first Margill tour, and he's been consistently fantastic! And he's pretty strong...look at that lift!

THIS is your grand opportunity to walk in the steps of Catnis Everdeen and Peeta Mellark...merely by going on an Atlanta History Center wholly unique tour. Its Swan House Capitol Tour!

Swan House: Where Splendor Migrated

Swan House

The Swan House was home to cotton brokerage heirs Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Inman. Today, the Swan House and its picturesque gardens are part of the 33-acre campus of the Atlanta History Center.

The Swan House was a "down-size" move for the Inman's. Seems difficult to believe once you see the 13,000 square-foot custom-built home filled with exquisite Italian marble features, hand-carved mantles and one-of-a-kind ceiling embellishments, to name a few of its remarkable features.

The home, completed in 1928, was designed by noted architect Philip Trammell Shutze.

Mr. and Mrs. Inman were avian enthusiasts. Mr. Inman had a strong love for the American Bald Eagle and Mrs. Inman adored the Swan. The name of the house was derived from the prominence of sculpted swans throughout the home, including an iron swan sitting in the transom of the back entry.

The tour of Swan House begins in the portico. Standing on a cobblestone drive next to four gigantic columns, our tour guide, Linda, welcomed us to Swan House. As the tour progressed I came to realize that Linda is very well-spoken, quite knowledgeable and even a little saucy, in a very good way, of course.

Swan House (front)

Once again, I was compelled to obey the "no photography" inside the house rule (or "favor"as the polite and charismatic Linda defined it). On this particular instance, the rule is to the benefit of visitors. The home is filled with refined adornments and the tour itself is an enlightening learning experience. Instead of snap, snap, snap, I was able to bathe in the elegance of the 1920s architecture and décor.

Upon entering the home, which recently received a $5.4 million renovation (a fact that the unyielding Linda would remind us of on numerous occasions), the first sight—the floor—is indeed impressive.

The foyer floor configuration is a five-point star, circled with a band of cresting waves, surrounded by a spirograph-like design. The floor is made of high-contrast, eye-catching pure black and white Italian marble and served as the inspiration for the logo of the Atlanta History Center. The crystal chandelier in the foyer is made of several swan-shaped swoops.

The same black and white marble in the foyer is used throughout the home's main level and it is rumored that one of Mrs. Inman's eccentricities was a rule to not walk on the black marble, only on the white, to avoid creating scuff marks. More than 80 years later, the floor is as pristine as the first day it was polished…maybe she had something there or maybe it was the $5.4 million rennovation.

Swan House (back)

The home is filled with the original Inman Family furnishings including beds, tables, lamps, chandeliers, carpets…everything! The only exception is Mr. Inman's bedroom furniture. Some of the wallpapers and carpets have been reproduced, but in the exact designs that were original to the home.

As lavish as the home is—from dining room to parlor, bedrooms to powder rooms—the house was built for comfort. The many modern features, including a private booth for telephone calls, are "disguised" so as to preserve the elegance of the period.

Linda, our tour guide, turned out to be something of an etymologist. Throughout the tour, she shared tidbits of how features in the home relate to the origin of words and phrases, such as "mind your own beeswax." Learn about this one on the tour when the fireplace screen in Mrs. Inman's bedroom is brought into discussion.

The stairwell leading from the grand foyer to the second floor is said to have been the pride and joy of Mrs. Inman, and a piece to be proud of it is. As in many other features of the house, the stairwell is a "modern marvel," especially for 1928. It stands free of support. It was built with poured concrete and steel reinforcements. The bannister is made of elegantly carved wood, stained dark.

At the end of the tour, Linda invited us to view an extensive gallery of architect Shutze's decorative arts collection, minding us to take note of the cutaway of Shutze's library and the boars head soup terrines. This exhibit is self-guided and is located in the terrace level of the house.

Swan House garden

When visiting the home, be sure to allow time to walk the grounds to see the gardens, its many sculptures and down the front lawn so you can take in the iconic full view of the Swan House. It's definitely worth firing a quad.

Every tour is a unique experience, not only in the idiosyncrasies of how the tour guide tells a story, but through the tourists themselves, whether visitors or locals. In this particular group, shining as bright as Mrs. Inman’s swan chandelier, were an appreciation for elegance and a strong pride of the South. They were a chatty bunch, too, but Linda, the consummate professional she is, answered every question.

I did not have time to visit the Swan Coach House. The beautiful structure, once served as the garage (a three-car garage, impressive at the time…impressive now, actually) and the servants' quarters. Today, Swan Coach House is a gallery, a gift shop and a restaurant. On my next visit, I will arrive hungry to make certain that Swan Coach House is at the top of my list of destinations on this 33-acre complex.

One last note, the Atlanta History Center, which includes the Swan House, is the best ticket in town. It's an inclusive admission to the Center with access to:

• Swan House,
• Tullie Smith Farm,
• Atlanta History Museum,
• various gardens,
• Kenan Research Center,
• the museum shop, and
• a learning center for kids.

You can buy a dual ticket for only a few dollars more and tour the Margaret Mitchell House, also managed by the Atlanta History Center.

Will I be flying back to the splendor of Swan House any time soon? I'm certain I'll migrate there more than once a year. With so much to see and explore, regularly changing exhibits, and so much history to learn, it promises to always be a fun and enlightening experience.

Touring the Swan House (part of the Atlanta History Center)

Date toured: Friday, October 29, 2010
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 p.m.-4 p.m.
Cost: Adults $16.50, Seniors and Students $13, Youths $11 (tickets)
Location: 130 West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, Georgia (map and directions)
Parking: Free onsite parking
Website: http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/cms/Swan+House/116.html

Swan House portico