A Tate House Christmas
A visit to a pink marble mansion in Tate, Georgia
Looking for a new holiday tradition? I recommend a visit to the Tate House in Tate, Georgia. Each year, for only a few weeks, the home open its doors for self-guided tours to view the beautiful Christmas decorations. It's definitely worth visiting and adding to your holiday bucket list.
If you go, you will get to meet Marsha, the owner of the home who greets each visitor as they walk through the door! Marsha is a wealth of knowledge and we enjoyed listening to her stories about the home and the history of the marble quarry located behind the property. We learned that the Lincoln Memorial, US Capitol and the NY Stock Exchange were all built with marble from Tate, Georgia! In fact, when you drive through town you will notice that even the elementary school is made of marble!
As soon as you walk through the door you are met with a magical feast for the eyes. Marsha credits, lead designer, Paul Brummer, the former designer for Tavern on the Green in New York City, for creating this winter wonderland of stunning holiday decorations. She also proudly points out that the life-size carolers, elves and Santas you see throughout the property were sculpted and painted (and clothes made!) by a local artist from Cartersville, GA.
History of the Home
In 1926, the proprietors of the quarry had an idea to build a house as a way to showcase a rare vein of pink marble found here. The home was featured in Architectural Digest the same year it was built and remained in the Tate family’s care until 1955 when the last of the family members left or passed away. The home was eventually boarded up and vandals removed everything of value. One of the guides told us there was a moonshine distillery in one of the bedrooms and motorcycles would ride up and down the grand staircase. 😮
In the early 70s the home was purchased by a woman from Arizona, who turned it into a French restaurant. Unfortunately, the area was still too remote for the business to succeed so she put it on the market. Marsha and her family became the current owners in 2001 and have cared for it ever since. You can tell when you meet Marsha that preserving this home and sharing its story is so important to her. We are fortunate that this Georgia landmark has such an ardent protector 🙏.
If you’re interested in visiting, ticket prices and tour times can be found on their website www.tatehouse.com . They offer luncheons, afternoon teas, decorating events and a full holiday market in the 5000 square-foot ballroom.
Thank you to our new friends at the Tate House! We had a wonderful visit and can't wait to see you next year!
