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Resort Profile
Georgia
Romance & Golf Bloom at Barnsley Gardens 
Location: In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain set on 1,300 acres of beautiful woodlands, 160 year-old gardens and rolling meadows about 75 minutes north of Atlanta.
Romantic Highlights: Your private cottage with a fireplace overlooking a pond; dinner in the Ruins; a “Love Potion Spell” from the resort’s Fairy Godmother, perhaps deep red rose petals, red wine, dark chocolates and a candlelit bedroom to greet you on your return from dinner or a star-lit tet-a-tete on a secluded pier or dinner in a muscadine “tent”; picnic lunches.
Golf: Lovely course on the grounds with pro shop & restaurant.
Package:
Conquer The General—Beginning at $419
* One night stay
* Breakfast for two the next morning
* A round of golf for two on The General
“If you don’t know where you’ve been, you’ll never know where you’re going,” says Denise Webb, Barnsley Gardens' real life Fairy Godmother whose job it is to make guests happy whatever it takes: a romantic dinner in a muscadine “tent” or a “Fiesta No SIesta”, a pitcher of frozen margaritas, chips, salsa and sombreros displayed on a candlelit tray with special “instructions.”
Then there’s the surprise Bathroom Blessing: a rosepetal path to the bathroom, candles, bubblebath and champagne and a bathroom filled from floor to ceiling with balloons. There are paths to wander, ponds to sit by and a friendly ghost of two to encounter.
You’ve got to understand: Barnsley Gardens is no ordinary resort: it’s a place with a past of love, tragedy, and myths. To fully appreciate a stay in this beautiful place, it is important that you know its history.
In the 1840s, when Godfrey Barnsley, a young handsome Englishman with a privileged background came to Savannah, he met Julia Scarborough, the daughter of a rich cotton shipper. Despite opposition from her mother, Godfrey married his beautiful love and as a cotton baron, became one of the most affluent men in the south. The Barnsleys had eight children (although three died) but in spite of their love for each other and their financial successes, Julia’s health started to decline.
Wishing to take his wife to a place where the air was fresher and cooler, he purchased 10,000 acres in Bartow County in upcountry Georgia and started building a stunning Italianate brick mansion on the crest of a hill on land that once belonged to the Cherokees. “Woodlands” was only partially completed when Julia died of consumption at only 34 years of age. Devastated, Godfrey didn’t have the heart to continue the construction of the grand house that was to have been his present to his cherished Julia — that was until he felt her spirit in his walks in the gardens and understood that she wanted him to finish the mansion.
Godfrey did go on to finish the house and gardens following the principals of renowned 19th century landscape architect, Andrew Jackson Downing. Bricks to build the mansion were made on the property from clay dug out of the hills; tiles came from Italy and the place was furnished with many valuable pieces from Godfrey’s travels abroad including items from Napoleon’s Palace
Unfortunately the Civil War brought great hardship to the Barnsley family. The mansion was ransacked by the Union soldiers, and Godfrey left for New Orleans to try to rebuild his wealth leaving his children on the estate. It is his daughter, Julia, who stayed behind and with grit and courage tried to hold the family together through these hard time.
Julia is believed to have first written in a letter to a friend, “With God as my witness, I will never go hungary again,” a line spoken by Scarlet O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” In fact it is believed it was Julia who was the inspiration for Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind.”
In 1906 a tornado blew off the roof and the family moved into the kitchen wing which has been built the 1840s. Then in 1942, the descendents of Godfrey and Julia sold the property at auction but the property continued to fall into disrepair. Great trees and vines filled the ruins of the mansion and the gardens grew into a tangle.
Then Prince Hubertus Fugger and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Bavaria came to the rescue. In 1988 they brought the property, spending more than $3.5 million to restore the gardens and the rare pine arboretum containing the largest collection of private conifers in the southeast with 88 species dating to the 1850s. This enormous task took eight years alone just to get the original boxwood back in shape, clearing trees and vines out of the ruins and restoring the plant life.
In 1992 the Fugger family opened the gardens to the public. A few years later the Fuggers decided to build a resort in the style of an English village following the spirit of Godfrey’s original vision and the design principles of AJ Downing who specialized in country houses and gardens. Downing believed things made by man should fit into the natural surroundings.
The resort opened in 1999 then in 2004, a company of private investors, BGAC, LLC, purchased the resort from the Fugger family and Barnsley Gardens continues to grow with sensitivity to its history and spirit.
Imaginative design using gables, fretwork and shingles along with roof peaks and cupolas, porches and shutters create a fanciful village of 33 guest cottages housing 70 suites along with a clubhouse, a spa with 11 treatment rooms and other buildings. Buildings are sided with dark stained vertical wood and shingles accented by deep blues, greens and other colors that are replicated in the natural surroundings.
Laid neatly along roadways of pebbles (used for golf cart transportation) and sidewalks, each of the 50 plus buildings is different, yet designed to fit into the overall design scheme. Nothing from the dark wicker chairs on the Woodside Grill patio to the bridges over the brooks drifts from the mood of unspoiled nature. Even the practice putting green blends into the whole. It has no red- or white-flagged holes, in fact no holes at all. You simply roll out a ball and putt to it to get the feel of the putting surface.
Cottages are spacious, more like homes with sitting rooms, fireplaces (wood for fireplaces is stacked on the porch during the colder months), 12 foot tray ceilings, beadboard panelling and French doors leading to porches with rocking chairs and private gardens. Creamy walls are accented by soft muted blues , browns, burgundys, pinks and greens; art work includes paintings of the region by area artists and original prints by Princess Alexandra, a noted botanical and former “National Geographic” photographer.
Oriental-style carpets cover dark wood floors and the accessories in the built-in hutch and on the mantels include homey things like books, old luggage pieces stacked on top of a shelf, crystal decanters, small leather boxes, model cars, photos in frames and pieces of china. King beds are extremely comfortable with duvets, piles of pillows, Egyptian cotton linens and thick mattresses. Bathrooms are large and tiled. Showers are big enough for two and there is a claw-footed tub and enclosed toilet room.
You can dine in the Rice House where specialities might include grilled shitake salad and roast Carolina quail stuffed with cornbread, apples and Georgia pecans over butternut squash and dried fig risotto with cabernet sauce and a deliciously decadent chocolate bread pudding. The Rice House is particularly interesting as it dates back to the mid 19th century and was brought to the property in 1994 from its original site 30 miles away
. The Bavarian Beer Garden sitting under a canopy of trees is also fun for casual fare and sometimes music. For general dining and drinks, there is also the Woodlands Grill and patio.
A favorite dining venue for couples is in the historic Manor House Ruins but because of the spirit of the place, you can have you own private dinner in any number of places — on the end of a pier, under a canopy of grape vines, in a bamboo stand, by a lily pond or on your porch.
The extensive grounds offer a variety of sports activities including a Jim Fazio-designed scenic golf course, tennis courts, horseback riding, clay pigeon shooting, walking trails, and a full-service European Spa and formal billiards room. There is an outdoor Grecian-style pool and several other activities available on the property.
The former kitchen wing houses the Museum at Barnsley Gardens, a thirty-year collection telling the story of the Barnsley family and artifacts from the Civil War compiled by Clent Coker, a direct descendent of two of Godfrey Barnsley’s early associates. Coker who was born on the property and has made collecting Barnsley history a life-long passion.
The museum contains many of the original pieces of furniture, letters, books, photographs and other items including a pressed rose picked by Capt. James P. Britzelle in 1863, the husband of Godfrey’s daughter, Julia. Protected by a small barrier, you can even see the bloodstains on the floor when one of the Barnsley’s great grandsons shot and killed his brother in a tragic dispute over property.
This is a relaxing place with so many choices including just doing nothing. It’s a place to connect with those you love and reconnect and fall in love all over again. And it’s a place that casts a spell if you let it happen.
Address/Phone: 597 Barnsley Gardens Road, Adairsville, Georgia 30103,
877-773-2447; fax 770-773-1779
U.S. Reservations: 877-773-2447; Small Luxury Hotels of the World 800-525-4800
Website: www.barnsleyresort.com
Arrival/Departure: Many rent cars at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport or Chattanooga Airport and drive. Private car transfers can also be arranged through the resort.
Distance from Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport: 50 miles; 1 hour 15 minutes; Chattanooga 52 miles about 1 hour
Accommodations: 33 guest cottages house 70 private individual and private suites
Most Romantic Cottages: Honeymoon Cottage with an oversized bathroom; cottages in the 1900 row which run along the woods and are more private; #1500, a separate cottage near the pond
Amenities: Air-conditioning, hair dryer, two-line data port telephones, cable TV, CD players, hi-speed internet access, radio/alarm clock, king beds, ironing facilities, robes, Molton Brown toiletries, wood-burning fireplaces, porches, mini fridges, complimentary soft drinks and water, wet bar, coffee/tea facilities, umbrellas, twice-daily maid service.
Sports/Facilities: 18-hole championship golf course, spa, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, fitness room, swimming pool, clay pigeon shooting, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, mountain biking
Dress Code: Casual
Weddings: Can be arranged for up to 400 people. Popular venues include the gardens, the Ruins and the Meeting House.
Many weddings as well as vow renewals have taken place on the Barnsley Gardens grounds. Only problem you’ll have is deciding where to tie the knot. The historic Manor House Ruins with its brick arches, and walls, clematis twining up the walls, and views of the gardens and lily pond are ideal. You can also say your vows in the charming Town Hall with it large windows looking out into the rose arbor or under a flowered arbor in the gardens. Barnsley’s Wedding Planner will help you arrange the wedding you want. Here it’s not preconceived...rather you will be asked what you want and with all the facilities on site, they can make it happen.
Credit Cards: Most major
Deposit: One night’s room and tax
Government Taxes: 7% sales tax; 5% hotel tax; Included in packages
Service Charges: 15%; Included in packages
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