Telfair Academy

Telfair Academy

Telfair Academy
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Designed by British architectural prodigy William Jay in the neoclassical Regency style, the Telfair Academy is a former mansion built in 1819 for Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In 1875, Alexander’s sister Mary – heir to the family fortune and last to bear the Telfair name – bequeathed the house and its furnishings to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. After significant renovation by German-born architect Detlef Lienau, whose adaptations included the addition of the Sculpture Gallery and the Rotunda, the building opened to the public in 1886 as the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bird Girl, made famous by the Jack Leigh photo on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, can be found here along with the museum's permanent collection of American Impressionism.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Downtown
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  • Catherine
    Chicago, Illinois47 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stunning Collection...Art Lovers Must Visit
    Loved this wonderful experience! Hard to decide if the building or the collection is the star. Every artwork is high quality, most historical collection. Beautiful giftshop with friendly, helpful staff. I highly recommend this treasure.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written April 13, 2024
  • mlc317
    Browns Mills, New Jersey258 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Exquisite Pieces of all types
    Art lovers rejoice. From sculptures to impressionists, this place has a wide mix of all types of art. There are several floors and rooms to explore within this gorgeous structure. It's part of a multi-ticket where you can see two other places for $30 total and it is well worth it.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written May 8, 2024
  • Shannon L
    Des Moines, Iowa44 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice place to stop for an hour or so
    Admission here was included when we got tickets to the Owens-Thomas House, otherwise we probably would have skipped it. That would have been a mistake. Nice collection of art. The Bird Girl statue is here, after having been vandalized at Bonaventure Cemetery. It was a treat to see. The building itself used to be Mary Telfair's private home, and was as much on display as the art. Disappointingly, some of the galleries were closed when we visited.
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 27, 2024
  • GeorgiaGal09
    Nicholson, Georgia248 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The house was the star of the show for me
    We purchased tickets to the Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center, which includes admission here and the Owen’s-Thomas House. After seeing most of the exhibits at the Jepson, we walked the short distance to the Academy, which was originally a most magnificent home. We went downstairs first, where there are several paintings and some statues, including the famous “bird girl” depicted on the cover of the book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” and a replica of the Venus DiMilo. The next floor up features mostly paintings, although there was a huge Christmas tree when we were there. Some of the paintings in this area are massive. The upper floor was blocked off while changing exhibits, so I can’t comment on it. But I can say that the house itself has an interesting history and the architecture is something to see, perhaps more than the paintings.
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 4, 2025
  • Middleoftheroad5
    2,751 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice little museum/historic property, but don’t drink water
    This museum has some really nice architectural features. It is small and doesn’t take long to see. It’s nice that they bundle admission with the Owens-Thomas House and Jepson Museum. (I’ve written separate reviews for those.) I docked a couple of stars because, while we were calmly and quietly examining a painting, out of the blue an employee approached my spouse (who is a mature, educated professional) and said that she was going to make an exception to him having his water bottle in his cross-body bag and not make him put it “in the closet” as long as he wasn’t drinking out of it. Seriously, what museum in this day and age does not allow water? I don’t know if she thought he was going to throw it at a painting, or what? I think she was bored. Anyway, it was a turn-off.
    Visited January 2025
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 5, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles833 reviews
Excellent
406
Very good
265
Average
124
Poor
26
Terrible
12

4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
The Telfair Academy is a beautiful building with several floors (the pamphlet says 5 floors-but there is very little art work on some of those floors). There was a docent that filled us in on the history of the house, which was wonderful. On every floor, there are docents that are willing to talk with you about all of the art work. If you are interested in the statue that was removed from the Bonaventure Cemetary (bird girl), it is located on the top floor.

The Jepson Center and the Owens-Thomas House are included in your ticket, which makes for a very good deal. You also have several days to use them. There doesn't seem to be an option to pay for only one place, so if you only have time for one, you may wish to choose another of the historic places to tour. When we were there, we were given a discounted ticket because the Jepson Center was struck by lightning and the air conditioning was out. Even so, tickets for our family were still almost $100. Way to pricey when the only thing we were able to see was the museum.
Written July 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

A_Davis14
Fort Worth, TX136 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
This museum is also included in the Telfair Museum one ticket price. There isn’t a ton of artwork but what they do have is impressive. Most were deportations of American and impressionist artwork. Took us about 30-1 hour to walk through depending on how much you want to sit and enjoy the art.
Written April 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BigWebO
Omaha, NE111 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
I went to the Telfair Academy not knowing the quality of the building but because it was a value of $22 for a ticket to the Jepson, the Owens/Thomas House, and for the Telfair Academy.

The building itself is gorgeous and the art collection is well rounded. I spent about an hour here, enjoyed the cooler air out of the wind, and loved the different sections.
Written November 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Adventurer699107
7 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Family
Purchased the mandatory combo ticket at Telfair Academy, was not told that you had to schedule your tour of the Thomas-Owen House (that is included in the combo). However, having a ticket does not get you into the Thomas-Owen House, you must sign up for a tour and they fill up quickly. Oh yeah, you can't sign up for tour online, only in person. So if you are following the suggested "Historian Itenirary" you will not get to tour the last stop. This should NOT be part of the ticket for the academy and the Jepson museum if they are not going to honor your ticket! Not worth the expense if you can't tour all of the buildings. I do NOT recommend!
Written March 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JosephEber
Dayville, CT.50 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
See it for the architecture of for the artwork, either is worth the admission. It is a beautiful example of the great houses of the city and contains a great exhibit of classical and 1700-early 1900 artwork.
(The admission by the way includes 3 stops, Telfair Academy, the modern art exhibit just next door and the Owens house.)
Written January 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ladwander
Massachusetts109 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
This is a very small museum and does not have what could be considered a very extensive collection. What was most surprising is a lot of the artwork is not even from artists from the area or depicting much of the history of the state or city, which is what I was expecting it would be. Some relatively impressive statuary and one or two paintings that struck me, but otherwise, a rather mundane collection. Had it not been included with the Owens House tour, I might have been disappointed with paying to enter. The only highlight for me was being able to see the Birl Girl statute from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which had to be removed from Bonaventure Cemetery.
Written April 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

marftrip
Kernersville, NC339 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021 • Solo
This is a small, but outstanding art museum, with restored rooms of the original house as well. The holdings include a number of American Impressionists, Greco-Roman casts of statues you’d otherwise need to travel to Europe to see, and an excellent overall collection. The home is also a premier, and rare, example of American Regency architecture. I was fortunate to stumble into a tour at 11 led by docent extraordinaire Anne Gardiner, her knowledge brought the museum to life! (Thank you!) This museum is really a must when in Savannah. (Your ticket price includes admission to THREE sites, all worthwhile.)
Written November 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Virginian20171
Herndon, VA37 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023
This is a very charming museum with a collection that is quite lovely. I was not expecting a lot as it seems small. But it was stunning. They had some special pieces re impressionism as well...not the usual names but others Do not miss this if you like classical art.
Written April 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jed B
11 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
Each of the three affiliated Telfair museums has something different to offer. The older Telfair is architecturally interesting although it’s art collection is limited. The Jepson offers modern traveling exhibits which were fantastic and is located in a very modern building. And the third, the historic mansion with guided tour, captures the residence of a very wealthy pre- Civil War family and the adjoining structure which housed resident slaves who served the family.
Written January 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bfahs
Holly Springs, NC122 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 • Couples
Amazing building nice art. The story of the family and the creation of the museum was more interesting to us than the actual art.

Probably wouldn’t have attended if not included in cost of Owens-Thomas house too.

Audio tour on cellphone was a good addition.
Written October 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Telfair Academy - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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