The Marietta Welcome Center is located in an old brick passenger depot at the edge of Marietta Square, beside railroad tracks that remain very much in use. It is an appropriate address for an organization devoted to arrivals. The trains no longer stop for passengers, but visitors still walk through the depot doors looking for information.
Located at 4 Depot Street NE, the Welcome Center also has a gift shop, public restrooms, free admission, and nearby parking. In an era when travel planning often involves numerous browser tabs and Google Maps, speaking with somebody in person at the Welcome Center remains surprisingly effective.
A Welcome Center Inside the Old Depot
The current depot was built in 1898 for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Its red brick exterior, wide roof, tall windows and stepped gables reflect the passenger depots constructed around the turn of the 20th century. An earlier depot opened in 1864 but was destroyed during the Civil War.
Railroads played a major role in Marietta’s early growth. The state authorized the Western and Atlantic Railroad in the 1830s, and engineer Stephen Harriman Long selected Marietta as a base for the project. Businesses followed the railroad activity, helping transform the young town into a commercial center north of Atlanta.
That history remains audible. Freight trains pass directly beside the Welcome Center, occasionally announcing themselves with all the subtlety of a cast iron skillet dropped down a staircase. The interruption feels appropriate though. Marietta Square is attractive, but it was never built as a decorative stage set. It grew beside an operating railroad, and the railroad still has business to conduct.
What the Visitors Bureau Does
The Marietta Visitors Bureau, now marketed as Visit Marietta, was established in 1984 during the city’s sesquicentennial celebration. It operates as a private nonprofit organization focused on attracting visitors and generating tourism related economic activity.
Its job extends far beyond delivering information to visitors at the Welcome Center. The bureau markets local hotels, restaurants, museums, historic attractions, outdoor recreation, and events. It also assists with group and event planning and helps promote overnight stays. The bureau partners with the city on Taste of Marietta, one of downtown’s largest annual events.
The Welcome Center is the public facing side of that effort. Visitors can get help building an afternoon around the Square, get help finding museums, get help locating historic sites, and much more.
A Useful First Stop on the Square
The center’s location makes sense. Glover Park, restaurants, shops, museums, and The Strand Theatre are close by. The Marietta History Center occupies the adjacent Kennesaw House, placing two useful starting points for local history right next door to each other.
Local residents can benefit from stopping inside as well. The staff often knows about things that longtime residents have driven past for years. Familiarity can make people lazy. Sometimes it takes a visitor center to remind a resident about all the things there are to do in the area.
Address:
4 Depot St. NE
Marietta, GA 30060
For more information, please call the Marietta Welcome Center & Visitors Bureau at (770) 429-1115.
