A weekend with nothing to do and feeling cooped in the house gave my wife and I the opportunity to go exploring. We drove the 35 miles to Macon and began looking for something different to do. We decided to try the Hay House.
In the mid-1800s, William Butler Johnston was the keeper of the Confederate treasury. He built a mansion that is the real treasure he left behind. Inspired by the palazzos of Florence and Rome during a three-year honeymoon in Europe, Johnston and his wife, Anne, spent four years building an 18,000-square-foot Italian Renaissance Revival mansion that is now a National Historic Landmark. My wife and I took the tour to explore this palace.
The Hay house boasts beautiful 18th-Century furnishings, Italian Carerra marble fireplaces, some of the country’s finest examples of marbleized and trompe l’oeil finishes, a music room with a 30-foot clerestory ceiling, exquisite plaster work with 24-karat gold leafing and spectacular stained glass. We were thrilled as we passed from room to room.
There is a museum shop which features Victorian inspired gift items, decorative art glass, authentic North Georgia pottery, books of regional interest, reproductions of architectural remnants such as finials from iron fences and brackets, and Georgia food products. I don't usually buy that type of thing, but both my wife and I enjoy looking at them.
We were told that the house is available for special occasions, such as bridal receptionsand guided tours.
In all, the tour was informative. I was impressed with the efforts at restoration for both the house and the authentic decor. I really liked the gold patterns worked into the plaster. For those who want a taste of the old South, this is the place to visit.