Going Places

Barnsley Gardens

Barnsley Gardens is a bucolic Eden about an hour north of Atlanta’s hubbub. In 1842 Godfrey Barnsley, an English-born shipping magnate, wanted a country retreat for his new wife. He created an Italianate villa surrounded by elaborate English gardens in the rural countryside.  The Civil War devastated both Godfrey’s considerable personal fortune and the estate. Relatives tried to keep it going in the ensuing years, but fratricide, neglect and tornado damage took their toll. The manse became a shell and the gardens a jungle.

In 1988 Hubertus Fugger, a German Prince from Augsburg, purchased the property. He restored the gardens to their former glory and opened the grounds as a state historical site, drawing almost 40,000 visitors per year. In the late ’90s he added 33 cottages housing 70 guest suites, a clubhouse, spa, swimming pool, horseback riding, golf course, restaurants and a sporting clays course to turn the complex into a stunning resort. Investors purchased the complex a few years later, and Barnsley Gardens quickly found itself on numerous “best hotels” travel lists.

This past winter Orvis joined forces with Barnsley Gardens to establish an Orvis Shooting Grounds at the resort. It is being billed as the “Sandanona of the South,” and Orvis has a full pro shop there and offers both fly-fishing and wingshooting lessons.

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