On Friday, November 6, the Booth Photography Guild Annual Exhibition closes at Booth Western Art Museum. The next morning, Booth opens two new exhibitions. A few miles away, Savoy Automobile Museum spends that same Friday through Sunday raising the hoods on its jeep exhibit before it closes for good on November 8. Bank of America cardholders also get free admission at Booth, Tellus and Savoy on that weekend, the first full one of the month.
Most of Cartersville's fall museum season comes down to that one weekend. The shows leaving town, the ones arriving and the free admission all line up between November 6 and 8, and the closing dates after it run in order into January.
The two weeks before the switch
Late October is your last unhurried look at the shows on their way out. Savoy's Wartime Hero to Weekend Warrior has been up since July 14, and Booth's Photography Guild show since August 11. Both close on the hinge weekend, and the crowds that weekend will be bigger.
The rest of the October calendar is easy to build a visit around:
- Friday, Oct. 23: Trivia night at Savoy, 7 to 9 p.m., with questions on cars in the movies.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: West Fest at Booth, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Bartow History Museum brings its Sheep to Shawl demonstration to West Fest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Atlatl throwing at Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site, 1 to 3 p.m., for a $5 program fee plus parking.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: The Bartow History Museum's evening lecture, "Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia," 7 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 30: Trunk or Treat at Savoy from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and a Movies at the Museum screening of "Batman Returns" the same night.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: The Etowah Fall Nature Hike, 10 a.m. to noon, $2 to $6.
Booth also gives an early look at one of its incoming shows before the switch. Its Art for Lunch program on Wednesday, November 4, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., covers Matriotism: Celebrating 250 Years of Inspiring American Women Through Quilts, three days before that exhibition opens.
November 6 to 8, hour by hour
The changeover starts Friday. Savoy's Hoods Up! Weekend runs November 6 through 8 and opens up select vehicles from Wartime Hero to Weekend Warrior so visitors can see the engines before the exhibit closes Sunday. That Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m., Savoy also hosts a group build of a Mustang GT model car in its Private Dining Rooms. Booth's Photography Guild show has its last day that Friday too.
Saturday, November 7, is the busiest day of the fall. Booth opens two exhibitions:
- 30 @ 30: 30 Native Artists, 30 Artworks, Made in Their 30s, curated by Tony Abeyta (Diné/Navajo), on view through March 14, 2027.
- Matriotism, the quilt exhibition, on view through February 7, 2027.
Booth is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays, so Sunday gives you four hours instead of seven. Saturday night, Tellus Science Museum holds an Evening Sky Watch from 7 to 10 p.m.
All three of the large museums also take part in Bank of America's Museums on Us program that weekend. Cardholders get free admission on the first full weekend of each month, and in November that means Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th. For a cardholder, one weekend covers an opening at Booth, a closing at Savoy and a night under the sky at Tellus, all without a ticket purchase except for any program fees.
The second Thursday picks up where the weekend leaves off
Four days later, Booth runs its monthly free evening. On the second Thursday of every month the museum stays open until 8 p.m., and admission is free from 4 to 8 p.m. under the name FREE Family Thursday. In November that is the 12th, and the evening is packed:
| Time, Thursday, Nov. 12 | At Booth |
|---|---|
| 4 to 8 p.m. | FREE Family Thursday admission |
| 5 to 7 p.m. | Opening reception for the 23rd Annual Kids Cowboy Up! exhibition |
| 5 to 7:30 p.m. | Conversation and book signing with Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire series |
Kids Cowboy Up! opens to the public November 10 and stays up through January 3, 2027. Families who come for the opening can see both of the new adult exhibitions that night as well.
The following Saturday, November 14, fills up quickly. The Bartow History Museum holds its Old-Fashioned Christmas Event and Photos with Santa from 9 a.m. to noon. Booth runs Family Holiday Ornament Making from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a member opening for 30 @ 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. Tellus hosts Scoutacular Science from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Savoy's calendar lists Soap Box Derby programming the same day.
Later in the month, Tellus offers Sensory Friendly Mornings at 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22. Booth's Holiday Family Open Studio runs November 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
December lines up the same way
The pattern repeats one month later. December's first full weekend is Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th, so Museums on Us comes around again. National Treasures at Savoy, on view since August 4, closes Sunday, December 6, the last day of that free weekend. Tellus has another Evening Sky Watch on December 5 from 7 to 10 p.m., and Booth runs its December Scout Merit Badge Clinic that day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
December's FREE Family Thursday falls on the 10th, from 4 to 8 p.m. Booth's Winter Open Studio follows on December 29 and 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, during the stretch when school is out.
Closing dates, in the order they arrive
After November 8, the remaining fall shows close in a predictable order. If you have been meaning to see one of them, here are the deadlines:
- December 6: National Treasures at Savoy.
- January 3, 2027: Mazes and Brain Games at Tellus, installed in what the museum calls its new Tellus West Galleries and on view since May 23. Kids Cowboy Up! closes at Booth the same day.
- January 10, 2027: Arnold Friberg: Painting Faith, Freedom and the American Spirit at Booth, and INNOVATION to a T, Savoy's Model T exhibit.
Some shows run well past the holidays and can wait. Booth's Songwriter Musician: Nashville Photography by Ed Rode and The West in Focus: Scenic Vistas both run through April 18, 2027. The Bartow History Museum's newest exhibition, We Neighbors Would Meet Together: Oothcaloga Moravian Mission, Integration, and Cherokee Identity, opened September 24 and has no posted closing date. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What a visit costs at each door
The free weekends and free Thursdays help most when set against regular admission, which differs quite a bit from one museum to the next. Booth, Tellus, Savoy and the Bartow History Museum all let members in free.
| Museum | Adult admission | Children | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booth Western Art Museum | $16 | Free, 12 and under | Tue–Sat 10–5, Sun 1–5, closed Mon |
| Tellus Science Museum | $20 | $16, ages 3–17 | Daily 10–5 |
| Savoy Automobile Museum | $17 | $7, ages 3–12 | Tue–Sun 10–5, closed Mon |
| Bartow History Museum | $9 | Free, 5 and under | Mon–Sat 10–5 |
| Etowah Indian Mounds | $6 | $4, ages 6–17 | Daily 9–5 |
A few details the table leaves out. Tellus charges $5 for planetarium shows on top of admission, or $4 for members. Active military with ID get in free at Booth, Tellus, Savoy and the Bartow History Museum, and Booth and Tellus charge active-duty dependents with ID half price. Tellus and Savoy close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Savoy closes early, at 3 p.m., on Christmas Eve.
A household that wants to see a closing at Savoy, both Booth openings and a Tellus Sky Watch this season could pay for three separate visits. It could also put most of them into November 6 through 8 and come back on December 5 and 6 for National Treasures.
We've lived in Cartersville for years, and fall weekends like these are part of why we love it here. If you're thinking about a move within Bartow County and want to know how your current home is positioned before the new year, Chrissy and Michael at The Martin Group are glad to talk it through. Start with a free home valuation.
