Plan a day in downtown Roswell, GA

Getting here

• Roswell is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, on the Chattahoochee River north of Atlanta. The New Georgia Encyclopedia puts it twenty miles north of Atlanta. This is Roswell, Georgia, not Roswell, New Mexico. New Georgia Encyclopedia: Roswell (last modified Sep 4, 2019)
• The City says three MARTA bus routes serve Roswell: Route 85 runs from North Springs station up Atlanta Street (SR 9) past City Hall, Route 185 runs along Holcomb Bridge Road and Alpharetta Highway, and Route 142 runs east along Holcomb Bridge Road; buses run about every 30 minutes at weekday peaks and every 40 minutes at other times. City of Roswell: Transit in Roswell

The New Georgia Encyclopedia puts Roswell twenty miles north of Atlanta, on the Chattahoochee River. This is Roswell, Georgia, in Fulton County, not Roswell, New Mexico. Drive time depends on traffic, so we do not print one.

Without a car, the City says three MARTA bus routes serve Roswell. Route 85 runs from North Springs station up Atlanta Street (SR 9) past City Hall, in downtown. Route 185 runs along Holcomb Bridge Road and Alpharetta Highway, and Route 142 runs east along Holcomb Bridge Road. Buses run about every 30 minutes at weekday peaks and every 40 minutes at other times. Details on the City’s transit page.

The visitor center

• Visit Roswell lists its office at 1099 Alpharetta Street, phone 770-640-3253. Its site footer gives visitor center hours of Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; its historic sites page says weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit Roswell (Roswell CVB): site footer (read on its Alive in Roswell event page)

Visit Roswell runs its visitor center at 1099 Alpharetta Street, phone 770-640-3253. Its site footer gives hours of Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Its historic sites page says weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so arrive before 4 to be safe. Some older listings still give 617 Atlanta Street on the square; that is the old address. See Visit Roswell’s visitor services.

How downtown fits together

Downtown is longer than it looks. The visitor center is on the east edge. In straight lines, the Canton Street restaurants are about 330 to 680 m from it, City Hall about 720 m, and the Town Square, the mill, Barrington Hall and Bulloch Hall about 1.5 to 1.8 km. Real walks are longer than those lines. You may want to park twice: once near Canton Street and once near the square or Old Mill Park.

Build your day

Decision tool · day planner

Plan your downtown day

Pick how long you have and what you like. The planner chooses sourced stops, puts them in walking order from City Hall, between the Town Square and Canton Street, and suggests where to park if you are driving.

Or start from one of three ready-made plans:

The mill town, on foot

From the square to the mill ruins and the covered bridge.

1. Roswell Town Square (610 Atlanta Street): The square at the center of Roswell King's town plan, where the mill workers charged in 1864 were held before they were sent north.
2. Barrington Hall (535 Barrington Drive): Barrington King's 1842 house across from the square, run by the City. Free admission; the house is open Friday to Sunday, the garden daily.
3. Founders Cemetery (200 Sloan Street): The town's burying ground from 1840 to 1860, where founder Roswell King is buried.
4. Lost Mill Workers of Roswell monument (Sloan Street Park) (75 Sloan Street): The monument to the roughly 400 mill workers, mostly women and children, sent north in July 1864.
5. Roswell Mill ruins and Vickery Creek Old Mill Park (95 Mill Street): Trails along Vickery Creek past the ruins of the Roswell Manufacturing Company mills and the 30-foot dam.
6. Vickery Creek Covered Pedestrian Bridge and dam overlook (95 Mill Street (Old Mill Park)): The 161-foot covered footbridge over Vickery Creek, linking the Historic District to the national recreation area trails.

A Friday to Sunday house-museum loop

The free house museums, coffee by the square, then lunch.

1. Summit Coffee (585 Atlanta Street): Coffee on Atlanta Street by the Town Square, with parking in the shared lot off Mill Street.
2. Roswell Town Square (610 Atlanta Street): The square at the center of Roswell King's town plan, where the mill workers charged in 1864 were held before they were sent north.
3. Barrington Hall (535 Barrington Drive): Barrington King's 1842 house across from the square, run by the City. Free admission; the house is open Friday to Sunday, the garden daily.
4. Bulloch Hall (180 Bulloch Avenue): Where Mittie Bulloch married Theodore Roosevelt Sr. at Christmas 1853. Free admission, open Friday to Sunday.
5. Souper Jenny Roswell (589 Atlanta Street): A soup and salad cafe by the square with a daily menu.

An evening on Canton Street

A stroll, a drink and dinner on the restaurant row.

1. Heart of Roswell Park (925 Canton Street): A small green with a picnic area at Canton Street and Alpharetta Street.
2. Canton Street (Canton Street): The Historic District's dining and shopping street. Start at the Magnolia Street end and walk north.
3. Gate City Brewing Company (43 Magnolia Street): A brewery and taproom in two former mechanic shops at Canton and Magnolia Streets.
4. Table & Main (1028 Canton Street): Seasonal Southern cooking in a restored century-old homestead; dinner.

Every stop comes from our sourced list of downtown places (checked 2026-10-18). Walking times are straight-line estimates from OpenStreetMap coordinates. Time per stop is your chosen time split evenly, not an official duration. The house museums open Friday to Sunday only; check each place's hours before you go.

Spending more evenings on Canton Street than at home? See what is for sale around Roswell.

Homes near downtown

The planner starts from City Hall, between the Town Square and Canton Street. Walking times are straight-line estimates from map coordinates, not measured routes, and time per stop is your chosen time split evenly. If you would rather not choose, start from one of its three ready-made plans:

• The mill town, on foot: the Town Square, Barrington Hall, Founders Cemetery, the Lost Mill Workers monument, the mill ruins at Old Mill Park and the covered bridge.
• A Friday to Sunday house-museum loop: Summit Coffee, the square, Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall, then lunch at Souper Jenny.
• An evening on Canton Street: Heart of Roswell Park, a walk up Canton Street, Gate City Brewing, then dinner at Table & Main.

Pick the right day

• The City lists the same museum hours for all three houses: Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., closed Monday through Thursday. Grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. The same page also says the museums are closed Mondays through Wednesdays. City of Roswell: Historic House Museums

• Friday to Sunday for the free house museums: Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. The City suggests arriving by 3:15 p.m. Visit Roswell says Smith Plantation is closed for repairs, so call ahead. More on historic homes.
• Saturday morning for the farmers market behind City Hall, 8 a.m. to noon. Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 are the last two dates of 2026. See the farmers market page.
• Wednesday to Saturday for the Roswell History Museum, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., free, at 950 Forrest Street.
• Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026 for the make-up Alive in Roswell, 5 to 9 p.m. on Canton Street.

Parks such as Heart of Roswell Park and Azalea Park are open dawn to dusk. Restaurant hours are on the restaurants page, and more stops are on things to do.

Coming up downtown

Every date links to its organiser on the events calendar.

Parking

The City’s 394-space deck at 1056 Alpharetta Street is free during Green Street construction, and the City Hall lot at 38 Hill Street is free. Canton Street, Elizabeth Way and East Alley are paid through Dec. 31, 2026, with two free hours if you start between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. For the mill, Old Mill Park at 95 Mill Street has free parking that fills on weekends. All of it is on the parking page.

Add the river

Azalea Park, 203 Azalea Drive, is about 2.9 km from the visitor center in a straight line, with a kayak launch and the Riverwalk. Riverside Park is closed until summer 2027. National Park Service trails at Vickery Creek need a $5 day pass. See the Chattahoochee River page and river access.

• Roswell City Hall is at 38 Hill Street, Roswell, GA 30075. The City's main phone is (770) 641-3727, and City Hall hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. City of Roswell: home page (footer)

Questions

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: City of Roswell