54 Perfect Day Trips from Atlanta

Discover 200 years of pottery at the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia

Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore

Northeast Georgia families have been making pottery for two centuries. In the early 1800s, they started making face jugs, an art form that originated with enslaved African Americans and which Georgia potters likely adapted to diversify their business in utilitarian jars and churns. The containers were often used to store alcohol, so the uglier the face, the more likely it would scare off children. The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, located in the charming community of Sautee-Nacoochee, is one of the world’s only museums dedicated to folk pottery. It’s especially fun to visit during the annual pottery sale September 1.