Just 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta is the charming, unincorporated village of Vinings, in Cobb County. Lying along the Chattahoochee River, Vinings has a charming small-town feel with a sophisticated suburban vibe. Beautiful homes, low taxes, good schools and an average year-round temperature of 65 degrees also combine to make Vinings a very attractive community. Housing options in Vinings vary widely, from condo townhomes to extravagant riverfront estates. And it's still inside the Perimeter!
Vinings is convenient to major retail meccas, such as Cumberland Mall, with anchors Macy's and Sears. It's flanked by Costco and is across the highway from the Cobb Galleria. Vinings Jubilee is an upscale outdoor shopping center not far from the corporate headquarters of The Home Depot. It was built to feature turn-of-the-century architecture in tribute to the area's past and became the symbolic heart and gathering place of Vinings.
Vinings can trace its history back to the 19th century. In the 1830s, it was the site of Hardy Pace's ferry, shuttling settlers across the Chattahoochee. Later, it became a construction site for a bridge on the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Because supplies were delivered so often to the architect, William H. Vining, at "Vining's station," his name took hold.
Vinings is proud of its heritage. The Vinings Historic Preservation Society (VHPS) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the spirit of Vinings and its historic structures and educates the public about local history.
One structure is the Pace House, a storied property built from what was left of Hardy Pace's 17-room antebellum mansion. General Sherman took the house as his headquarters as he planned the siege of Atlanta and the end of the Confederacy. Pace's son returned from the war to find the family home in ruins, and sometime between 1865 and 1874, he cobbled together a more modest dwelling. Today, the Pace House includes a catering kitchen and offers up Southern hospitality for weddings and other special events.
The Old Pavilion, dating from 1874, was originally an open-air shelter for railroad day trippers from Atlanta seeking river breezes, and now, it's another special venue for weddings and events.
The Yarbrough House was built in 1880 for Hardy Pace's granddaughter, Ella Pace Yarbrough, and stayed in the family for more than 100 years. It had a brief life as a teahouse and another as a restaurant, but was eventually donated to the Vinings Historic Preservation Society, which is restoring it.
Vinings is located near the Silver Comet Trail, which runs through Georgia to Alabama and Tennessee, and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which stretches for 48 miles along the river to Lake Lanier.
Of course, more important than a community's heritage and its natural setting is its access to desirable schools. Cobb County schools in Marietta that serve Vinings students include Sope Creek Elementary, East Side Elementary, Murdock Elementary, Mount Beth Elementary and Tritt Elementary; Dickerson Middle, Hightower Trail Middle, Dodgen Middle, Mabry Middle and Simpson Middle; George Walton Comprehensive High School and Lassiter High School.
In 2012, Walton High School was nationally recognized as a top school by both Newsweek magazine and U.S. News & World Report. It's also been named a Georgia School of Excellence and a National Blue Ribbon School and has received Advanced Placement State Scholars and Sieman's Science Awards. It was one of the first schools in Georgia to achieve Conversion Charter status.
Walton offers an Advanced Placement (AP) program, a STEM Academy and an International Spanish Academy.
For students at Lassiter, options include the Advanced Placement program and LHS STEM Academy with math, biomedical and engineering tracks. The STEM capstone internship gives students real-world experience with area businesses.
Private schools for Vinings students include Pace Academy, the Lovett School and the Westminster Schools.
In Smyrna, which lies next to Vinings, there is also Campbell High School. Campbell is an International Baccalaureate (IB) School, and junior and senior students may earn credits that allow them to enter college as sophomores. The IB curriculum emphasizes math, science and the humanities and requires proficiency in a language.
In 2013-2014, Campbell was also honored as an Advanced Placement (AP) Honor School in recognition of its increased access to rigorous coursework.