georgia rural telephone museum

If you're interested in telephones, this is the place for you. This collection is very extensive and comprehensive. I found it quite informative and well worth a visit. There are old cars and other memorabelia there as well. They've done a quality job of displaying the collection.

We visited the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum as part of our SAM Shortline train ride. The museum is quite large with room after room of telephones and telephone related equipment. The museum also has a pipe organ and a decent size collection of older vehicles. Honestly I couldn't see paying admission to visit this museum but I'm sure there are people out there who would enjoy it. Keep in mind photography and touching the exhibits are not allowed at the museum. A guided tour or interactive exhibits would go a long way to make the museum more enjoyable.

I did not know there were so many different kinds of phones. Phones certainly have come along way since first invented.

The person in charge was not there and did not return from lunch. Someone for the phone company across the street had to unlock the door. She tried, but did not have much info about the different exhibits. We did call to make sure it was open. Dispite all of that, the museum was very interesting to visit.

The entire experience of visiting the Telephone Museum is like stepping back in time. The phone company across the street is privately held and the "museum collection" that was once held by the telephone company now is managed as a not for profit. The building housing the exhibits was once a cotton warehouse and smells of old wood and Grandma's attic. After the first 100 telephones, you may find yourself walking faster past those displays, but many of the explanations are really interesting (although some of the typed cards may be hard to read). In addition to the cars (mentioned in other reviews) and telephones, you will find various surprises best experienced on a rainy day when you have no place else you have to be. You could walk fast and spend an hour but allow about 3 hours to really soak up the delightful details. The restrooms and water fountains located in various parts of the museum makes it easier to keep meandering!

It's always awesome to find something really cool in an unexpected place. The Rural Telephone Museum is a gem, tucked away in the tiny SW Georgia town of Leslie. We stopped here while on a SAMS Shortline train ride. We did not take a guided tour, but that would have been fun and I'm sure educational. Just walking around the museum is amazing. Who knew there were so many phones! It's a great history lesson too. To think we've gone from huge switchboards to tiny microchips is amazing. My favorite part of the museum is just the randomness of it all. Head to the back and you'll find vintage cars, a wall displaying pay phones and an antique washing machine. I'm not sure what the nautical room or the Indian room have to do with phones, but I love it. This place is worth the detour.

I'm 61 and too young to remember this era, but through a loving devotion to their family business, which is still thriving today, this museum has been built over the years and serves as a beautiful reminder to a time when our world literally changed overnight. 100s and 100s of beautiful wooden phones adorn the walls as they did in our Parents and Grandparents homes "back in the day." This was their FaceBook and I imagine they were every bit amazed at it as were are of some of our gadgets today. Many aspects of telephone history from the trucks and poles and lines to the history that was created by this device is chronicled. Spend an hour or more here and once you leave you will wish you had stayed a little bit longer........A lot of effort has been put into this museum and it shows............CITIZENS TELEPHONE COMPANY, we thank you so much for providing this.........

Excellent Museum, BUT IT IS IN LESLIE, GEORGIA !! www.grtm.org.The worlds largest collection of antique telephones. Also, a great car collection. NOT TO BE MISSED. Call before you go as the times that are listed are not always accurate. We had to wait 30 + minutes for the person to return from lunch, and the sign on the door said that they would return at 1;00 PM .... we started the tour at almost 2 PM..

I often go to mainstream AND offbeat museums. This one goes into the offbeat category and I was in the area. This is the single worst museum I can remember visiting. There are a TON of phones on display from 1877 through the end of the 19th century and every phone is marked as to date and manufacturer. There is no clue as to the differences, the timeline of telephone history and development, or what led from one innovation to the next. There is also large old "plug type" operator units with, again, no clue as to when, why, or how they evolved.There is also one room of model ships with no indication of what it is doing there. There is also a large unmarked, unplayable, no signage pipe organ. Way in the back of this place are a bunch of cars from the 50's and 60's.I wish I'd saved my $6 and my 90 minutes of time. No value. I had no idea what I was looking at and it just didn't improve. Unless you are a phone collector and understand what you are looking at this is not a good stop.If this review is helpful to you then please click on the button below the review.