Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

980 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30306, USA

Address:	980 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30306, USA
Phone:	+1 404-872-5338
Site:	callanwolde.org
Rating:	4
Working:	9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–8PM 9AM–2PM 10AM–12PM 9AM–12PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

EJ Johnson

I recently attended a wedding at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. The center is beautiful and upon arrival, most of the staff was amicable and friendly. At this particular wedding ceremony, the center provided white folding chairs. Some of the chairs had been painted and the paint was tacky to the touch. I had not noticed this beforehand and was sitting for more than an hour in wet paint. When I stood, I felt the fabric on my skirt sticking to the cushion. As I peeled my skirt away from the seat, I was left with multiple streaky stains of white paint across my bottom. I was beyond livid! Being that this was a wedding, I was formally dressed and the skirt cost a pretty penny. The staff on-hand seemed generally unsympathetic to the issue. They took everyones name but no contact information. They didnt even set the wet chairs aside when they pushed them into the next room for the reception. I spoke with the main coordinator, Jade, who seemed bothered when I asked her name and contact information to follow up. She never once apologized and acted as if I was annoying her for being concerned about my ruined skirt. I left the event early to keep from sitting, once again, in wet paint (since they reused the same affected chairs). I plan to speak with someone a bit more professional in the main office as soon as it reopens for business, but I am beyond dissatisfied. For such a classy venue, I was appalled at the lack of care and compassion the staff showed the guests. I wonder how future guests will feel, knowing that this center would allow carelessness (wet painted chairs on the day of the wedding) and callous disregard for complainants. I will not soon attend another event here. **UPDATE** It has been nearly a month since the paint incident and the only resolution that the Director (Peggy Johnson) had to offer is that I drive 25 miles out of my way to leave my formal skirt with her assistant to have it cleaned. I explained that it was not feasible for me to make that trip (and certainly inconvenient) and even mentioned that the woman, "Jade" that I spoke to on the day of the incident indicated that there would be a different means of fixing our issue. I have not since heard a word from any member of the Callanwolde staff and am completely dissatisfied. Be wary that if you host an event here, that you and your guests may be victim to the same. The venue provided seats that were painted and not dry the day of the event. Several guests walked away with paint on their clothing. Nothing has been done to settle this matter.

Phaedra Whatley

The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is a beautiful venue for weddings and events, it practically sells itself. However, the venue’s staff take it to the next level. One person who absolutely stands out is Caitin King, she was an absolute pleasure to work with. My success as a wedding coordinator, is often times dictated by the responsiveness of the venue staff. Caitlin made it easy to form a partnership and work through the details to make the wedding with 180 guests a success. It is inevitable that some circumstances may require you to change some details at the last minute, whether it is scheduling the rehearsal, switching up table set up, etc…, however it was sooo easy to accommodate the bride and groom’s changes as Caitlin stepped up to the plate each time with no fuss. She has excellent follow-through and is a problem-solver. She understands the importance of creating the perfect wedding day which includes the overall experience leading up to it! She is about creating a low stress situation and sharing lessons learned or observations from other weddings to help the bride and groom make informed decisions. Don’t let her baby face fool you either, she is a professional who really knows her stuff! I really look forward to working with Caitlin and team in the future.

Jess T

I was so excited to visit the callanwolde mansion but right as I walked through the door my experience started off sour. I was greated by the unprofessional, unkempt looking woman at the desk (Bobbie behana) I bought 4 tickets with my fiancé on Groupon for the tour and light show But apparently this employee, Bobbie, didnt like how her front gate worker redeemed my Groupon, she said "she guessed we could come in"? As if Im not a paying customer like anyone else. Then she proceeded to stare at me and make me uncomfortable throughout my stay. The outdoor light show is very bland and lacks the millions of lights and shows theyre claiming online,( and this one big led tree is cool but thats literally all they have is one big tree with some lights around the rest of the grounds for 20$) Beautiful mansion but lacks the same charm throughout its staff and grounds. Also they dont follow the times and schedules they show online, creating theyre own times for opening and closing of events. Extremely disappointed and after reading the owners responces to customers on theyre reviews I can tell they just have sloppy management. I Will not be making this a holiday tradition.

Kathy Thompson

We are a full-service event planning company in Atlanta that planned a wedding for our clients at Callanwolde. From the minute we met with the staff at Callanwolde we knew we were in good hands! Every staff member we met with or had contact with was always helpful and knowledgeable. Caitlin King, asst. GM was amazing to work with as our main contact - she was always responsive and so helpful. The day of the wedding they were filming a movie on-site. The GM, Mike Rice and his team did an outstanding job as promised to have the venue ready and on-time for the ceremony that day. We would recommend this gorgeous venue not just because of the beauty but because of the staff! Many thanks to Callanwolde for making Rick & Nicoles wedding day "the best day ever"!

Cory Guthrie

This review is in reference to the chrismas lights show only. For other events, Im sure the property is fine. Ok, the lights that *were* lit were pretty. The Christmas tree was the highlight. However, there were at least three areas in which the lights were not on. The display is pitifully small for what you pay to get in. If you pay more than $5, youre being ripped off. There was nobody and no snow as advertised in the kids area, there was a snowglobe with nothing in it. Now, admittedly, I went before thanksgiving. Maybe theyll ramp it up later, I dont know. But as it was, it was not worth the gas to get there. Ive seen better displays put on by farmers in Indiana. Go somewhere else is my advice

Victoria Emily-bapp

I love this venue...from the grounds to the elegant bones of the main mansion BUT today I found something new to love. Their names are Miss Bobbie Behanna and Ambrocio Olivares. CFACS team has always been helpful and professional but today they were amazing. The ten little minutes that they took to help me has changed to course of my day! I was stressed and running behind with drop offs for multiple venues for multiple events...with a bum knee!!! I wasnt sure how I was going to get back on schedule. The receptionist saw the overwhelmed look on my face and immediately called for the Facility Day Manager. He showed up with a smile and helped me unload the equipment. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!!!