THE HISTORIC GRIFFIN HOTEL

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/27/26

The Historic Griffin Hotel is a step back in time! The Historic Griffin Hotel in downtown Griffin, GA is only 40 minutes from downtown Atlanta, and is one part Griffin history, one part modern, one part supernatural! John and I spent a weekend exploring the small-town charm of Griffin from the comfort of this splendid location at the Griffin Hotel. The town and hotel have so much to offer.

The hotel’s grand entrance unfolds in front of you as you walk in with two story balconies. On top of that is the beautiful drop pendant lighting, stunning tin tile ceiling, and gorgeous 1900s design and decor. Every nook upstairs and down is dressed like you stepped back into the early 1900s. Think velvet chairs and couch areas that dot the mezzanine, paired with Tiffany lamps and 1900s touches. From upstairs, you can overlook the lobby, bar, and piano at the front. Out front of the hotel are pairs of rocking chairs for lazy nights and people watching as they stroll by. To the right of the entrance, the bar is inviting with beer, wine, and espresso wine martinis to enjoy and the staff is friendly and makes you feel right at home.

Up in the rooms are several floors of what feels like newly renovated rooms. Clean lines, chair rails in the hall lead to your room with modern touches and even a rotary phone for fun. The most striking feature of our room is the real red brick wall. It wrapped around the room and made it feel so modern. They had a large king bed, a sitting area with leather chair, as well as a large full-length mirror. In the bathroom is a beautiful shower and white vanity combo. And through your windows are views of downtown Griffin.

Down the hall on the main floor, the hotel also has a beautiful ballroom with chandeliers for all occasions. We happen to be there for an Ok Corral re-enactment that was performed in the ballroom. Why did we see this?

I grew up on Young Guns and Young Guns II and Keifer Southerland played the famous, Doc. Doc Holliday. Something I learned on this trip is that the famous gun slinger from Tombstone, AZ Ok Corral fame is from Griffin, GA! Yes, he is from this town and to celebrate they have a festival every year to commemorate him! They have re-enactments, a barbecue festival from pitmasters, and a whole makers market. Then, downtown they have a pub crawl and other fun activities to get into on the festival day.

Plus, as we mentioned earlier, the location is desirable with it being located right downtown. Bars, restaurants, breweries, shopping, the arts, and more are just around the corner in walking distance. It makes the exploring the small town easy. If you look down on the sidewalk, you will notice that Griffin has been used in so many movies, one of them Fried Green Tomatoes. Their plaque is down near the railroad tracks. You can explore the town and see what movies were filmed there and where!

Finally, it would be a great getaway for spooky season! Did we mention it is haunted? When we were coming to our room to get something, I was going to open the door when I heard a distinct faint whispering, “Hi!” I stopped and John looked frozen. There wasn’t anyone there.