One tank trip: Cartersville, Ga.

Although Cartersville seems like a suburb in the far northwestern reaches of Atlanta, in reality it’s a world away. Even the Cartersville/Bartow County Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site’s name reflects this — www.notatlanta.org.

No longer the railroad boomtown, nor the sleepy backwater it once was, Cartersville is well worth a visit.

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Lisa Lowe Stauffer / AJC Special

The Etowah Indian Mounds are what remains of a civilization that vanished about the time the first European explorers came through the hills of what became North Georgia.

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Lisa Lowe Stauffer / AJC Special

Antique shops, boutiques and good places to eat fill the renovated buildings of downtown Cartersville, a former railroad boomtown that proudly claims to be ‘not Atlanta.’

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Booth Western Art Museum

Each room in the Booth Western Art Museum is organized around a theme. The museum also has an interactive gallery for children, which includes videos of old Western television shows.

Booth Museum of Western Art

Booth Museum: New black art exhibit

Booth photo gallery

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• Downtown Cartersville’s renovated historic buildings are full of antique shops, boutiques and good places to dine. For W.J. Gordy Pottery, stop by Cartersville Antique Gallery (9 E. Main St., 770-607-8040). Try Psycho Sisters (17 E. Main St., 770-607-0888) for trendy consignment clothing. And for cigar fans, there’s Wall Street Cigar Co. (10 S. Wall St., 678-721-5909). For maps and information, stop by the Visitor’s Center in the old train depot in the center of town.

• Etowah Indian Mounds were home to thousands of Native Americans (Mississippian Culture) between 1000 and 1550 A.D. Today this 54-acre site includes wide open grassy fields. Steps lead to the top of the largest mounds for a view across the park and beyond. The Visitor’s Center has artifacts from excavations and a short video about the Southeastern Indians. In summer 2008, volunteers constructed a wattle-and-daub house using an authentic Etowah floor plan.

813 Indian Mounds Road, $2.50, 770-387-3747, gastateparks.org/info/etowah.

• Booth Western Art Museum focuses on art of the American West, with smaller collections of presidential and Civil War materials, as well as movie posters for old Westerns. But the best part is downstairs — Sagebrush Ranch, an interactive gallery for children. Adventures include a simulated stagecoach ride, a Tall Tales Barn with videos of old Western TV shows, dress-up clothes, a chuck wagon, bunkhouse and more.

501 Museum Drive, $5-$8, Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m. 770-387-1300, www.boothmuseum.org.

• The Bartow History Center is a small museum, but its exhibits are filled with interesting antique items. From its alien-looking 1930s electric apparatus used to perm women’s hair to original radio broadcasts from World War II, it’s a kid-friendly place.

13 W. Wall St. until early 2009, when it moves to the old courthouse on Church Street. $2-3. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday

10 a.m.-8 p.m. 770-382-3818, www.bartowhistorycenter.org/index.html.

• Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum is scheduled to open Jan. 12. Its 120,000 square feet will be filled with exhibits on minerals, fossils, transportation and technology. Hands-on science experiments and a digital planetarium will add to the fun.

100 Tellus Museum Drive, 770-386-0576, www.tellusmuseum.org.

• Red Top Mountain State Park and Lodge features 12,000-acre Lake Allatoona. Swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, camping and cottage rentals are available. For history buffs, there’s also a reconstructed 1860s log cabin.

50 Lodge Road, $3, daily 7 a.m.-10 p.m., 770-975-4226, gastateparks.org/info/redtop.

HOW TO GET THERE

From Atlanta, take I-75 north to Exit 288. Go south on Ga. 113 to the center of town.

IF YOU GO

WHERE TO SLEEP

Lake Allatoona Inn Bed & Breakfast. This horse-friendly, historic inn built in 1893 has three guest rooms for humans ($99-$150). Owner Lynn Smith’s next renovation project is a building that was the first post office and general store in Bartow County. 632 Old Allatoona Road, 770-943-0171,

WHERE TO EAT

Swheat Market Deli. Three local farms supply organic produce for Swheat’s gourmet soups, sandwiches and salads. Desserts are made fresh daily, too. $3-$8. Children’s menu, $4. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 5 E. Main St., 770-607-0067, www.swheatmarket.com.

Appalachian Grill. The menu features steaks, trout, sandwiches and daily specials. Try the peach curry with shrimp and chicken. Lunch $9-$13, dinner entrees $9-$22. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-

10 p.m.; Saturday 5-10 p.m. 14 E. Church St., 770-607-5357.

Cartersville-Bartow County Visitor Information Center is located inside the historic railroad depot at One Friendship Plaza. 770-387-1357, www.notatlanta.org.