The Trolley Barn Reviews

Great venue that is close to downtown but also has the out of town feel. Classy and historic

We got married here on 11/23/19 and even though it rained changed out outdoor ceremony to indoor it still worked perfectly. Lisa was always easy to get in touch with and was very accommodating with our wedding coordinator.

The Trolley Barn was the perfect venue for my reception! Such a beautiful space and very helpful!! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a wedding venue in Atlanta!!

We had a great time at the trolley barn! Lisa, the director, was very responsive about our event date and accommodations. She was very flexible as well. They allow for BYOB, so we had to drop off our alcohol along with other things the day prior and she was totally fine with that. The back area for the ceremony and cocktail hour was also super pretty!

I recommend the Trolley Barn all the time to other nonprofits. The venue is beautiful, guests always love it and the staff is great to work with.

I was so thrilled I went with The Trolley Barn for my wedding. I loved that the venue was decorated for Christmas, including a Christmas tree and wreaths on all of the windows. The staff was very helpful during the entire process and everyone came up to me during the wedding and afterwards telling me that the venue was absolutely beautiful. If you're looking for a unique venue in the city of Atlanta, this is your venue!

We had a small, intimate ceremony at the Trolley Barn and Lisa and her team were outstanding. Not only is it a beautiful venue, with indoor and outdoor space, it felt very intimate and private. We also enjoyed that there was parking on premises for our family and that we could do everything right there. It was fabulous for pictures as well. The gardens are stunning, and the green barn makes for a lovely backdrop. And if you are a dog lover like us, your furry friend can be a part of your day. If you are thinking about hosting your wedding or event at Trolley Barn- DO IT- you will be so happy!

The Trolley Barn was the perfect place to host our wedding. Great outdoor and indoor spaces, beautiful and historic grounds, easy to get to from all over town. Lisa was very supportive and flexible, as we had to postpone once due to the pandemic. It was so nice that we felt supported during that very uncertain and scary time. Our guests are still raving about how beautiful everything was, and the pictures turned out amazing.

One thing I really appreciate the most about The Trolley Barn is that it comes with so many different types of tables and chairs. We used a lot of what they provided (which saved a ton of money), but dressed up a few other aspects that we wanted to splurge on (like rectangular tables for dinner and black chairs for the ceremony and dinner).

Highly recommend you consider this historic venue to give your guests a taste of a time gone by in the middle of the city!

This venue was exactly what we hoped for! We had both the ceremony and reception within the space and guests enjoyed the patio space for a cocktail hour while the venue transformed for the reception. The location was perfect and easy to get to. The historic feel to the Trolley Barn is beautifully maintained and made for incredible photos. I highly recommend this venue!!

My husband and I got married in October at The Trolley Barn. We chose the Trolley Barn because it fit our personalities so well and was a reasonable price for a venue in the middle of Atlanta. Our coordinator, Lisa, is also part of the Trolley Barn staff and she made the planning and the day of go perfectly. We lucked out and had beautiful weather which made the patio area very enjoyable for us and our guests that day. We were really pleased with our wedding and how everything came out!

Good value and convenient to home.

Jan was a pleasure to work with. She answered all of our questions and was very clear about what was included in the contract.

Great local venue. They are flexible on the vendors you can use and responded quickly on any questions we had.

I was nervous picking the Trolley Barn because of some negative feedback on the internet, but we had absolutely no issues with the space. We followed the rules and, in turn, got a wonderful historic venue in our neighborhood with flexibility in vendors that saved us a ton of money. Linda was a pleasure to work with, and we had zero hassles along the way. They were there for our rehearsal, no problem, and we were able to drop stuff off the night before to make for a more relaxed day. All of our vendors had worked there before and only had positive things to say. Most importantly, everyone loved the Trolley Barn. It is such a cool venue 2 blocks from public transportation.

We loved having our wedding at the Trolley Barn! It's a beautiful venue! Linda was great to work with. We were able to have our rehearsal the day before and someone was there early to let us in. However, we asked if we could have an extra hour for the rehearsal to practice setting up the music, and they said it would be $100 (they are strict with the 1 hour rehearsal!). But other than that - it was a perfect place to get married and I wouldn't have done it anywhere else!
Also - I wasn't sure about this from the website, but you can seat people on the mezzanine during the reception.
I would definitely recommend getting married at the Trolley Barn!

We loved having our wedding at The Trolley Barn! We had our ceremony and cocktail hour outside in the garden area, and then our reception inside. I loved having the whole property to ourselves. They were very accommodating when we needed to add an extra hour last minute as well. We also accidentally left some of our leftover cake and they kept it for us. For those worried about sound issues- we had a live 6 piece band without any issues at all!

The venue is beautiful. We also chose it based on its location, BYOB, and the ability to choose our caterer. We thought the price tag was a little high once we found out all of the additional costs. They also have a lot of rules because it is a historic venue and in a neighborhood. Overall we were very happy there, it was just a little more expensive than we had originally thought.

The Trolley Barn was the perfect venue for our April wedding! We were looking for a place that provided the flexibility for us to bring in vendors of our choosing. It has a lovely rustic feel, with a beautiful backyard garden and patio, where we had our ceremony. There is also an awesome shed outside which we used as an outdoor bar. The planted flowers and colorful shrubs were in bloom just in time. Linda (one of the managers) was very helpful and polite in answering our questions. Unfortunately the venue is pretty pricey for providing nothing but the space (tables and chairs are available at an extra cost- still cheaper than a rental company) and a 1 hr rehearsal time. The nice thing is that they only book one event per day, and you can split up your allotted time and use some of it for prep in the morning. We had our event on a Saturday, and they were open that morning anyway and allowed us to bring some of our stuff by and set up a few quick things, free of charge. There are a ton of rules and regulations when you read the contract, but in the end nothing really stifled us. The Trolley Barn is a historic site so they must keep it in nice shape, which was great for our wedding. In addition to cleaning the inside of the facility the morning of our event, they even got out in the backyard with a hose and washed away the pollen for us. The venue felt very intimate, perfectly sized for a group of 120. The surrounding neighborhood (Inman Park) is also beautiful, with large victorian homes. I would definitely recommend the trolley barn to anyone looking to host a laid back, but intimate event.

This is an excellent space for a wedding ceremony and reception. The outdoor space is very quaint and exactly what we were looking for. There is an outdoor bar as well, which is super convenient. Linda is wonderful to work with as well. This is a prominent venue that most vendors are familiar with.

The Trolley Barn is a unique and rustic venue in Atlanta, GA that makes the perfect setting for any wedding. My husband and I had talked for a long time about getting married there, so we didn't even consider anything else when we decided to finally tie the knot. The staff are great to work with, and while they do have some guidelines for the venue they ask you to adhere to, it was no problem for us and we had a lovely ceremony and reception. The backyard patio was gorgeous during the golden hours of the evening, and interior of the barn was perfect for our reception (140 guests) with everyone fitting comfortably. If you're getting married in Atlanta, you definitely should check out the Trolley Barn!

The Trolley Barn is really a beautiful place to have your wedding. I do recommend it if you are looking for a setting with indoor and outdoor venue with a rustic feel. Our ceremony was outdoors in their beautiful garden, and the reception was in the historic building. They have an outdoor bar, which was a great transition spot for the guests to drink their cocktails while waiting to get inside. The space itself is beautiful, and represents well in your pictures. There are tons of great places onsite and nearby for pictures. They have a real kitchen, which is great for your caterer. I don't think I would get married anywhere else in Atlanta.

Working with them:
Linda, was very easy to work with. She answered all of my emails quickly, and was very accommodating. They have a lot of restrictions but you can easily work around them. For example, you can not hang or fasten anything to the beams, no fireworks, nothing heavy may be set up on the grass, and they have strict set up and breakdown hours. Their bathrooms could use an update - and is not a picturesque spot to get dressed in your gown.

All that said - we loved it.

This is a historical venue, so certain options with decor and logistics are limited, but it is SO worth it. The place is stunning, both inside and out; and having the outdoors ceremony 10 feet from the inside reception makes thing so easy on both wedding party and guests. The staff do an amazing job keeping up the ceremony patio. Our wedding was the week before spring and even though not everything had naturally bloomed yet, the had potted plants and lush perennials out to make it feel much warmer than it was. They allow you to bring your own caters and alcohol and provide affordable chair/table rentals. They are easy to work with as long as you respect their rules. It was such a gorgeous venue and everything we hoped for and more.

Beautiful venue, very flexible with catering and alcohol which is excellent for a unique and reasonably priced wedding. The rules about sound and decoration, as well as the length of time you get the facility, can be a little challenging but aren't impossible. Very friendly and supportive staff which made everything that much more pleasant. I think this is a good venue for those who aren't overly picky about details and just want a pretty, indoor/outdoor venue (love that fact---part of why we chose it) with character.

The trolley barn was a great location for our wedding. They don't have a liquor license, so we were able to provide an open bar for a reasonable price. I liked the fact that I had to put together the pieces of the wedding because they don't have anyone "in house" that does event coordination, but that might make other people nervous. The building itself is beautiful and well maintained. The outdoor area is very nice, but if you have children as guests, they aren't allowed to play on the grass. The venue is located in a primarily residential neighborhood and because of this they have a very strict noise policy - they will fine you if you play music loud enough to get the party going :). We knew this going in and just budgeted for the fine from the get-go.

The Trolley Barn was exactly what we were looking for in a wedding venue. It is unique and historic, and really fit our character as a couple. It is located in the heart of beautiful and quaint Inman Park, and is convenient from the airport, sightseeing, and many hotels. They are not flexible and you really have to work within their strict time frame the day of the event - however, this is because they are run by volunteers. Linda was very responsive, friendly, and was as accommodating as possible. They have noise restrictions (the Trolley Barn is in a neighborhood) and I worried about being too loud and losing our deposit, but it was easy enough for our DJ to keep the music at a fun but reasonable level and it wasn't an issue at all. I also worried about the reviews below regarding the unprofessional employee, but he's long gone and everyone was nothing but professional. I think the rental fee is a bit ridiculous considering that all you get is the building for 8 hours (tables and chairs are charged separately), however, everything in the wedding industry is insanely expensive and this was just one more thing. Also, you can choose your own vendors and bring your own alcohol, and this helped our budget out tremendously!

As long as you are prepared to follow the Trolley Barn's rules and time frame, it really is a perfect wedding venue. Our wedding day was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing!

The trolley barn has its pros and cons. They have a sound limit, it comes with someone to gauge the sound on the day of. They have a lot of rules and restrictions. We were told the day before my wedding that we couldn’t use sparklers, I had to show them in my contract where it said it was allowed, then they allowed us to use them. The venue is pretty much a blank canvas to do what you want, but it is more expensive to decorate a blank canvas, but you can rent the furniture from them. All in all it turned out great having our reception here after we got married at Inman Park UMC, but it was expensive and you only get thto venue for 8 hours including when you start decorating.

We had a large wedding at the Trolley Barn in Aug 2016. We were mostly pleased with our experience, until recently when the venue decided to keep over half of our deposit over a bogus noise violation (confirmed as bogus by both the coordinators and DJ) and lied about the venue closing late.

Pros: It's a beautiful venue that requires little decoration. Our pictures were gorgeous. The space is fun and the bridal suite is lovely. Our guests had a great time. The staff was responsive throughout the year and was very patient in answering all of my questions. Both my husband and I live out of town so most of our communication was by email.

Cons: You have to rent all tables, chairs, get your own toss-ware, silverware, etc. So eventually the cost does add up. The main reason we will NOT recommend this place to anyone is because they are incredibly strict, inflexible on timing, and most importantly crooks when it comes to the security deposit. We arrived at the venue 20 minutes early for pictures and we had to beg them to let us in to put away our things and so a pregnant bridesmaid can use the restroom.

If it is in your budget to spend an extra $1000 and you don't mind losing a significant portion of your deposit, you will likely have a wonderful experience with this venue. But if you respect professionalism and honesty, I suggest you stay away from this venue. Our two coordinators and four other witness confirmed that the venue was cleared 15 minutes before close time, but yet they charged us for closing late.

There're a lot of other venues. Don't risk it with this one.

I do not recommend the Trolley Barn for your event. Things went smoothly up until the day before my wedding. We were supposed to have a rehearsal from 6:00 until 7:00. I arrive at 6:00 along with my wedding party and Day of Event Coordinator. The staff member from the Trolley Barn was not there. We waited and called the only number they gave me, which is the office phone. The problem is they are only open from 10:00 a.m to 1 p.m. so I knew when I called that no one would answer. They never gave us an alternate number so we had no way to get in touch with the director and let her know the person didn't show up! After waiting for 30 min, we had no choice but to practice the ceremony procession in the parking lot!! Another problem was one of my bridesmaids who did all of my flowers had centerpieces that she needed to put inside that night because she would be doing hair and pictures with me the next day and had no time to bring all of the decor to the Trolley Barn the day of the wedding. Finally at 6:50, when we were about to leave to go to our rehearsal dinner, the man shows up and he SMELLED LIKE ALCOHOL!!! This was so unprofessional. We rushed to get all of the flowers inside and head out so we weren't late to our rehearsal dinner. This is not the kind of stress you want the night before your wedding! Because we did not practice the ceremony outside on the patio where it took place, it did affect the ceremony. My bridesmaids stood in the grass which was very wet and soft so their heels were sinking in the mud. I would have had them stand on the patio if we knew this. My maid of honor was futher away from me than I thought she would be so I was not able to hand my flowers to her like we had practiced. If we had practiced the ceremony where it took place, rather than the parking lot, this would not have happened. I am extremely disappointed with the Trolley Barn.

This venue is nice, but the people who run it are awful. They cut our wedding short, were given proof that their event manager shut our wedding down earlier then the agreed upon time, and never sent compensation. They essentially stole time and money from us on a very special night.

If you're looking for the perfect place to ruin the ending of one of the most special days of your life, this is it. All occurrences mentioned in my review are factual and serve to provide information for other couples looking to book The Trolley Barn as their wedding venue. All occurrences mentioned in my review can be verified by vendors present at my event, to include the caterer, DJ, photographer, and majority of the 120 – 130 guests present.
At 9pm on 8/31/19, the evening of our wedding, my husband was fighting a losing battle trying to get either the exterior string lights on (or lighting in general on), because the entire 2,500 sf courtyard was pitch black. He had attempted to find the Trolley Barns appointed “Event Manager” several times. We still do not know her name- she had not spoken to or introduced herself to us up to this point, at either the rehearsal the day before or the 3 hours prior to the wedding. The office was empty on 3 different occasions he attempted, and she could not be located. He was told afterwards by his stepmother, who was in and out keeping a 2-year-old niece entertained, that she (the Event Manager) spent the majority of the evening outside talking to the onsite security officer.

After giving up on trying to find the Event Manager and spending roughly half an hour of our reception trying to figure out how to light the courtyard so our guests did not have to stand in the dark, my husband began getting goodbyes from several family members and friends, who he assumed were leaving early for personal reasons. I could not find him at this time. I was scrambling to track him down because, inside, all of the house lights had been turned on, and our DJ had been directed by the Trolley Barns Event Manager to announce that everyone had to leave. This announcement was made at 9pm, an hour earlier then the end time agreed upon. Neither the bride nor the groom were approached about this, despite being present and easy to spot for some time leading up to this. Per the contract, catering cleanup was to commence at 9:30pm, which should have had no effect on the time that our guests were pushed out. Additionally, as stated in the agreement, if the event were to run over, the Lessee would have the option to pay for overtime. We were supposed to cut the cake at 9pm, but instead found that all of our guests were suddenly leaving due to the Event Managers announcement and loud hassling for all of our guests to “get out”. Again, this was at was 9pm, an hour earlier then what we agreed upon and paid thousands of dollars for.

My husband and I then announced to a confused and thinning crowd, that we would be cutting the cake, because our DJ was packing his equipment as directed by staff. At this point my husband pieced together what was going on, and began asking our own wedding guests if they knew who the Trolley Barn employee on staff was. After a few tries someone from the catering staff pointed her out, and he then asked her why she was shutting the venue down early. She stated that it was time for everyone to leave, per the paperwork she was given. He told her we would pay, despite whatever confusion might have occurred, as this was a once in a lifetime event that we had already spent thousands of dollars on. He then had to rush back to cut the cake. As he was walking back to me and the cake table, she continued ushering our guests out. I was surprised by this, as my husband has a very sweet demeanor, and is able to come to a reasonable understanding with essentially anyone. The event manager continued directing our catering company to pack up. So we did not have a knife to cut the cake with (until a relative found one) and I believe our guests were not even able to eat the cake because plates and forks were packed up. Trying to swell back tears, I scooped the cake with my hands and put on a smile. Immediately after, we were walking to gather our belongings to be sent off. This was a relief after the confusion and embarrassment that had just occurred. The Event Manager proceeded to follow me to the bridal room (where I was gathering my belongings) and told me to pull my car up to load things in to. I was very confused and figured this must have been per the request of my husband or mother? Who else would tell the bride to go pull her car up?
Nevertheless, I blew past guests attempting to say goodbye (to whom I still owe apologies to) and pulled my vehicle up. We were loading what we could ourselves, under much pressure. Our guests that had not yet left had no idea what was going on, and frankly we did not have the time or wherewithal to tell them as were so caught off guard. We were scheduled to have an official send off and had arranged with a select few guests to oversee clean up, but more than half of these people were told to leave without our knowledge or presence, including all of our groomsmen. Nevertheless, the remaining people pulled together to help us as best they could. We, along with our remaining 20 or so guests, hustled as fast as we could to load belongings into any random vehicle available. 3 weeks later and I’m still trying to figure out who has what from the wedding. My mother then assembled the remaining 1/4 of our guests to do a mock send-off for us. As soon as we got into my husbands truck to drive away, I burst into tears sobbing.

The following day, my mother spoke with The Trolley Barns Executive Director, Lisa Milko. My mothers demeanor, despite having strong feelings about what had occurred, was very calm, nice, and informative. After explaining what occurred, she stated that she would like to have a portion of the event venue fee refunded back. The Executive Director asked my mother to email the amount that she would like to have sent back in an email. My mother requested half of the event venue fee back, excluding the $1,000 security deposit and $300 security officer fee.

After returning from my honeymoon, I was shocked to read the Directors response to my mother. Not only was she denying the requested compensation, or the actions of her Event Manager, she stated that she was keeping out $1,000 deposit. She stated that she was keeping our deposit because 1. The caterer that we ended up using was not the caterer that we initially wanted to use. We made The Trolley Barn aware that we were not using the initial caterer upon doing a walk-through of the premises. Apparently, the staff does not communicate with one another, and the customer is penalized for that. 2. The venue was left dirty. This is completely false. The Event Manager walked the premises with the caterer and approved all areas. The caterer went over and beyond- sweeping the entire premises and moping the kitchen and foyer. 3. The Director sent pictures of an area behind the refrigerator with debris to include a clear cup, black linen napkin, and Dasani water bottle. I believe this photo was sent to me in error, because in another photo, the Director included a picture of the exact same area, with all identifiable items hidden. I exclaimed to the director that our linen napkins were dark teal, not black. Our cups had a gold lining, they were not clear. Our water bottles were Kroger brand, purchased by my aunt who works for corporate Kroger, they were not Dasani. It was disheartening to learn that the Director, Lisa Milko, was going so far as to stage photos from other events in attempt to retain money owed for my event. I even sent time stamped photos from the photographer showing house lights on at 9pm, and the pitch black courtyard, to which she failed to ever address.

We received our deposit back (rightfully so), but that was it. We never received compensation for the time we paid for, an apology, or acknowledgement from The Trolley Barn regarding their staffs behavior the night of our event. This was after corresponding with the Executive Director and after attempting to contact the Board Members. After seeing how the Executive Director, Lisa Milko, attempted to stage photos of the venue after our event, I’m not sure that the Executive Director even gave me the correct information for the Board Members, as I was given names different then those provided from a neighbor, and never heard anything from her contacts. Their response was both dismissive and distasteful. I picked this venue because I live locally (within 5 minutes of The Trolley Barn) and love supporting businesses within my community. Unfortunately, myself along with all of my guests no longer support the use of the venue. Our DJ and caterer confirmed that this is not out-of-the-norm behavior for this vendor, and that they have a poor reputation for doing things like this. If you are looking to book a venue to host your special night, I urge you to avoid these people and look elsewhere, as I wish we had done.

Similar to another reviewer on this site, we had issues with the same drunk employee (supposed board member) of the Trolley Barn. He lives across the street and in the middle of our cocktail reception he came over and got in the face of the guitar player. He then unplugged the small amp he was using and proceeded to yell at the musician. The incident was settled by the cops and they kept him off the property the rest of the wedding. We did receive a sort of letter of apology from the Trolley Barn.
They are very strict on the volume during the reception and it must be below 90 decibels. Google 90 decibels, it's not much. So if you plan to have an actual party at your reception, be prepared to be harassed by their staff the entire time and lose your deposit.
While the venue is beautiful, in the end it is more expensive because you have to supply everything.