The Stalin Museum is built around the two-room house where Stalin was born. The slums around it have been cleared and replaced by a grand Soviet-era building housing photographs, correspondence, and personal belongings. Gifts from countries around the world are on display, and Stalin's private railway carriage sits in a pavilion outside.
The museum is an extraordinary piece of Soviet hagiography — it presents Stalin almost entirely without criticism. Whether that feels fascinating or disturbing depends on you. A guided tour is available and worth taking for the commentary alone. Most visitors come as a day trip from Tbilisi, about 80 km to the east.