If you want to know what life in various regions in Georgia was like, but don't have the time or money to actually go out to the individual regions to experience and learn their history, Tbilisi's ethnographic museum is a great option. Located on the Qustba st (it's the only road up to the Qustba lake in Tbilisi), this open air museum is a cool way to get a very direct view into life in old Georgia. The museum is relatively cheap (you can see the prices in the photo gallery), and it's a cool experience where you walk around in a calm park environment checking out the various houses from different regions in Georgia. You are free to walk inside any of the houses that have an open door where a guide for the house will meet you inside. You are not allowed to take photos within the houses (I got away with the wine creation house because the guide was very lax about it), but you are free to take pictures anywhere else. All the houses and artifacts are authentic and from families' village houses that donated their old homes to the museum. Each house has its own history and the guides even go into family history. Often times the houses have family artifacts as well, and all the houses are decorated with authentic style and artifacts for their region. Personally, it was a pretty cool experience because I got to visit the region houses of Imereti and Samegrelo (the regions of my mom's side and dad's side) and I got to see how my ancestors lived and the traditions they followed. Each region has their own little traditions and house style reflective of their environments, so it's cool seeing how different Georgia can be despite being so small. 

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   If you happen to be in Tbilisi in April or September, definitely call in ahead of time and see if you can make it to the museum's education center. They offer weekend classes on things such as traditional weaving, wood work, metalwork, and many more. From 1pm - 5pm you can even listen to Georgian folk songs and get an in depth look at how Georgian foods are made. It's open to any age group, and if you're in town for long enough to do enough of the classes, you can even get a certificate for finishing the program. If not however, you're more than welcome to stay just for a class. 

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   Overall, the Ethnographic museum is a great way to experience Georgian history in a microcosm. The Guides are all very knowledgeable, and the museum offers a lot of extra opportunities to learn about Georgia's history. Also, if you're there, be on the lookout for the museums unofficially-official adopted 19 years young cat.