My trip is booked and tickets purchased for one of the exciting events of the year – at least for Poe lovers. Every year the Poe Museum in Richmond throws a huge party for the poet’s birthday. People come from all over to attend. In the beginning, staff and volunteers hosted the party for 24 hours. Let that sink in for a second. The curator told me they would bring mattresses or bedding and sleep on the floor in some of the buildings awaiting visitors. But, in the wee hours no one was visiting so they changed to a 12 hour format. I made it 6 1/2 hours on my first try, however, I flew in for the day and night and didn’t arrive in the city in enough time to stay the full length of the event. This year I am working with a strategy, including a trolley tour…
Gifts are bought, relatives are in town, and you’re in the mood to look at Christmas lights. But, you want it to be an easy – no major traffic or heavy expense – outing. There are great neighborhood displays around Atlanta that thrill visitors every year and often take donations for non-profits like Make A Wish foundation. A single family or multiple ones get together to decorate their yards and share the holiday spirit. Below are top ones around Atlanta and some of the surrounding suburbs. Source: Atlanta Parent Magazine2019 Best Neighborhood Christmas Lights Around Atlanta A Whole Lot of ChristmasFor more than 25 years, this family has been decorating their home to the extreme. Different sections of the yard include snowflake lane, Santa’s workshop, a working ferris wheel, a Disney section, cut-outs for pictures and more. Don’t forget to look in the backyard for an ocean-themed display! In 2012,…
Welcome to December. So far in Atlanta, Georgia it’s been a mixture of fall weather in the ’60’s to winter the past two days in the ’40’s. The south doesn’t always make its mind up about the weather! This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. John and I were lucky enough to travel down to Charleston, South Carolina for one night in late November. The Lowcountry as it’s called is one of my favorite places. I am from South Carolina and it feels like home. We stayed on King Street about two blocks from the city market. Before I travel, I like to research restaurants for all of our meals. And, I don’t mean look up a few. I deep dive into cross referencing places. I went to TripAdvisor first and pulled up top…
We love visiting Chattanooga, Tennessee. It’s a quick getaway from Atlanta and very affordable to stay. The city offers numerous festivals and events throughout the year along with beautiful Cooledge Park to play with kids that’s located beside the Tennessee river. There’s an incredible antique carousel in the park that all ages can ride and we’ve done so many times over the years and it’s only about $1.00 to ride!. Photo Credit: Alex McMahan Photography This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Our kids played for hours one hot summer day at the splash pad and fountains in the park. Connecting the park from the North Shore to downtown is the Walnut Street Bridge and it is one of my favorite places in the city. Photo Credit: Atlas Obscura site It is one of the world’s…
I rediscovered a post I’d forgotten as I’ve been researching spooky places and events for our Halloween page. I’d read about Atlanta’s Doll’s Head Trail and had heard about it from friends who love hiking. Tom, my youngest son, and I decided to check it out in early 2018. Photo Credit: UrbanAlice and Jennifer Graham The South River Brick Company has been closed for over 50 years and its days of making bricks from Georgia red clay are long gone, but its abandoned site has not gone unused. We found this little treasure of a place in East Atlanta this past February. I’d seen photos from friends and other hikers online and waited for a good day to explore it. When the land went unused, a collection of house hold items and trash began to accumulate. A local carpenter, Joel Slaton, envisioned the trail as a community art project using…
Oakland Cemetery’s Sunday in the Park Festival Located less than a mile from down town Atlanta, historic Oakland Cemetery is the city’s oldest and one of its largest green spaces. The cemetery began as a public burial ground in 1850 with 6 acres of land and was known as Atlanta Graveyard or City Burial Ground. With the onset of the Civil War, the grounds grew to 48 acres. It was renamed Oakland Cemetery in 1872 and families used to picnic and visit their loved ones buried on the grounds. Families and friends eventually moved away or became too busy and didn’t tend to the graves and the cemetery became neglected. In 1976, interested parties began reviving the public space, it was listed on the national register of historical places, and these volunteers formed the Historic Oakland Foundation (HOF). The foundation would take over the restoration and maintenance of the cemetery.…
In honor of World Cat Day (August 8th), we’re sharing an unique spot we found not long ago. I was reminded of the American Museum of the House Cat by a Facebook post on Henry’s House Feral Community’s page. They’d posted a link to an article on the museum by Atlas Obscura. This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, Poe in Wonderland will earn a small commission for the referral at no cost to you. Last fall Tom, Jack, and I headed to Asheville and Lake Lure for our school break. We enjoy taking our time and discovering places along our route to stop or note for future road trips. If you spend any time on our blog, you’ll quickly notice we love cats. We’ve volunteered at Furkids for over 11 years so long before the youngest son was born. About 45 minutes…
https://youtu.be/OvRYVNMnE7E This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, Poe in Wonderland will earn a small commission for the referral at no cost to you. Two weeks ago we drove to Rabun County, Georgia to hike the trails at Tallulah Gorge State Park to see some of the six waterfalls. It’s an easy drive from Atlanta and beautiful once you get up towards the park. Here’s a description of the park from Atlanta Trails. Tallulah Gorge State Park is one of Georgia’s most stunning and popular hiking destinations, and indisputably one of the most scenic of Georgia’s State Parks. The turbulent flow of the Tallulah River carved this enormous, steep-walled gash in North Georgia’s Rabun County. The gorge stretches an astonishing two miles long and dives 1000 feet deep. Deep inside Tallulah Gorge, the river cascades over enormous rock outcrops, creating Tallulah Falls, a stunning…
This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Atlanta, GeorgianThe Georgian Terrace HotelOne of our favorite places to stay in Georgia. This modern classic hotel was built in 1911, and stands on a famous corner in Atlanta on Peachtree Street. Located across from the Fox Theatre, it’s seen a great deal of history in Midtown. A luxury hotel that regularly hosts weddings and important public events where you can stay in a fabulous suite with city views. They even allow for dogs and what luxury hotel does this? We try to stay at least once a year, especially at Christmas with its beautifully decorated lobby. Credit: Georgia Terrace Hotel Credit: The Georgia Terrace Hotel Savannah, Georgia The Planters Inn on Reynolds Square 200 room boutique hotel in the historic district. Ideal for a couple’s stay…
Thinking of spending time in the oldest city in Georgia? We recently spent a three day weekend there and learned about the city in 3 different and fun ways. Here are our recommendations below. [envira-gallery id=’1275′] Free Savannah Tours While in Savannah we took 3 very different tours. We’re more seasoned than first-time tourists, but we like to learn about the city each time. TripAdvisor is my go-to site whenever I want to find out recommendations on places to go when I’m there not just pre-planning for a trip. So, I looked up walking tours around the historical district and found Free Savannah Tours. The name captures your interest with the word “free” and they do indeed live up to their name. They take you on a tour without any surcharges or booking fees and at the conclusion, you pay them via gratuities. They are confident in their ability to…