Explore some worthy spots in Virginia-Highland with my interactive map! Everything is walking distance so leave your gas-guzzler behind!
Category Archives: Bored?
Mapping out Valentine’s Day in Virginia-Highland
The walls are alive with the art of many
Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival
2013 was the first year that the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces came to the Old Fourth Ward, deciding that the neighborhood needed a special way to celebrate its sense of community. The resulting affair was the two-day Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival.
But with the sense of pride the neighborhood evokes for the event, the amazing turnout, and the sheer number of exhibitors and entertainers they’ve attracted, naturally they’re returning for 2014. And you’d never guess that this was a brand-new endeavor less than a year ago.
Yes, the word “arts” is in the festival’s title—and there’s certainly plenty of that. Local artisans (more than 60 of them) who specialize in everything from painting to glass blowing to metal crafting got their chance to shine at the 2013 festival, and more than that number are already registered for 2014: three months before the event. And the ranges of these artists encompass the range of the region as a whole. Some are literal, some are abstract, some are meta, some are wearable, some are juvenile.
To check out some examples, visit this page.
And in addition to the visual arts, the #O4WArtsFestival (yes, that’s their hashtag) hosts a myriad of entertainers. “Local musicians only, please,” the event’s official website reads. Seriously. Other organizations from the area that have turned up at the event include Angels Among Us Pet Rescue (that means PUPPIES) and restaurant booths representing all the awesome places in the O4W (that’s both food trucks and the classic brick-and-mortars of the area).
June 29-30, 2014.
No panic at The Tabernacle: historic venue down but not out
The Tabernacle is making Atlanta news headlines after the concert hall’s floor collapsed during a sold-out January concert. An Atlanta fire marshal evacuated the hall, ushering out hundreds of Panic at the Disco! fans. To the disappointment of concertgoers and scheduled artists, the venue remains temporarily closed until further inspection. However, this historic grande dame has gone through many ups and down and has always come back to enrich downtown Atlanta. The fracture of the century-old flooring serves as a reminder of the venue’s rich history.
The Luckie Street concert hall has not always blasted rap, rock and techno beats. The elaborate four-story building once echoed church bells and songs of faith. Reverend Leonard Gaston Broughton first opened the downtown building in 1910 as a Baptist church, the Broughton Tabernacle. Broughton added an infirmary and nursing school dormitory adjacent to the church. The tabernacle grew, eventually serving 4,000 worshipers, but by the mid-1980s the church membership dwindled and the congregation relocated. During the1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, the space was reincarnated as the House of Blues. When the House of Blues’ lease expired two years later, the building was rechristened as The Tabernacle, but this time home to a different kind of soul.
The pulpit is now a stage and The Tabernacle, as is known today, has hosted performances by Adele, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Prince and Nelly. While big enough to host top performers, its intimate atmosphere has not been lost – and neither has its elegance. Adorned with a crystal chandelier, stained glass windows, an ornate ceiling and tiled balconies, the venue merges the traditional with the hip.
And if the outstanding ambiance, acoustics, lighting and lineup aren’t enough, food and drinks are available at the multiple bars throughout the building.
The Tabernacle sits at the edge of downtown Atlanta near Centennial Park and is a regular stop for music-lovers. Now run by Live Nation Entertainment Inc., the world’s largest live music company, the historic concert hall is one of Atlanta’s and the nation’s top music venues. A crack in the floor might put the music on pause, but concerts have already been rescheduled and with a prayer, The Tabernacle will soon reopen for another chorus.
152 Luckie Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
Tel: 404.659.9022
Fax: 404.659.9086
Cemeteries are for lovers, too
It’s a Saturday afternoon and you’re wracking your brain to come up with a cool, fun, and, let’s be honest, cheap date for your special someone. Then, suddenly, an epiphany: Oakland Cemetery! The most romantic spot in Atlanta, right?
Or, maybe you’re thinking, “Never would I ever bring a date to a place filled with creepy dead people and their creepy ghosts.”
But, Oakland Cemetery is a pretty awesome place. Founded in 1850, Oakland is the final resting place for a lot of famous, and not-so-famous, Atlantans, including Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, golfer Bobby Jones, and Atlanta’s first African American mayor, Maynard Jackson.
Oakland is a public cemetery, meaning that, for a while, every Atlanta citizen was buried there. Those who either did not or could not purchase a family plot were buried in a 7.5-acre area known as Potter’s Field. Admittedly creepy factor: A Georgia State geological study conducted in the 1970’s revealed 17,000 bodies buried in the field, laid next to and on top of one another. Although strange to think that if the dead did walk in Atlanta then 17,000 would rise from the same spot, Oakland Cemetery is impressive.
The cemetery is located on the southeast side of the city, just a few blocks from the King Memorial MARTA station. It’s situated between Grant Park and Cabbagetown.
Walking through the cemetery is like walking through the city’s history. And, after a century and a half, Oakland Cemetery has seen Atlanta through some pretty major changes, most notably its massive population growth. When the cemetery was founded, Atlanta’s population neared 2,500. Today, more than 420,000 people call Atlanta home.
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Not only does Oakland Cemetery have a historical cool factor, it’s a beautiful park in its own right. The cemetery’s caretakers have gone to painstaking efforts to ensure that Oakland and its gardens age gracefully.
Back in the day, families tended to their own plots and planted their own flowers. Today, all of Oakland’s 38 acres of gardens are tended by three good-hearted ladies and a band of weekend volunteers with some serious green thumbs.Throughout the year, they plant and prune among the headstones and green spaces, resulting in a truly beautiful patchwork of gardens that just happen to grow near some dead people.
Huge, ornate mausoleums framed by rose bushes and perfectly pruned shrubs sit among small, humble (and sometimes hilariously inscribed) headstones and fragrant flowerbeds. The gardens at Oakland make for a fascinating, pretty, and peaceful stroll through the cemetery on a sunny afternoon.
And totally not scary. Or morbid.
Seriously, consider Oakland as a fun, free date option. Just maybe stick to the rules and get out of there by dusk, or, you know, your date may surprise you with a zombie flash mob. But if you’re into that sort of thing, that’s cool, too.
For more information on Oakland Cemetery, including directions and park hours, click here.
Celebrating King Day at King’s old stomping grounds
How to best tailgate a Braves game
The ideal college schedule doesn’t include Friday classes, and if you’re one of the lucky Atlanta college students who sleep in on Fridays, a worthy way to spend those free Friday afternoons is going to a Braves game. These guidelines will ensure that you’ll have the ultimate experience at Turner Field.
First, you should arrive about five hours prior to first pitch so that you’ll have time to savor your tailgate. Prime parking where grilling is allowed is near the YMCA on Pryor Street and it’s only an eight-minute walk from the ballpark. Grilling is also permitted in the grassy areas of the Braves Blue Lot—which have shady trees and tables as well.
Early arrival is important for tailgaters who double as avid baseball fans because batting practice begins nearly three hours before game time, according to the Braves’ website. If you’re hoping to catch a home run ball during batting practice, Kurt Smith, the author of Baseball Park E-Guides, believes the premier place to stand is left field because the majority of hitters are right-handed.
If you have minimal interest in snagging a souvenir, an alternate spot to watch from is the Chop House, a restaurant that offers a wide variety of menu items and overlooks centerfield. There, you can try some of The Ted’s ballpark food after warm-ups. Other the Chop House grub, Smith says his favorite dish is the Georgia Dog and it can be bought at any of the Top Dog Express stands.
Buying a Skyline ticket, which is for seating at the highest row, is just a dollar and can save cash. After the third inning, ushers allow fans to move seats without much trouble if there are available spots, according to Smith. The same practice can be used in the lower level to move very close to the field, but ushers operate more strictly closer to the field.
Turner Field will be demolished in 2017 and then Friday afternoon trips to a Bravos game from Emory will be an entirely different process. But for now, you can follow these words of advice and you are sure to maximize your spectator experience.
At the bottom you will find a map giving directions from Emory to the parking lot that Smith named as a great parking option near the YMCA.
Zoo Atlanta
Zoo Atlanta is certainly one of the biggest drawing points for the Grant Park neighborhood. Located right next to the Atlanta Cyclorama, the zoo houses over 1,500 animals and is one of four institutions in the country to have giant pandas!
Humans of Decatur: Why is Decatur Special?
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s blog Human’s of New York, which photographs random New Yorkers and includes quotes alongside the photograph, I set out around Decatur to ask strangers what they thought was special about Decatur. Check out their responses below!
- “I really like the diversity of the community” – Shakeem, The Yogurt Tap Employee (White)
- “I love Decatur because of the community as a whole and all the locally owned businesses” – Annette
- “What’s so special about Decatur is its sense of community, feels like a very small town.” – Squash Blossom Employee Barbra (Orange)
- “Square pub is the best place to hang out after work because it’s close, people are great, and everyone from” – Liz
“What I find most exciting about Decatur is the architecture, especially the Square” – Spencer