Linda Erbele: I'm Linda Erbele and I’m going to tell you about places in Atlanta (and out of the city) that you’ve never been, and maybe things you don’t know about places you have been. Our readers and I want to read your travel stories too. I’ve been a writer for the last 11 years, with stories in magazines and newspapers in Georgia as well as nationally. I’ve lived, loved and worked in and around Atlanta since, well, since all the signs in Chamblee were in English. A perfect summer evening for me is cruising through a midtown neighborhood with the top down. In the fall I may put on a sweater and turn the heater on, but the convertible is still the best way to view the North Georgia mountains painted in the fiery colors of fall leaves. And of course, in the spring, I enjoy the dogwoods, azaleas and jonquils as they begin in central Georgia and spread north. So check back often, and let me know what I’ve missed in your favorite places!

Not goodbye – but See You Later

It’s been fun sharing Georgia with you for the past year-and-a-half, but it’s time for me to move on. I’ve made some friends, learned so much and hope I’ve told you about places and things you wouldn’t have known of otherwise. I plan to keep in touch and write some guest posts to let you know about more of the great events we have here, some of Georgia’s special places and my adventures in discovering them. Another Atlanta Traveler will be along any day now, picking...

March 31st, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Hillside Orchard Farms – off the four-lane goodness

If the fruits and vegetables shipped to your grocer from South America have made you wistful for local produce, make a trip to the North Georgia town of Tiger. Home to Goats on the Roof (see my blog post about it here) and the Tiger Mountain Vineyard, an off-the highway turn will take you to Hillside Orchard Farms, where last summer’s produce was bottled within a week of being in the field. Inside the farm store are rows and rows of gourmet salsas, special-recipe barbeque sauces, apple butters,...

March 29th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Forget the passport – take a canopy tour in Georgia

There are several zip line adventures within a few hours drive of Atlanta — two within the state and three just across the state line. Historic Banning Mills Eco-zip line Canopy Tour is listed among the top ten zip line tours on www.Americasbestonline.net. Banning Mills is located in Whitesburg, about an hour and a half west of Atlanta on I-20. Take the “Flight Pattern” Tour or the “Flight Pattern Plus.” If you really have no fear, go for it with the “Full Extreme...

March 27th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

See America’s Stonehenge in Georgia

Twenty years ago, a mysterious blue granite monument erected in a field near Elberton was revealed to the world. Five 19-foot-tall stones, connected by a capstone, and together weighing 119 tons, stand starkly alone in a field off a lonely Georgia road. Carved on the face of the stones — in twelve languages – are ten rules for maintaining humanity on earth. The languages are both modern and ancient, including Sanscrit, Babylonian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Known as the...

March 26th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Off-the-highway beauty in Tallulah Falls

In 1970, people flocked to the little town of Tallulah Falls to see the Great Wallenda walk 1,200 feet across Tallulah Gorge on a wire. The Gorge, 1,000 feet deep and two miles long is breath-taking from the fenced-in lookout points — much less balanced on a wire above it. Then 65 years old, Karl Wallenda completed his walk successfully, even standing on his head on the wire. The towers that held the wire are still here, although one is on its side now. In the early part of the last century,...

March 19th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Bottle Tree Tradition in the South

Have you been losing things lately? Maybe what you need is a bottle tree. In the rural South, you’ll occasionally happen upon a tree whose leaves consist entirely of colorful wine bottles. You may have thought it was simply the result of a big party the night before — but actually the bottle tree is an old custom, most probably brought here by slaves from Africa. “People used to take a cedar tree that had died or was dying and put the bottles on the limbs,” says Bob Watt of...

March 16th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Experience Battlefield at the National Infantry Museum

Last June, with little fanfare, the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Patriot Park opened in Columbus, about two hours south of Atlanta. (See map.) This world-class $91 million museum features interactive displays that allow visitors to shoot an M-4 and experience a taste of what soldiers see, feel and hear. The M-4 simulator is the same simulator that the Army uses to train. The National Infantry Museum is the only civilian facility in the country to have one. Another very authentic...

March 13th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Taste the Cork and Keg Festival in Helen

Put April 10 on your calendar to try some beer and wine and attend a new festival in Helen. The Cork and Keg festival will feature tastes of craft-brewed beers from some of the country’s best independent brewers (among them Georgia’s own Sweetwater Brewing and Terrapin) plus tastes of award-winning wines from local Georgia vineyards. In addition, some of the finer local restaurants will have food for sale. It will be in Helen’s Festhalle, (see map) located on the banks of the Chattahoochee...

March 12th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Join the Pinkest Party on Earth in Macon

Spring is really here when its time for the Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon — and that’s March 19th through the 28th. People have been known to dye their poodles pink for the ten days of these events. It starts with a ribbon cutting at noon in Central City park on Friday, then there are events each day and nightly concerts at the park. Really, everyone in Macon gets involved in this party. The Hay House offers tours of its cupola (their normal tours don’t include the top of the...

March 11th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Picturesque Sautee Nacoochee

Some places in Georgia don’t get much press yet are very special and rare. One of those special spots is the North Georgia community of Sautee-Nacoochee. Located between the Alpine Village of Helen and the historic town of Clarkesville, the community has personality, peaceful beauty and sights of interest that make it a wonderful getaway from urban life. One of the icons for the community is the gazebo on the Indian mound. Located at the corner of Georgia highways 75 and 17, the gazebo...

March 7th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Savannah shows off with its Music Festival

The Savannah Music Festival starts March 18 and runs through April 3. This is Georgia’s largest music festival and offers the opportunity to hear multiple genres of music — classical, jazz, Southern soul, bluegrass, Zydeco. There’s something for everyone — from master classes to children’s concerts, from world music to American country. The city opens its doors and concerts are scheduled at many venues: the Rousakis Plaza on River Street, the Might 8th Air Force Museum,...

March 6th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Eat-like-a-local in Oakwood

Sometimes you want a chef, and sometimes you just want a meat-and-three. When you’re heading up I-985 to Lake Lanier or the North Georgia mountains, there’s a great place with little advertising or signage that the locals flock to. Take the Oakwood exit and head east (right if you were coming from Atlanta.) Turn right onto Branch Dr at the first light. Curt’s in Oakwood serves cafeteria style – so you choose from fried chicken, steak-and-gravy, meat loaf and other specials...

March 3rd, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Spring’s coming to Atlanta

In spite of today’s snow, March is usually the turning point here in Atlanta. The crocuses and jonquils are pushing little determined blooms through and outdoor events are beginning. Not only will our snow be gone in a few days, but Snow Mountain at the Stone Mountain Park is ending this Sunday. (See my post about it here.) Meanwhile, Atlantic Station opens its outdoor markets this weekend, featuring food, and a selection of handcrafted and unique items. Orchid Daze: Towers of Flowers...

March 2nd, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Spring and Georgia’s Wine Highway Weekend

It’s time again for the Wine Highway Weekend. This will be a beautiful spring weekend, and North Georgia’s wineries are all in scenic areas — so a drive through the mountains along with visits to the wineries and tastes of food and wine is a combination that will make a weekend of very special memories. Participants pay $20 at the first winery they visit and get a special glass – which becomes your admission to the other wineries for the weekend. Many of our wineries welcome...

February 27th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Sport of Kings is alive and well in Georgia

Humans have always been fascinated by the ability to teach an animal to work alongside us. It’s all the more interesting when it is a truly wild animal that does our bidding. I joined about 20 other people for a falconry program recently organized by Smithgall Woods State Park in Helen to learn about the sport of kings. Buster Brown, Secretary/Treasurer and Department of Natural Resources Coordinator with the Georgia Falconry Association was there with his Harris Hawk, Rico and red-tailed hawk,...

February 25th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Planet Shark grabs attention at the Georgia Aquarium

The scene opens on a crowded beach. The music swells as people begin to scream and race out of the water. A blond toddler, sitting in the sand, wails as he sense the panic in the air. The camera turns to the ocean, where ominously awaiting a victim is — a floating toaster. The caption tells us that more than 600 people were killed last year by faulty toasters. Less than ten were killed by sharks. That is part of the point of the Georgia Aquarium’s new Planet Shark – Predator or...

February 24th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Enjoy your oysters on the deck in Virginia-Highland

A gorgeous day like today calls for an outdoor dining experience. After all the cold and wet, it was 60 degrees and sunny – and everyone was outside. Fontaine’s Oyster House was our choice for lunch — because we didn’t have time to enjoy the Oyster Fest at the Steamhouse Lounge (owned by the same company) but our appetite was whetted for seafood. Other restaurants in the group are Highland Tap which is next door to Fontaine’s and Vickery’s Bar and Grill on...

February 20th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

The Dutch Monkey offers Doughnuts with a Difference

Do you remember the first time someone brought doughnuts to the office and everyone was excited? Then doughnuts became a cliche and it took sausage and biscuits, later chicken-biscuits before anyone was enthusiastic about attending a meeting. I’ve seen crowded conference calls end with whole boxes of doughnuts sitting around going stale. I’ll bet there aren’t any leftovers when the doughnuts come from Dutch Monkey. Run by Arpana Satyu and Martin Burge, both Culinary Institute grads...

February 20th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Cirque: Moravia at Rabun Gap

Did you miss the Cirque last time it was here? Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School has performed its own Cirque for nine years. Over 80 performers and technicians will take part in director Bill Patti’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, entitled Cirque: Moravia. This performance has mushroomed in popularity over the years, always done with an original script. The first show, directed by Larry Smith in 2002, was produced by ten students. Smith has moved on to Milton High School in Alpharetta, and...

February 19th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More

Hard-to-find artisans found at Fireside

Nothing adds distinction to an urban decor like beautifully hand-crafted items. Additionally, you search for gifted artisans can be an investment. The Fireside Art and Craft Show at Unicoi State Park has become recognized in its 35 years for truly fabulous arts and crafts. A juried show, Fireside has some of the best work you’ll see exhibited in one place in the Southeast. You’ll find contemporary art, mixed media, watercolor, folk art, pottery and fiber arts. Also, the difficult-to-find...

February 16th, 2010 | Atlanta | Read More