Pierre Basson
Quote Of The Day |
"Atlanta's not a city — it's a state of mind. You carry it with you no matter how far north, south, east, or west you wander." — Gladys Knight |
Marietta HarvestFest returns Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Historic Marietta Square. Handmade arts and crafts, children’s activities, vehicle displays, seasonal contests and the surrounding downtown businesses give visitors several ways to shape a half-day or longer outing. Save the official event page and check it again before travelling, especially when a particular activity is essential to your plans. The city’s event page lists important activity windows. Touch-A-Truck runs 9 a.m.–2 p.m., closing before the wider festival. Pie-eating activities begin at 11:30 a.m.; the costume contest starts at 2 p.m. and the pet costume contest at 3. Costume entrants should obtain a contestant number at the stage between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Confirm any additional requirements directly. Our guide links the downtown parking map and explains why arrival time should follow your favourite activity rather than the overall closing time. Allow time for parking, walking and a break for food, particularly when coordinating different ages. Compare our Chalktoberfest guide for October 10–11 with our Root House flashlight-tour guide for October 23–24 if you want another local outing. Facts were checked October 3, 2026. Read the full article for useful links, and recheck the current activity schedule before travelling. Read More... |
Joke Of The Day |
A tourist in Northwest Atlanta asked a local for directions to the nearest landmark. The local thought for a second and said, "Head down Marietta Street, hang a left at the construction cone, another left at the newer construction cone, and a right at the cone they've been painting since 2019." The tourist never arrived, but he did develop a very meaningful relationship with orange. |
The Strand lists The Phantom of the Opera for Sunday, October 25, 2026, giving Marietta audiences a chance to experience the 1925 silent film in a historic auditorium before Halloween. Lon Chaney’s performance and the film’s visual storytelling make this a distinctive alternative to a contemporary horror screening. Save the official event page and check it again before travelling, especially when a particular activity is essential to your plans. The theatre’s current calendar includes the October 25 event, while the ATOS Atlanta schedule lists the Strand screening at 3 p.m. with Ron Carter providing live accompaniment on the Mighty Allen theatre organ. Our article flags a tourism listing that retains 2025 wording and directs readers to current theatre booking information for the final showtime, seating and admission terms. The venue is at 117 North Park Square in downtown Marietta. Allow walking time from parking and check any restaurant opening hours before adding a meal to the visit. Families considering older children or teens should decide whether the film’s horror themes suit their group. For another atmospheric outing, our Root House flashlight-tour guide covers October 23–24; our Chalktoberfest guide covers October 10–11. Facts were checked October 3, 2026. Read the full story for context and primary links, then confirm the current showtime with The Strand before planning travel or buying tickets. Read More... |
Trivia Question❓What historically Black college, founded in 1881 and located in the Vine City neighborhood of northwest Atlanta, counts Martin Luther King Jr. among its most famous alumni? Answer at the bottom of the newsletter |
Chalktoberfest transforms Marietta Square into an outdoor gallery October 10–11, 2026. Visitors can watch professional chalk artists develop large-scale work, hear live music and browse food, arts and crafts vendors. The creative process is part of the attraction, so a return walk can reveal how much a piece has changed. Save the official event page and check it again before travelling, especially when a particular activity is essential to your plans. The official visitor guide lists free festival hours of 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday. Saturday’s Craft Beer Festival is a separate ticketed experience running noon–5 p.m.; families do not need a tasting ticket to enjoy the wider art festival. Check current tasting terms before purchasing. Pets are excluded from artist work areas and the Craft Beer Festival. Sunday offers community chalk participation, with details on the participation page. Our article flags inconsistent competition timing across organizer pages and advises entrants to confirm check-in and judging directly with the museum. Compare our HarvestFest guide for October 17 on the Square, or our Phantom screening guide for The Strand October 25. Facts were checked October 3, 2026. Read the full article for planning suggestions and useful links, and revisit organizer information for weather, access and ticket changes before leaving home. Read More... |
Secret Little Hack |
The Marietta Square Parking Garage Secret That Locals Guard Jealously When the Marietta Square farmers market or a weekend festival turns surface lots into a war zone, skip the obvious spots entirely and head to the city-owned parking deck on Church Street — but here is the part visitors never figure out: enter from the Lawrence Street side rather than the Church Street entrance. That approach bypasses the line of cars stacking up at the main ramp, drops you onto a higher level that fills last, and puts you closest to the elevator that spits you out literally steps from the square's best coffee and brunch spots. Better still, that deck is free on weekends, a fact the square's paid surface lots are very motivated to keep quiet. Most out-of-towners pull into the first attendant-staffed lot they see and hand over cash without ever knowing the deck exists two blocks away. Save the money, skip the chaos, and walk in feeling like a native. |
The William Root House offers Victorian Funeral Flashlight Tours on October 23 and 24, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. Visitors explore darkened rooms decorated around nineteenth-century mourning customs, with displays including embalming equipment, hair jewelry and a death mask. The tours are self-guided. Save the official event page and check it again before travelling, especially when a particular activity is essential to your plans. The museum’s event page lists admission at $10 per person in advance or $15 at the door, with no coupons or discounts. It recommends arriving no later than 8:30 p.m. and says space is limited. Book the correct evening and leave enough time for travel and walking to the house, at 80 North Marietta Parkway NW. Our repaired guide also distinguishes the evening event from the daytime Victorian Funeral exhibit, on display October 1–31 under regular museum admission. Use the visitor page for ordinary museum arrangements and ask directly about access needs. Families should consider the death-related subject matter when deciding whether to bring younger children. For another seasonal outing, compare our Phantom screening guide for The Strand October 25 and our HarvestFest guide for October 17. Facts were checked October 3, 2026. Read the full article for historical context and primary links, and verify ticket availability and arrival instructions before travelling. Read More... |
Interesting Facts |
Northwest Atlanta punches well above its weight when it comes to hidden history and quirky geography. Here are some facts that rarely make the tourist brochures.
|
The Georgia Ballet’s Moonlight Masquerade is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brumby Hall and Gardens, 472 Powder Springs Street SW, Marietta. The fundraiser pairs a historic setting with a social evening supporting local professional dance, education and outreach. Save the official event page and check it again before travelling, especially when a particular activity is essential to your plans. The organizer’s event page announces professional dance performances, a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Guests should pay particular attention to entry expectations: attire is cocktail to semi-formal, and masquerade masks are required. Bring a favourite mask or check the organizer’s stated option to purchase one at the door. Our guide directs readers to the official ticket page for current availability and checkout terms. This is a special fundraiser, so do not assume walk-in admission. Because the event is tonight, confirm tickets before arranging travel, dinner or another stop around downtown Marietta. For later October plans, compare our Chalktoberfest guide for October 10–11 and HarvestFest guide for October 17. Facts were checked October 3, 2026. Read the full article for venue and planning context, then revisit the organizer’s information for any last-minute changes that could affect your evening. Read More... |
Q/A Questions |
Q: Why does northwest Atlanta have so many film and television productions shooting on location there? A: The area sits close to several major studio facilities and offers a mix of suburban streetscapes, wooded lots, and historic neighborhoods that double convincingly for locations across the American South and beyond. Georgia's generous film tax incentives draw productions statewide, but northwest Atlanta corridors like Smyrna and Marietta provide ready-made infrastructure, hotel blocks, and easy highway access that production crews prize for long shoots. Q: What makes the Chattahoochee River corridor in northwest Atlanta unique compared to other urban greenways in the Southeast? A: The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area threads through the northwest side of the metro, offering whitewater-style shoals remarkably close to dense suburban development. Unlike most urban greenways that follow reclaimed rail lines or flat floodplains, this corridor features active rapids, cold trout-stocked water fed by releases from Buford Dam, and forested bluffs that make it feel far removed from the city surrounding it. Q: How did the historic community of Vinings, tucked into northwest Atlanta, manage to remain a distinct town identity despite metro growth surrounding it? A: Vinings was never formally annexed into the City of Atlanta, leaving it as an unincorporated community within Cobb County. That quirk of municipal history allowed it to preserve a village-scale commercial center along Paces Ferry Road while the broader metro expanded around it, giving residents and visitors a neighborhood character noticeably different from the high-density corridors just minutes away. |
Tip of The Day |
Skip the Highway and Discover the Marietta Square Farmers Market If you live or work in Northwest Atlanta, you already know that I-75 and I-575 can turn a short errand into a meditation on suffering. Try restructuring your Saturday mornings around the Marietta Square Farmers Market instead — arrive before 9 a.m. when parking on the surrounding streets is still easy and the produce vendors haven't sold out of their best items. The square sits right off surface roads like Roswell Road and Atlanta Road, so you can approach from multiple directions and completely sidestep the interchange backup near the I-75/I-285 junction. While you're there, pick up provisions from local Georgia vendors and plan a slow loop through Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park afterward — it's only a few miles west and has multiple lesser-known trailheads off Stilesboro Road that locals use to avoid the crowded main entrance. Combining these two stops turns a rushed weekend errand into a genuinely refreshing Northwest Atlanta morning, all without touching a single interstate on-ramp. |
💡 Answer to Trivia Question: Morehouse College |