My SouthEast

Atlanta’s Silent Book Club at Ladybird Photograph by Sophia Griesenauer If you’ve walked through Bold Monk Brewing, Ladybird, or other Atlanta hotspots recently, you might have noticed something unusual: a group of people independently reading in collective silence. Stumbling upon a Silent Book Club event might seem unnerving without context,Continue Reading

Atlanta’s Silent Book Club at Ladybird Photograph by Sophia Griesenauer If you’ve walked through Bold Monk Brewing, Ladybird, or other Atlanta hotspots recently, you might have noticed something unusual: a group of people independently reading in collective silence. Stumbling upon a Silent Book Club event might seem unnerving without context,Continue Reading

The roast turkey plate at Mary Mac’s. Photograph by Taylor O’Sullivan. Quintessential Southern restaurant Mary Mac’s Tea Room is back open after part of its roof collapsed during a rainstorm in March. Luckily, no one was inside at the time. Known for its large portions of signature dishes like friedContinue Reading

Through his mother’s mementos, Jim Galloway was able to piece together untold stories and learn her history. Photograph courtesy of Jim Galloway This may sound odd, but as Mother’s Day approaches, I would like to offer a few words in support of pack rats—those governed by the impulse to squirrelContinue Reading

Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch and the company of To Kill a Mockingbird. Photograph by Julieta Cervantes To Kill a Mockingbird When: Various shows through Sunday, May 12 Where: Fox Theatre Cost: $39-$189 Details: You have multiple chances this weekend to catch the Broadway tour of Aaron Sorkin’s symphonic adaptationContinue Reading

Neil Young and Crazy Horse Photograph by Perry Julien Neil Young and Crazy Horse stopped in Alpharetta on Tuesday evening as part of their Love Earth Tour. With a stage reminiscent of the 1978 Rust Never Sleeps Tour, Young and his band performed many of their classics including “Cortez theContinue Reading

Angad Sahgal Courtesy of the Sahgal Family When Angad Sahgal was born with Down syndrome 23 years ago, doctors told his parents that he’d never be able to walk or talk. Assumptions like these vastly underestimate the abilities of those with Down syndrome. People with this genetic condition are congressionalContinue Reading

The Tropical Diver tank Photograph by Wedig + Laxton It’s 9 a.m at the Georgia Aquarium and the first visitors of the day are just trickling in, but behind the scenes, staff is already buzzing. So are the sea lions. “Sounds like Jurassic Park, doesn’t it?” says John Masson, GeorgiaContinue Reading

Freak on a Beach cocktail (Dark rum, Chinola Mango, peach liqueur, and pineapple) With a tongue-in-cheek name, Floridaman is a dive bar set atop BeltLine seafood shack Breaker Breaker. Set to open this month, the adults-only spot features a relaxed vibe with low-brow beach drinks and a limited food menu.Continue Reading

When the Decatur Book Festival was canceled in 2023, readers wondered what would become of the city’s thriving literary culture. They needn’t have worried, because local bookshops came to the rescue. In February, booksellers Brave + Kind and Eagle Eye Book Shop helped organize Love Y’all, the first-ever Atlanta romanceContinue Reading

Bad Religion Photograph by Perry Julian Punk rock icons Bad Religion and Social Distortion brought their co-heading tour to the Coca-Cola Roxy on Tuesday night. The packed crowd was treated to full sets from each band. Bad Religion, which formed in Los Angeles in 1980, is considered one of theContinue Reading

Spin the District Photograph courtesy of Spin the District Truist Night Market: Passport Edition When: Thursday, May 2, 6:30-9:30 Where: Home Depot Backyard behind Mercedes-Benz Stadium Cost: $45-$90 Details: Take your taste buds on a world tour with the night market at the Home Depot Backyard, sponsored by Truist Bank.Continue Reading

A Louisiana crawfish boil Photography by Joseph Vidrine Of the 500-plus species of crayfish that exist worldwide, more than 300 varieties inhabit the rivers, lakes, and bayous of the southeastern United States, where they are colloquially called crawfish. Throughout the region, these freshwater crustaceans are considered a springtime delicacy. That’sContinue Reading

Fajitas Courtesy of Nowak’s Nowak’s steakhouse has been a staple in Morningside since 2018. Now, owner Blaiss Nowak, son of Hal Nowak (Hal’s the Steakhouse), is converting the restaurant into a Mexican cantina. The team is swapping out some of the artwork and lighting and launching a menu of tacos,Continue Reading

Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of You Photograph courtesy of MGM and Amazon Prime You might need to sit down for this. In her new shot-in-Atlanta romantic comedy The Idea of You—based on the book by Robinne Lee—Anne Hathaway, who first burst into America’s heart in theContinue Reading

Margherita pizza Photo by Heidi Harris Amid the smoke shops, tattoo parlors, vintage shops, and staples like the Vortex, Zesto stood strong, pulling a crowd of Little Five Points regulars for nearly 60 years. It shuttered in 2021 after a tree fell on the building. David Smith—a partner in ElContinue Reading

The Revivalists Photograph by Perry Julien The thunderstorms that threatened all weekend finally forced their way through on Sunday afternoon, day three of Shaky Knees music festival, which was back in Atlanta for its 11th year. The weather had mostly held until then, drizzling a bit but rewarding festival attendeesContinue Reading

Growing up in the ’90s, my primary experience with virtual reality is centered around Universal Studios rides like Back to the Future: The Ride, where visual cues merged with physical movements for a 3D adventure. As a child, I fully embraced it, thrilled with the feel of soaring through spaceContinue Reading

A-Town Photo by Heidi Harris When a dire digestive tract issue forced Antonio Brown to completely revamp his diet, he didn’t even know what gluten was. The former city councilman was already vegan and struggled to find restaurants that could accommodate his dietary restrictions. “It was incredibly hard to findContinue Reading

Old Georgia Highway 3 through Southwest Georgia Illustration by Brainstorm Conceived in 1914, the Dixie Highway was the first interstate highway connecting the industrial North to the largely agricultural South. Inspired by the rise of the automobile and the fanfare surrounding the dedication of the nation’s first transcontinental road (theContinue Reading

Rutabaga snacks on leftover veggies Photograph by Bailey Garrot Gray haze hangs over the fields of Rodgers Greens and Roots on a January morning. Squishing through the mud, farmer Ashley Rodgers apologizes for the seasonal untidiness. “I feel like winter is when the farm looks the worst,” she says. “JustContinue Reading

Roasted lamb loin with fire-roasted carrots, sumac, coriander, and smoked lamb jus Photo by Angie Mosier Chef Kevin Gillespie is a family man. The 2022 James Beard Award finalist named his Glenwood Park restaurant Gunshow as a tribute to his father; his newest venture celebrates his Scottish heritage, particularly payingContinue Reading

The Heritage Fire Food & Drink Festival comes to Atlanta this weekend Photograph courtesy of Heritage Fire Food & Drink Festival  Atlanta Film Festival When: Thursday, April 25-Sunday, May 5 Where: Plaza Theatre and Tara Theatre, plus virtual programming Cost: Festival badges range from $100-$500; individual screening tickets $12.75-$19, plus someContinue Reading

GVG Events Photograph by Ashley White At heart, Mike Huddleston and C.C. Indivero are just thrift store kids with a knack for arts and crafts. The pair met in 2013 when Indivero, a professional hairdresser, cut Huddleston’s hair; they hit it off over a shared love of all things secondhand.Continue Reading

Death Cab for Cutie Photograph by Perry Julien Singer and guitarist Ben Gibbard brought his two musical projects, Death Cab For Cutie and the Postal Service, to Alpharetta’s Ameris Bank Amphitheatre on Tuesday evening. Each band was celebrating the 20th anniversary of their respective iconic albums, Transatlanticism for Death CabContinue Reading

Play outside the lines in Monroe-West Monroe Discover Monroe West Monroe, and you’ll uncover creativity as rich as Louisiana’s flavors and a river flowing with entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a destination filled with heart and awash in culture, where your senses are free to color outside the lines, where your feetContinue Reading

Shriners used Arabian-inspired features in their original design. Photograph courtesy of the Fox Theatre Rachel Bomeli stood on the roof of the Fox Theatre and knew something was off. Renovations for the “Onion Dome” that crowns the building were almost underway, and Bomeli, the vice president of facility operations, comparedContinue Reading

Two Cretaceous-era dinosaurs preserved together in stone Photo by Julius Csotonyi The newest exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has been 67 million years in the making. Dueling Dinosaurs, the 4,000-square-foot experience opening on April 27, centers on a duo of Cretaceous-period dinosaurs preserved togetherContinue Reading

Cumming resident Jill Harris grew up in Kansas, baking breads and pies and making jellies and jams with her grandmother, Mary Lucille Moore. After losing her spa director position during the pandemic, Harris started baking pies and giving them to friends and family. “People kept asking me to open aContinue Reading

Cleverly straddling the line between trendy and lasting design, Tami Ramsay of Cloth & Kind, based in Athens, created this teenager’s bedroom to look good today and years from now. Dynamic duo The happy combo of green and blue (“Napa Vineyards” and “Poolside” from Benjamin Moore) for the bookcase wereContinue Reading

Writer Dana Hudepohl perched atop one of Tank Town USA’s armored personnel carrier I’m less than 10 minutes from North Georgia’s tranquil Lake Blue Ridge, surrounded by forest, open sky, and chirping birds. But these six barren acres are a whole other world of exhaust fumes, mud, and piles ofContinue Reading

Akami (lean tuna), chutoro (medium fatty tuna), and otoro (fatty tuna) from Kyushu, Japan Photo by Brandon Amato Located less than a five-minute drive from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a mixed-use development called Abrams Fixtures promises lofts, offices, and of course, restaurants. One of the first eateries to be announced is RyokouContinue Reading

Sweetwater 420 Fest is this weekend. Photograph by Addison Hill/Courtesy of Sweetwater 420 Fest Dutch Masters at the High When: Opens Friday, April 19 Where: High Museum of Art Cost: Free for members, $15 for “not-yet-members” Details: This sweeping exhibit includes a breathtaking array of work from some of theContinue Reading

Planning a special event in Atlanta? Whether you’re envisioning an intimate corporate gathering, a grand wedding celebration, or an electrifying gala, AFR Furniture Rental can be your partner in creating an unforgettable experience. With a vast inventory of stylish furniture, advanced design capabilities like custom branding, and a team ofContinue Reading

John Wieland is best known as founder and former chairman of John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, but as his homebuilding business grew over the years, so did his art collection. What began as a hobby to fill the office walls soon became a bigger passion. Wieland is still involved inContinue Reading

The “a” allows the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials to be called, simply, “CHaRM.” Photograph courtesy of CHaRM Here’s what I packed in my car on a recent Saturday morning: 17 cans of paint, 8 propane canisters, 2 old iPads, a Medusa tangle of electrical cords, and a bagContinue Reading

Rico Wade in 2019 Photograph by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Revolt Even with the knowledge that none of us will live forever, Rico Wade’s untimely passing at age 52 is still hitting hard days after the April 12 announcement. As the cornerstone of the game-changing production trio Organized Noize, formedContinue Reading

Historic Vicksburg, Mississippi Illustration by Debora Islas Perched high on a bluff with sweeping views of the Mississippi River sits Vicksburg. That very bluff is what made the city so challenging for the Union to capture during the 47-day Civil War battle of the same name. Today, Vicksburg’s rich historyContinue Reading

The communities of St. Pete/Clearwater have been named among the top 25 beaches in the U.S. by Tripadvisor, and beautiful beaches are only the beginning. St. Pete/Clearwater is a vibrant culinary destination with year-round outdoor dining and waterfront restaurants, casual beachside eateries, gourmet fare and a booming brewery scene. FreshContinue Reading

Pickleball court Photo by Heidi Geldhauser The fastest-growing sport in the United States, pickleball has become the go-to activity combining socializing and exercise. The latest pickleball venue to open in Atlanta, Painted Pickle offers much more than the tennis-like game. Created by Justin Amick and William Stallworth, the team beingContinue Reading

The Halidom logo adorns a wall lined with greenery and florals. It was only 10 years ago that Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market opened, marking the beginning of Atlanta’s food hall boom. Today, there are numerous food halls, big and small, around the city and into the suburbs—soContinue Reading

My cousin Laura and I are standing in the “family” room at Kentucky Peerless Distillery Co., lined with black-and-white photos, vintage bottles, and colorful advertisements when Chairman and CEO Corky Taylor peeks his head in. “What part of the story are y’all on?” he asks. So far, our tour groupContinue Reading

Atlanta Dogwood Festival Photograph courtesy of Atlanta Dogwood Festival Atlanta Dogwood Festival When: Friday, April 12 to Sunday April 14 Where: Piedmont Park Cost: Free, VIP options $40-$80 Details: The beloved spring festival is back for its 88th year, featuring an artist market of local crafts and handmade goods, musicContinue Reading

Full Radius Dance performs this month at the Inman Park Dance Festival. Photograph by Eley Photo In 1993, Douglas Scott, director of an Atlanta troupe called Dance Force, went to a series of workshops about bringing the arts to different populations. He decided to attend a session on dance forContinue Reading

Strawberry brie sconut Courtesy of Flaky Not Flaky First there were doughnuts, then cronuts, and now . . . sconuts? Husband-and-wife team Miguel and Anna Caraballo invented this sweet fluffy treat as a happy mistake. Owners of Flaky Not Flaky bakery and chocolates, they were intent on developing a lessContinue Reading

Offset Photograph by Perry Julien Rapper Offset brought his Set It Off Tour to the Coca-Cola Roxy on Wednesday night.  Originally from Lawrenceville, Offset is best known for being a member of the hip-hop trio Migos. During the Atlanta show, Offset wore a T-shirt to honor Takeoff, his Migos bandmateContinue Reading

John Oates and his band Photograph by Perry Julien John Oates and his band played the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta on Saturday night. Oates, formerly part of the pop-rock duo Hall and Oates, is touring in support of his new solo album, Reunion. His show featured his new music alongContinue Reading