Spring is coming! That's Goliath running at Six Flags Over Georgia. The park opens for weekends-only on March 6, just a day before Snow Moutain closes for the season. AJC file photo

Nevermind the Vernal Equinox, Daylight Savings Time, the Braves home opener or whatever date came printed in your 2010 calendar: spring starts in Atlanta next weekend.

What clearer proof do we need that spring is coming to Atlanta than this:

• Six Flags Over Georgia opens on March 6.

• Snow Mountain, Stone Mountain Park’s annual sledding, fort-building, marshmallow-toasting attraction, closes on March 7.

Or maybe it’s just another testament to our crazy weather and seasonal uncertainty. I choose to believe that it means Gen. Beauregard Lee was right.

So what to expect from that first weekend in March?

Six Flags has some new shows and new shops, but it’s big new attraction for the year is actually over at Six Flags White Water in Marietta, where Wiggles Water World will open this summer. Still, to …

Continue reading Is it spring?! Good-bye Snow Mountain, hello Six Flags! »

Looking for something to do this Valentine's Day? Maybe the classic fairy tale romance, "Cinderella," as performed by the Atlanta Ballet will do the trick. Here's Christine Winkler as Cinderella, which continues through Feb. 14 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Photo by Charlie McCullers

Maybe it’s because my neighborhood grocery store has been pink and red and heart-covered since Jan. 2, but I’d all but forgotten this is Valentine’s Day week. (What tipped me off? The aisles are starting to turn all green and shamrocky.) Time to start making some plans.

Rana at the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog has done some legwork to find a solid list of free-to-cheap Atlanta Valentine’s Day date ideas, from the High Museum to Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum, from movies at The Strand to improv at Relapse.

There are dozens more Valentine’s Day events and ideas on the AccessAtlanta.com calendar, too.

Here are a few more ideas, but I’d love to hear yours, too! What are your plans …

Continue reading Don’t forget! Valentine’s Day events around Atlanta »

Martin Luther King Jr. during his "I Have A Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963. File photo

Here are Martin Luther King Jr. Day events around Atlanta, and more activities today.

For instant updates, follow @insideaccess on Twitter.

Continue reading Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Atlanta »

Stanley Johnson and Christie Koerwer smooch after their 15-minute wedding at Rhodes Hall on Valentine's Day, 2009. The race for romance returns to the castle this year. AJC file photo

You read that headline. We are talking about the ultimate in romance efficiency — a combined Valentine’s Day and wedding day, all rolled up into 15 minutes that ends with cupcakes for two.

Yes, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is bringing back its Cupid at the Castle event, a non-stop run of 15-minute, $200 weddings inside historic Rhodes Hall on Peachtree Street. They tried it for the first time last year, with great success. I broke down the intense 15-minute production line wedding schedule in this story from last year, “Castle plays Cupid to couples.”

Here’s how it works: Couples bring the marriage license and up to 20 guests. Each gets 15 minutes for the wedding, commitment ceremony or vow renewal, and a choice between the front porch or the Victorian-styled Reception Hall. …

Continue reading Big plans for Valentine’s Day? How about a 15-minute, $200 wedding at Rhodes Hall, the castle on Peachtree Street »

This mural by artist Louis Delsarte was painted with the help of volunteers and will be unveiled on January 17. There are dozens of other events to celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this wekeend. AJC file photo

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the celebration of the Atlanta-born civil rights leader, may be our greatest holiday. The coming days are filled with incredible expressions of art and community. There are dozens of celebrations listed on on AccessAtlanta.com, but here are some of the highlights. Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments, too!

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 18th Annual “A King Celebration” Concert
The concert features the world premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s new symphonic work, “Blues Symphony,” plus performances by the Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs.
8 p.m. $25. King International Chapel at Morehouse College, 830 Westview Dr. S.W., Atlanta. 404-681-2800, www.atlantasymphony.org.

Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration
This …

Continue reading Martin Luther King Jr. Day events around Atlanta »

Jeff Crawford, of McDonough, played basketball with his sons, Jeff Jr. and Justin during a snow day in 2009. Crawford took the day off work because his kids were out of school. AJC file photo

This forecast to …

Continue reading Seeking suggestions for snow day fun in metro Atlanta »

It's Snow Mountain! AJC photos by Jamie Gumbrecht

Were you able to identify the image in this week’s Access Points photo game? Indeed, commenter Tony was correct — it was a snow tube at Stone Mountain Park’s Snow Mountain attraction.

This is Stone Mountain Park’s second year of Snow Mountain playtime. It planned to open the attraction for the first time in 2007, but caught criticism for using more than 1 million gallons of tap water during a drought and watering ban. The park brought the plan back last year, using water from its own lake.

And I’m glad it worked, because snow is far more fun to play in than to drive in. By 9 a.m., there were hundreds of kids and parents dressing snow people, throwing balls at the Snowball Shooting Gallery and carving icy angels into the ground. I underestimated how much fun there is to be had with a bucket and a fresh layer of white on the ground.

There’s no time limit to how long you can stay in the play areas, and I could tell some children …

Continue reading Access Points 20: Snow tubes at Stone Mountain Park »

The Johnstown High School marching band from Johnstown, Ohio marches in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade on Thursday afternoon. AJC/Elissa Eubanks

Peach Drop family activities have been running downtown all day, and music will start in a few hours.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade finished up a little while ago, and the bowl game will start in a few hours.

Offices are emptying as people head home to prepare for parties.

What are your New Year’s Eve plans? Share your experiences in the comments.

Happy 2010, everybody!

For instant updates, follow @insideaccess on Twitter.

Continue reading Atlanta New Year’s Eve: what are your plans? »

Arbitrary, unscientific and subjective though they are, I am in love with the glut of year- (and decade-) end Best Of lists infecting media right now, and not just because they draw more page views to this blog than I ever would have imagined.

Here’s why, in a convenient list:

1. Tidy packages
Most mornings, I post a list of fun things to do around Atlanta. It might be more comprehensive to just Tweet links to AccessAtlanta.com all day long, but if I’m going to wade through 200 listings anyway, it seems worth sharing what I found in a manageable, organized, clean way. Why not think the same way about a year’s worth of events? A few weeks ago, you nominated and voted on your favorite events of 2009. I tacked on my own list because, well, it’s my blog.

2. Sweet reminders
Catherine Fox’s list of Top 10 Exhibitions shows slivers of the visual art offerings around Atlanta. I have a friendly interest and zero expertise in art, but I’m surprised by how many of these I saw, and how …

Continue reading 5 reasons to love year-end Best Of lists »

Atlanta's Peach Drop in 1999. Ten years later, that 800-pound peach is ready to drop again. AJC file photo

If you’re planning to head downtown for the annual New Year’s Eve Peach Drop celebration, prepare youself for frigid temperatures and a huge crowd that sticks around, rain or shine. Peach Drop regulars will pack Underground Atlanta early, but the Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome will let out in plenty of time for that crowd to join the fun before midnight, too.

Peach Drop regulars, please share your tips to have a fun, safe and warm experience in the comments!

Here are more details about the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and here’s what you need to know before you go to the Peach Drop:

When and where: People begin gathering for the Peach Drop early on December 31, but the crowd in Underground Atlanta really starts to grow around 5 p.m. Here’s the full entertainment lineup.

• Kids entertainment and activities run from noon-6 p.m.
• Kenny’s Alley will have live entertainment from …

Continue reading Know before you go: Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta »