Film in IMAX® - Journey into Amazing Caves At Fernbank Museum From January 10 Through February 18, 2011

Journey into Amazing Caves tells the story of Nancy Aulenbach and Dr. Hazel Barton, who share a love for caves and cave exploration. Join these two accomplished cavers as they explore unusual caves, like ice caves in Greenland and underwater caves in the jungles of Mexico, looking for important clues about the Earth's past and microorganisms that inhabit its most extreme environments. On the giant screen, this unique story will transport viewers on an adventure to some of the most extraordinary environments on earth.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307. For more information, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Take A Snow Day At Snow Mountain In The New Year

Bundle your family up and get ready for snow tubing, snowballs, snowmen and snow angels at Stone Mountain Park through March 6, 2011. Snow Mountain’s state-of-the-art snow-making magic guarantees tons of fresh snow daily. Based at Stone Mountain Park’s famous Laser Lawn, Snow Mountain keeps your entire family busy for hours.

A 400’ foot tubing hill and a snow play area filled with a blizzard of snow activities make Snow Mountain Atlanta’s not-to-be-missed winter attraction. Snow Mountain’s signature tubing hill is a snow adventure for your entire family. Whether you choose Tube Runners, ten lanes for single riders or Avalanche Alley, three lanes for multiple riders, there’s a thrill for everyone in your family.

Visit Snow Mountain for ticket reservations and tickets

DeKalb Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Children's Concert On January 23, 2011

Enjoy the annual children’s concert by the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra who will perform Peter and the Wolf with WSB TV's Jovita Moore, narrator along with dancers from the Decatur School of Ballet and former Ringling Brothers Clown, Rob Hadaway

The Concert will be held at the Georgia Perimeter College Clarkston Campus Gymnasium located at 555 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA

For more information, visit DeKalb Symphony Orchestra.

Greece: Secrets of the Past Opens January 14, 2011 At Fernbank Museum

Greece: Secrets of the Past is showing exclusively during Fernbank's Martinis & IMAX®

Journey to the birthplace of democracy and embark on a quest to uncover the buried secrets of one of the world’s most enlightened societies. Set against the breathtaking, azure vistas of the Greek Isles, Greece is both a modern detective story and a sweeping journey to the distant past, complete with digitally recreated scenes that restore centuries-old spectacles such as the original Parthenon and the volcanic eruption that buried Santorini in 1646 BC.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at  767 Clifton Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30307.

Shoppers Heading to Atlanta's DeKalb County

We invite our readers to visit Atlanta's DeKalb County and experience the incredible shopping selection available at our local malls or visit our unique blend of eclectic shopping at local retail stores located in neighborhood shopping areas throughout the county.

Many of our neighborhood shopping areas are pedestrian friendly and offer an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall weather while shopping for your friends and family.

Quaint street side shops, glittering malls and friendly neighborhood centers are located throughout Atlanta’s DeKalb County. Antiques abound almost everywhere you look, and are commonly concentrated in the heart of the suburbs’ picturesque squares and historic districts.

For more shopping ideas, click here.

Atlanta Falcons Vs. New Orleans On December 27, 2010

Watch NFL live action as the Atlanta Falcons play against New Orleans on December 27, 2010 at the Georgia Dome.

The Georgia Dome is located at 1 Georgia Dome Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30313. For more info, visit the Atlanta Falcons.

If you are staying overnight for the weekend, Atlanta's DeKalb County has over 80 hotels with many options to choose from. For a complete listing of accommodations, click here.

Water Exhibit At Fernbank Museum Through January 9, 2011

Get swept away in this hands-on, family-friendly experience. Look beneath the surface, above the clouds and all around the world as you discover the amazing life-giving power of water in this engaging exhibition. Enjoy a variety of exhibition interactives including build your own dam, a video microscope to see what comes out of your tap, and a picture block puzzle challenge for the youngest visitors.

Learn more about life in water and how animals have adapted to live in a variety of water conditions. Come face-to-face with tetras, mudskippers and leopard frogs. Test your water usage IQ with a game-show-style quiz. Experience a towering walk-through reconstruction of a water-carved slot canyon and see how water shapes the Earth.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30307.

Olde Christmas Storytelling Deja-Vu At Callanwolde Fine Arts Center On January 9, 2011

The Southern Order of Storytellers (SOS) presents “Olde Christmas Storytelling Deja-Vu”, a concert of the Best SOS Regional Tellers. The concert presents tellers chosen from dozens of SOS members who audition annually for this highest SOS honor. Jan Cribbs, Ron Kemp, and Barry Stewart Mann are this year's honorees.

SOS began at Callanwolde in 1983, which is why this concert is marked "deja-vu". There will be a reception following the concert.

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is located at 980 Briarcliff Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30306

Journey Into Amazing Caves At Fernbank's IMAX Theatre January 10 - February 18, 2011

Journey into Amazing Caves tells the story of Nancy Aulenbach and Dr. Hazel Barton, who share a love for caves and cave exploration. Join these two accomplished cavers as they explore unusual caves, like ice caves in Greenland and underwater caves in the jungles of Mexico, looking for important clues about the Earth's past and microorganisms that inhabit its most extreme environments.

On the giant screen, this unique story will transport viewers on an adventure to some of the most extraordinary environments on earth.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307. For more information, visit www.fernbankmuseum.org

Atlanta Rhythm Section Day Proclaimed in the City Of Doraville

Classic Rock Legend's Atlanta Rhythm Section were honored recently by the City of Doraville with a Proclamation and keys given to each original member of the band. From ChampionNewspaper.com:

Lead guitarist Barry Bailey returned to his musical roots recently to accept a key to the city of Doraville and receive a proclamation from mayor Ray Jenkins.

Bailey, a founding member of the rock group Atlanta Rhythm Section, was a studio musician at Doraville’s Studio One in 1970 along with other members of the band. ARS recorded its first album in 1972, and Bailey wrote the music for Doraville, the band’s first top 40 hit in 1974.

“It’s refreshing to be back, and it’s nice to be honored like this,” said Bailey, who retired from the band in 2005 and lives in Madison with his wife Ginger. “It’s good to ride around and see how the city has changed, and in some cases, not changed.”

ARS recorded seven albums at Studio One, which closed in 1989. Several other bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special also recorded there. The Atlanta Rhythm Section was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1996, and the band still tours with founding member Dean Daughtry as the only original member remaining.

To read more, click here. 

January Concerts At Eddie's Attic

January is a great time to go out and hear some live music at Eddie's Attic in the City of Decatur.

January 6 - The Internationals & David Franklin (Country/Rock)
January 7 - The Greencards (Bluegrass)
January 8 - Vance Gilbert (Folk)
January 9 - Rory Block (Country/Blues)
January 13 - Ken Will Morton, Brian Ashley Jones, & Trevor Finlay (Folk)
January 15 - Five Eight & The Drexlers (Rock/Americana)
January 19 - Fred Eaglesmith & The Fabulous Ginn Sisters (Country)
January 20 - Charlie Mars (Folk)
January 21 - Lucy Kaplansky (Folk)
January 22 - Sahara Smith (Blues Country/Folk)
January 23 - Frontier Ruckus & Rayland Baxter (Folk/Rock)
January 27 - Eric Taylor with special guest Freddie Vanderford (Folk)
January 28 - The Mosier Brothers (Bluegrass)

Eddie’s Attic is located at 515-B N. McDonough Rd., Decatur, Georgia 30030
www.eddiesattic.com

"The Last Album: Cherished Photographs From The Past" Opens January 4, 2011 At The Marcus Jewish Community Center Of Atlanta

The Fine Family Art Gallery, located in the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody) presents a unique photo exhibition, “THE LAST ALBUM: CHERISHED PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE PAST” on display January 4 – March 13. Bursting with life, this exhibition features seventy-two images from Eastern Europe, culled from an extraordinary collection of photographs brought as keepsakes by the Jewish deportees to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

These photographs are part of a larger compilation of images and stories found in Ann Weiss’ critically acclaimed book, The Last Album: Eyes from the Ashes of Auschwitz-Birkenau, The photographs and accompanying stories pose far-reaching questions about how personal memory becomes collective, and how images represent loss without recuperating it.

Photojournalist and Holocaust scholar Ann Weiss will be the featured speaker for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday, January 27 at 8 pm at the MJCCA. For more information, visit the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. 

Atlanta Celtic Christmas Concert This Weekend At Emory University

December 18-19, 2010, 8:00 P.M. & December 19, 2010, 2:30 P.M.
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emory University

Pagan meets St. Patrick and the Celtic world meets Appalachia at the Atlanta Celtic Christmas Concert, produced by the W.B. Yeats Foundation at Emory University. Featured in this year’s performance, which will be filmed as a PBS Christmas special, is Moya Brennan, known as the “Queen of Celtic Song,” and a brilliant ensemble of traditional musicians from Ireland. Also joining the Celtic Christmas family are Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Alison Brown, madcap string player and percussionist Joe Craven, and balladeer John Doyle in a program of non-stop delight.

In its eighteenth season, the Atlanta Celtic Christmas Concert is one of the most popular events of the Holiday Season in Atlanta. A family entertainment for audiences of all ages, there’s always something old and new in the Concert. Whether in the gentle lilt of a fiddle tune, the bird-like cry of a gorgeous tin whistle, the snapping rhythm of a Scottish strathspey, the buoyant energy of Irish step dancers, or the shimmering echo of a harp floating through the auditorium, people are inspired to seek their own spiritual renewal. Both a celebration and a reflection, the Concert has for many Atlantans become a fun-filled yet inspirational way of finding themselves once again at home with the true meaning of Christmas.

Call the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404-229-5050 or buy tickets online at www.arts.emory.edu

Wondrous Transformations: Photographs by Michael A. Smith At The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory

On Display Through January 1 - 16
At the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory
571 South Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322

The images of Michael A. Smith, all chosen from the Museum’s collection, demonstrate Smith’s fascination with the natural world, whether in the details of an animal’s bone or in an awe-inspiring panorama of America’s western landscape. In a statement in 1978, Smith described his way of viewing the world, “…as I move the camera around, the world comes and goes, flattening itself into pictures. Wondrous transformations often occur—small details can appear as landscapes and vast landscapes are sometimes diminished.”

For more information, visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Take A Snow Day in Atlanta At Snow Mountain

Bundle your family up and get ready for snow tubing, snowballs, snowmen and snow angels at Stone Mountain Park through March 6, 2011. Snow Mountain’s state-of-the-art snow-making magic guarantees tons of fresh snow daily. Based at Stone Mountain Park’s famous Laser Lawn, Snow Mountain keeps your entire family busy for hours.

A 400’ foot tubing hill and a snow play area filled with a blizzard of snow activities make Snow Mountain Atlanta’s not-to-be-missed winter attraction. Snow Mountain’s signature tubing hill is a snow adventure for your entire family. Whether you choose Tube Runners, ten lanes for single riders or Avalanche Alley, three lanes for multiple riders, there’s a thrill for everyone in your family.

Visit Snow Mountain for ticket reservations and tickets.

Michael C. Carlos Museum Spring 2011 Exhibition Explores Monsters, Demons And Winged Beasts

Michael C. Carlos Museum presents “Monsters, Demons, and Winged-Beasts: Composite Creatures of the Ancient World” on view from February 5 to June 19, 2011.

The ancient world gave birth to a vast array of monsters that inhabited a rich world of myth, legend, and high adventure. This exhibition, with over 150 objects that explore an array of fascinating and mysterious creatures from the Greek perspective, focuses on the ways in which the Greeks borrowed imagery from ancient Egypt and the Near East and developed a vast repertoire of richly imagined creatures that proliferated throughout the Greco-Roman world. Profoundly inspiring Greece in their artistic production, these images were quickly assimilated and became purely Hellenic.

“Monsters, Demons, and Winged-Beasts” illustrates the ways in which these creatures have appeared through millennia, and how their significance changed over time. From the siren--the human-headed bird whose call is fatal--to the cannibal Cyclops Polyphemus, to the winged horse Pegasus and the Chimera--the fire-snorting lion with a serpent’s tail--this exhibition traces the development and dissemination of “monstrous” imagery through works in gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stone, terracotta, and papyrus. The objects include cylinder seals, Greek vases, decorated armor, and more.

Location: 571 South Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, Georgia 30322. For more information, visit Michael C Carlos Museum of Emory. 

Save $3.00 Off Admission To Dali: The Late Work At The High Museum Of Art

The High Museum of Art is offering a $3.00 discount for DeKalb County visitors to experience Dali: The Late Work at the High Museum through January 9, 2010.

The first major exhibition to reevaluate the last half of Salvador Dalí’s career is currently presented exclusively at the High Museum of Art through January 9,2010. To take advantage of this special offer, go to VisitAtlantasDeKalbCounty.com.

Kicks for Causes Charity Kickball Tournament At Atlanta's Silverback Stadium on February 26, 2011

A charity kickball tournament called Kicks for Causes will take place on February 26, 2011 at Atlanta's Silverback Stadium. It will benefit Caring for Causes, a nonprofit organization supporting local charities, as well as Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The tournament is double elimination and will be held at Atlanta Silverbacks Stadium. The tournament will be day long beginning at 9am-7pm, with spots for 64 teams this year. The brackets will be divided into two divisions: Competitive and For The Cause. Registration fee is $235 per team with an early bird special before January 1, 2011 and $255 after. Registration ends February 15th.

Prizes will be awarded for champions and the winners will direct proceeds to the charity of their choice. There also are plaques given away for top teams plus fun socials awards. Social awards include best 80’s costumes, most money raised per team, most spirited, traveled furthest distance, and much more.

Kicks for Causes has raised over $30,000 to benefit Susan G. Komen over the past few years and they hope to raise more this year! Email Lane Parker for registration information.

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids Exhibit Opens At Fernbank Museum On February 19, 2011

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, a new exhibition at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most enduring mythological creatures from Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond.

On view from February 19 through August 14, 2011, this fascinating exhibition includes eye-popping models, paintings, textiles, and other cultural objects from around the world to reveal the ways people throughout time have been inspired by nature to envision and depict these strange and wonderful creatures. Along the journey, visitors will encounter life-sized models of some of these creatures, including a mermaid, a unicorn and a kraken.

For more information, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

“Lewis Grizzard: In His Own Words” by Bill Oberst, Jr. At The ART Station From January 12 – 16, 2011

Bill Oberst, Jr. returns to ART Station for his 9th consecutive year to pay respect and honor Lewis Grizzard with the best of Grizzard’s stand-up comedy and selections from books and columns.

Bill has toured the US spreading Lewis’ unique writings and love of the South. Still revered nearly 17 years after his passing, Grizzard continues to strike a humorous chord within all true Southerners. "The audience laughed 'till they cried... funny and touching." Scott Harper, The Times

The performances are Wednesday morning, January 12 @ 10:30 a.m., Thursday – Saturday at 8:00 p.m. & Sunday, January 16 @ 3:00 p.m.

For more information, visit the ART Station. 

Stories with Santa - December 18, 2010 At The ART Station

Santa Claus tells us he loves Stone Mountain Village. Besides his home at the North Pole, Stone Mountain is his next favorite. So Santa has decided to hold a very special event at one of his favorite places in town, ART Station. The Elves have been hard at work and the event has been planned. All boys and girls, parents, grandparents and friends are invited to attend "Stories with Santa" from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 18.

Santa and his Elves invite you to come to ART Station (5384 Manor Drive) for lunch, and a performance in the Theatre by the "Jolly Ole Elf" himself. After the performance, Santa has arranged for good boys and girls to "whisper their Christmas wishes" into his ear.

For more information, visit the ART Station.

Radio Talk Show Host and Entertainer Steve Harvey to Appear at Stonecrest for Book Signing Event

One of America’s favorite entertainers, Steve Harvey who has spent over twenty years making millions of people laugh in his stand-up comedy appearances, on the big screen, television and his top-rated radio talk show host, will appear at the Mall at Stonecrest on Tuesday, December 14th at 6 p.m. to sign his new book: Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep and Understand a Man at Borders Stonecrest. To access the VIP meet and greet, each guest is required to have a newly purchased book from Borders Stonecrest. Proof of purchase is required.

The Mall at Stonecrest is located located off I-20, exit 75 Turner Hill Road in Lithonia, Georgia. For more information, visit the Mall at Stonecrest.

2010 DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau's Annual Holiday Luncheon at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center

DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau celebrated our Annual Holiday Luncheon on December 3, 2010 at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center. Speaking at the event were Dr. Jabari Simama, DeKalb County Chief of Staff and DeKalb County Commissioner, Larry Johnson.

Musical entertainment was provided by HighLeit from the DeKalb School of the Arts, who performed a variety of songs including a medley of  TV theme songs from the 1970s.

In attendance were representatives from DeKalb County hotels, attractions as well as political dignitaries and other distinguished guests.

Click Here for a Photo Gallery of the Event.

Winter Wonderland At Fernbank Museum Through January 5, 2011

Light up the holiday season with a festive tree display decorated by local community partners and Consulate offices. Fernbank’s first annual Winter Wonderland features more than 20 trees that will twinkle with lights, glimmer with color, and shine with a variety of cultural ornaments and emblems celebrating the diversity of groups, traditions, holidays and events around the world.

For more information, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Snow Mountain Opens December 11, 2010 At Stone Mountain Park

Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park transforms into a winter wonderland every year with Snow Mountain, Atlanta’s only snow park. Bundle your family up and get ready for snow tubing, snowballs, snowmen and snow angels. Snow Mountain’s state-of-the-art snow-making magic guarantees tons of fresh snow daily.

Based at Stone Mountain Park’s famous Laser Lawn, Snow Mountain keeps your entire family busy for hours. A 400’ foot tubing hill and a snow play area filled with a blizzard of snow activities make Snow Mountain Atlanta’s not-to-be-missed winter attraction.

Snow Mountain’s signature tubing hill is a snow adventure for your entire family. No previous experience or expensive equipment required. Whether you choose Tube Runners, ten lanes for single riders or Avalanche Alley, three lanes for multiple riders, there’s a thrill for everyone in your family. And with two Mountain SnoLifts to get you up the tubing hill, you’ll want to go again and again.

For more info, visit Snow Mountain. 

Stone Mountain Village's Christmas Tour of Homes on December 11, 2010

Stone Mountain Woman’s Club will be presenting their “Christmas Tour of Homes” from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM with lunch included in your ticket donation price of $20. Lunch will be served from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM at their clubhouse on E. Mountain Street next to Stone Mountain Park.

Included in the tour are 5 homes in the Stone Mountain Village area and one in Smokerise. You may purchase your tickets from any Club Member or at the Stone Mountain OPO Emporium (5379 E. Mountain St.), ART Station, or the Visitor’s Center in the red caboose.

Going Natives: The Lives and Uncertain Fate of American Wood Storks At Fernbank Museum Through January 9, 2011

This special exhibition features 19 large-scale black and white drawings, primarily in charcoal, by artist Lynne Moody. The artwork showcases wood storks as they feed, pair, nest, fly, socialize and enjoy other typical behaviors.

The collection also features man-made creations and animals that have a significant impact on wood stork ecology and survival. With water directly affecting the survival of wood storks, Going Natives, located on the gallery walls of the Museum’s Upper Level, is featured in conjunction with the special exhibition WATER.

For more information, visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History. 

The Alliance Theatre Presents "A Christmas Carol"

The most heartwarming story of the season comes to life on the Alliance Stage, with holiday carols, stunning stage magic, and your favorite Atlanta actors from11/26/2010 to 12/24/2010.

Journey with your family through the beloved Dickens tale, and witness Ebenezer Scrooge’s discovery of the true meaning of Christmas over the course of one fateful evening. Meet beloved characters along the way like the generous Mr. Fezziwig, the selfless and beautiful Belle, and the adorable Tiny Tim, and you too will discover again the joys of the holiday season in Atlanta.

The Alliance Theatre is located at the Woodruff Arts Center - 1280 Peachtree St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309. For more information, visit the Alliance Theatre.