Yonah Mountain Vineyards in Georgia is as pretty as any plot in Napa Valley or the Loire Valley. It’s arguably the best Georgia winery. The octagonal tasting room (the only one I’ve ever seen), sprawling patios and event venues are luxurious. Yet the staff is still down home and friendly. I think that comes from top down.
Gather ‘round festival, an upscale-meets-down home food and cocktail experience. On October 14-17, 2021, this culinary experience pairs with arts and music at Epicurean Atlanta. Epicurean Atlanta is a brand new hotel in Midtown Atlanta that is food-focused and dedicated to culinary experiences.
Jada Loveless is a Southern, luxury handbag designer who exudes grace and elegance. The same goes for her gorgeous luxury handbags.
Lisa Rayner is a PR maven, writer and a fan of other Southern women living in Atlanta. This fashionista has lived nine lives and is writing a tell all book.
After a year stuck at home, it’s time for Atlantans to explore new places, try new experiences, and immerse yourself in arts and culture again. It may also be time to treat your sweetheart to a night out. We’ve got three of the best date ideas in Atlanta for those who love Insta-worthy moments and all things experiential.
I know I’m Two-Sided Southern when I’m in my hometown of Atlanta, and the small turn-of-the-century bungalows of Decatur and Candler Park delight me as much as the ornate Victorians of Inman Park. The Greek revival homes with their stately white columns across Middle Georgia are as pretty to me as the smaller tudors with their sloping roofs that have been left untouched around my neighborhood of Lake Claire and Druid Hills.
I am always fascinated by what outsiders think of the South or Southerners and their style. Most southerners are stylish, and many people find that surprising. Not me.
I have this odd habit of each time I choose a fancy restaurant for a nice evening out with my husband or friends, I go looking around for somewhere divey nearby to go to after. Do any other Southerners do this?
Try this foodie-lover’s list of my favorite high- and low-brow restaurants in Atlanta. It’s a mix of casual and fine dining around the city.
For someone who grew up in the South, what is known as low brow culture—state fairs, pimento cheese, field parties, honky tonk bars—is entangled in all the memories that make my heart ache for a simple, perfect way of life. But at the same time, my parents were well-traveled, voracious readers, loved the theater and arts, and made sure to instill an appreciation for sophisticated, more esoteric culture in me.
I can remember attending the Georgia Shakespeare Festival in Atlanta from first grade through my twenties, going to see new exhibits at galleries and also carving out time for Atlanta’s smaller theater productions. But here’s where I’m Two-Sided Southern: Booting-up for Pioneer Days in Acworth and eating corn dogs was a highlight of my youth, pre-partying in a field before hitting up a summer country concert at Lakewood Amphitheater, and stomping over crushed peanut shells at Buckhead Saloon were also uniformly appealing in my upbringing.
Being Two-Sided Southern means I am equally as comfortable at a Monster Truck rally as I am opening night for the latest exhibition at High Museum of Art, or at a University of Georgia tailgate party with a red Solo cup in my hand as at a $1,000-a-ticket fundraising gala for the Atlanta History Center. I’ve also lived in New York City a couple of times in my life. Does that mean I get conflicted? Yes. Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to ride two horses with one ass. But instead of hiding one side of me from the other, I decided to embrace it all and start this site for people like me. Those Southerners who feel torn between two worlds, but also feel at home in both as well.
It also means that while I’m a career woman through and through, I adore being a mom and hands-on parent. So, like many women I know in the South juggling both, I want to give (and take!) mom advice and tips on the coolest places around town to shuttle my kids as well as advice on how to navigate leading a team, handling office culture and more. So you’ll see a little of that peppered in around here.
If you ever feel Two-Sided Southern too, then pitch a woo, ‘cause you’ve come to the right place. A place where an affinity for both cheese grits and caviar mean you have great taste.
