46. Tour of Southern Ghosts
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 498-5633
Description: In mid-October, something terrifying is happening out at the old plantation house. For more than two weeks, ghosts, monsters, and “haunts” take over the mansion at Stone Mountain. Storytellers spin webs of horror during evening candlelight tours of the antebellum plantation. Tours begin at 7 p.m.; the last tickets are sold at 9 p.m. You’ll pay $14 per adult and $6 per child (if you dare) in addition to the park’s daily fee—$10 per car.
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
48. Fright Fest
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 948-9290
Address: 275 Riverside Pkwy.
Description: There’s more than scary thrill rides at Six Flags Over Georgia theme park. The normally normal park becomes really scary when ghosts and goblins become part of the Halloween celebration; $44.99 for adults, $29.99 for children under 48 inches tall, and $10.00 for parking.
49. Latin American Film Festival
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 733-4570
Address: 1280 Peachtree Rd.
Description: Sponsored by the Latin American Art Circle ofthe High Museum of Art, this film festival is held throughout the month of October. Atlanta premieres of recent feature films from Latin America bring in film lovers and the cognoscenti. General admission is $7. High members, students and seniors pay $6. Frequently, talent from the films are present, and free receptions accompany the movies.
50. Lighting of Macy’s Great Tree
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 913-5639
Description: Rich’s, Atlanta’s homegrown department store, started this holiday tradition in 1948 downtown. But in 2000 the celebration moved to Buckhead and the flagship store at Lenox Square. At 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, thousands of Atlantans gather to sing carols with mass choirs and await the lighting of the Great Tree, an enormous evergreen decorated with basketball-size ornaments. Even the scroogiest Scrooge is hard-pressed to produce a “Bah, humbug!” when (during the highest note of “Oh, Holy Night”) the switch is thrown, and the huge tree explodes with light. To share the fun from your own home, tune in to the live broadcast on WSB-TV Channel 2.
51. A Southern Christmas
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (770) 498-5633
Description: From mid-November through the week after Christmas, the party is on at Stone Mountain. Running on Friday nights through December 15 and nightly thereafter (except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), there are horse-drawn carriage rides, a decorated plantation home, Christmas music, and a holiday laser show. The guest of honor, of course, is jolly ol’ St. Nick, accompanied by his merry elves. More than two million lights are strung throughout the park, and you can go on a driving tour to see all the designs. Admission is $10 per car, per day.
52. Christmas lights
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Load up the car with Grandma and the kids and see the holidays shine at several locations. Bring along some snacks and something to drink, because you will be in a parade of cars “ooing” and “ahhing” at the festive displays. Displays that charge an admission fee include Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, southwest of Atlanta; Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers; Lake Lanier Islands in Buford; and Château Élan in Braselton. Free car tours go through the north Georgia mountain town of Helen and the Life University campus in Marietta.
53. Christmas at Callanwolde
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 872-5338
Address: 980 Briarcliff Rd. NE
Description: The first two weeks of December, you’ll find Callanwolde bedecked in holiday finery. This elaborate 27,000-square-foot mansion was once home to the eldest son of Coca-Cola’s founder; now it’s operated as a fine arts center. Some 20,000 people tour the lavishly decorated home during this two-week event. A special attraction is holiday music played on the gigantic 3,752-pipe, 20,000-pound Aeolian organ, the largest of its kind still in playable condition, around which the house was built. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for children 4 through 12.
54. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Christmas Parade
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 325-6635
Description: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta sponsors this annual Christmas parade through downtown Atlanta. The largest parade in the Southeast, it begins at 10:30 a.m. at Marietta Street and International Boulevard and continues up Peachtree Street, where it concludes at the intersection of West Peachtree and Peachtree Streets at about 12:30 p.m. Held the first Saturday morning in December, the parade features giant balloons, celebrities, band, floats, and Santa Claus. WSB-TV 2 telecasts the parade live.
55. Atlanta Botanical Garden Country Christmas
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 876-5859
Address: 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE
Description: Since 1979, the Atlanta Botanical Garden has presented this one-day event, which attracts more than 20,000 visitors. The event is held the first Sunday afternoon in December. The garden and conservatory are bedecked in high holiday style, and there’s fun for the whole family. Vendors sell a variety of foods, plus fresh greenery, and Santa himself pops in. There’s very little parking on-site, so a free shuttle bus brings visitors from a nearby parking garage; call for location of the garage. Admission is free.
56. Atlanta History Center Candlelight Tours
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 814-4000
Address: 130 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW
Description: In early December, hundreds of candles illuminate acres of gardens and nature trails at the History Center in the heart of Buckhead. Traditional music and a bonfire enliven the Tullie Smith farmhouse; the grand 1928 Swan House mansion shimmers in holiday finery to the accompaniment of jazz music. Many of the center’s paths are unpaved and not suitable for wheelchairs, but center personnel will gladly make arrangements for physically challenged persons. Phone ahead for assistance.
57. The Atlanta Ballet
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 873-5811
Address: 660 Peachtree St. NE
Insider Pick:
Description: The Atlanta Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker, staged from early December through Christmas, has been a holiday tradition for a half a century. The production features an orchestra, a full company of dancers, and more than 200 children. Ticket prices range from $15 to $85. Senior and children discounts are available. Tickets go on sale in the beginning of August.
58. Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 586-8500
Description: The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Peach Bowl, is played in the Georgia Dome around New Year’s Eve each year. A big downtown parade preceding the game honors the collegiate contenders. Usually 20 to 30 high school marching bands from across the United States perform. Interspersed among floats and baton groups and old-fashioned cars are clowns and other street entertainment. The parade begins at North Avenue and West Peachtree Street, continues up Peachtree Street, and terminates at Centennial Park.
59. Atlanta Rings in the New Year
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (404) 523-2311
Address: 50 Upper Alabama St.
Description: A huge throng gathers every New Year’s Eve to ring out the old and ring in the new on the plaza at Underground. Never to be outdone by the Big Apple, Atlanta drops its own enormous piece of electrified fruit (a big peach, of course!) down a tower to mark the beginning of the New Year. It’s fun and free, but not for the claustrophobic.