You Know There's a Millennium Gate Museum, Right?

I just wanted to share a reminder that there's a fabulous museum "inside" the Millennium Gate at Atlantic Station. I've been through more than once and I'm so glad to have discovered it...highly recommend checking it out!

Millennium Gate at Atlantic Station

You're over there shopping, going to the movies, or checking out the exhibits inside Atlantic Station anyway, so check out the museum. It offers a unique perspective on Atlanta history. I think you'll be glad you did!

Orange at the Garden

Well, I wasn't meaning for this to be multiple posts about the Garden...you know I like to mix it up, but it's working out that way and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's the content that important, right? 

Last year I started a color series of photographs I'd made at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I've already done "green" and "purple" and I like those quite a lot. I've been collecting orange photos and would like to share those with you now.

I'd be remiss, since I'm talking about "orange", if I didn't mention the Orangerie at the Garden. It's part of the Fuqua Conservatory and very much worth making time to visit!

Orange was my favorite color growing up—now it's dark red—so these were a lot of fun to put together. I hope you enjoy them and I encourage you to make some themed photo albums from your visit to Atlanta and other travels.

You'll find even more over on the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page. 

Imaginary Frogs

A couple of days ago I blogged about "Imaginary Worlds" at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. If you've not yet been to see the exhibition, be sure to pop into the Orchid Center lobby to see the plant sculpture frogs! No, they're not part of Imaginary Worlds...they're much more!

Frog Sculptures, Atlanta Botanical Garden

The frog sculptures in the Orchid Center lobby are not part of the Imaginary Worlds exhibition, but they're just as brilliant in their own right. They are the re-imagined "Frelves" (frog elves) from the "Garden Lights, Holiday Nights" exhibition, displayed within a re-purposed Orchid Daze exhibition!

Frog Sculptures, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see the Garden re-use material from previous exhibitions...but more so to see it re-used so brilliantly! And it's great to see frogs represented, given the Garden's amphibian research and conservation efforts.

Frog Sculptures, Atlanta Botanical Garden

So, yes...the frog sculptures in the Orchid Center lobby are "larger than life", they're just not part of the Imaginary Worlds exhibition, but I do think they're a brilliant accompaniment to the exhibition, as I'm sure you will.

Imaginary Worlds: Plants Larger Than Life

Wow! Imaginary Worlds: Plants Larger Than Life at the Atlanta Botanical Garden would be beyond belief if its sculptures weren't so colossally larger than life—for real!

Imaginary Worlds, Ogre, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I'm hesitant to share too much about the exhibition because it truly is a must-see...and it's been predicted, by an external source, that 1,000,000 visitors will see Imaginary Worlds!

With that, I'm guessing it'd probably be better to see it sooner rather than later...because you know what happens when you wait until the last minute—you miss the exhibition entirely! You don't want that to happen...it's really that exceptional!

A few items:

• Imaginary Worlds was created by Mosaiculture out of Montreal, Canada
• There are 19 sculptures in the exhibition
• The sculptures are made entirely of living plants
• The tallest sculpture is 25 feet tall
• If you go to Cocktails in the Garden on Thursday nights, enjoy dramatic lighting

Now, here are some photos that I hope will entice you enough to go see this extraordinary exhibition in person:

Imaginary Worlds, Ogre, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Kids love the Ogre! And especially running through the space between his ears. Okay, okay...I admit it...I did it too, but only walked.

Imaginary Worlds, Earth Goddess, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Earth Goddess has already become a favorite. Visitors can see her from the entry drive, from the Canopy Walk, and on the Cascades Garden promenade. She's a towering 25 feet tall!!!

Imaginary Worlds, Cobras, Atlanta Botanical Garden

The pair of Cobras are a super fun surprise as you round the path leading from the Visitor Center, and they're a great photo op spot.

Imaginary Worlds, Unicorn, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I'm not sure who likes the Unicorn more...kids or grownups. The paparazzi are loving him though. He's going to be in a LOT of photographs!

Imaginary Worlds, Unicorn, Atlanta Botanical Garden

I really like this guy...I think partly because I've been streaming Merlin, a television show about Merlin at Camelot—the unicorn episode I recently saw was excellent!

Imaginary Worlds, Fish, Atlanta Botanical Garden

The Dancing Fish are brilliantly designed. When working out how to ensure all sides get adequate sunlight—standing still one side would be largely shaded by the Crape Myrtle Allee—it made total sense, and fun, to have them spin!

Imaginary Worlds, Rabbits, Atlanta Botanical Garden

The Rabbits are playful and adorable...and the red eyes totally give them credibility as authentic! You'll find them in the Orchard on the way to the Edible Garden.

Imaginary Worlds, Rabbits, Atlanta Botanical Garden

While the Rabbits totally look playful, I can't help but think that some of them look a little mischievous, too. The Orchard will be full of not carrots, but apples later in the season.

Imaginary Worlds, Rabbits, Atlanta Botanical Garden

While these little guys may not get carrots, they will be getting a lot of attention. I'm only showing some of the Rabbits here.

Imaginary Worlds, Dog, Atlanta Botanical Garden

The Shaggy Dog, in Storza Woods, is getting a lot of "Awwwww" from visitors who are surprised when they see him. And yes, he's made from living plants, too!

Well, that's all I'm going to show for now...there are other sculptures and some great background in the gallery of the Orchid Center, but I'm hoping you'll discover those in person. Come back and let me know what you think about Imaginary Worlds.

Flamingos at Zoo Atlanta

Did you know that there are only five or six species (depends on source) of Flamingos in the world? The flock at Zoo Atlanta are Chilean Flamingos and this beautiful flock are the welcoming committee—at "Flamingo Plaza"—just inside the entrance to Zoo Atlanta.

Chilean Flamingos at Zoo Atlanta

Having been born in Florida, Flamingos have long been a fun fascination for me. I'm sure at one point, we even had the plastic sort in our yard—you don't get much more Florida than that! But, the Flamingo has held much more prestigious roles throughout history, including the earthly incarnation of the Egyptian god Ra; their fat was once thought to cure tuberculosis; and today they're the national bird of The Bahamas.

I've never seen a flock of flying Flamingos, but have read that they can number into the thousands...can you imagine what that must look like?! As beautiful a sight as that must be, I think it'd give too many of us Atlantans Hitchcock flashbacks. Still...I'd love to see a flying flock.

Check out Zoo Atlanta, and remember, if you're on a budget, AtlanTix—Atlanta's same-day-half-off ticket office—often has discount tickets to attractions like the Zoo. Now go have a wild time and enjoy Zoo Atlanta!

Eero Saarinen, Master of 20th Century Architecture

Eero Saarinen may not be a household name today, but his legacy is known around the world—and will be for countless years to come. Saarinen is one of the more "prolific, unorthodox, and controversial"—and if I may add, quite brilliant—architects of the 20th Century. And you can learn all about him at the current exhibition at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA).

When you go see Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation, you'll immediately recognize Saarinen's work, which includes the Gateway Arch in St. Louis; the TWA Terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York; Yale's hockey rink; Kresge Chapel at MIT in Cambridge; and Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.

Eero Saarinen at MODA | TWA Terminal at JFK

Saarinen was born in Finland to an architect father and an artistic mother, who also built architectural models, and at the age of 12 won a matchstick design contest, the first of many, many awards he'd garner during his career.

One of the projects that I learned about at the exhibition was the Smithsonian Art Gallery, that was designed and accepted, but never built. It would have been built more than half a century ago at or very near where the current day Museum of the American Indian stands today on the National Mall. This was a very cool discovery, given that MODA is a Smithsonian Affiliate museum.

Eero Saarinen at MODA | Yale Hockey Rink

Saarinen's brilliance ended much to early. He passed away at only 51 following surgery on a brain tumor. Given his influence on our culture in the 20th Century, I wonder what marvels he may have created should he have had another 40 years to innovate.

Eero Saarinen at MODA | Gateway Arch in St. Louis

I wish that when I visited St. Louis many years ago that I had had time to go up in the Gateway Arch, but I did get to enjoy it from a distance. The structure is incredibly beautiful and I just learned that it's 630 feet high, taller than the Washington Monument by a full 75 feet! Also, the structure is as wide at its "feet" as it is tall. Fascinating structure!

Unfortunately, Saarinen never got to see the Gateway Arch built. Construction began two years after he died and opened two years after that.

Eero Saarinen at MODA | The Tulip Armchair

Saarinen was also a designer, with quite a bit of furniture and homes in his repitoire, including this 1955-1956 Tulip Armchair, noted for its similarity to the flower and a stemmed wine glass. Such elegance...and quite comfortable, too!

Eero Saarinen at MODA | Grasshopper Chair

I believe we'd be hard pressed to find a Mid-Century Modern enthusiast who isn't a fan of Saarinen's work. And who wouldn't be a fan...look at the design of his Grasshopper Chair! I can't honestly say that I'd fill my home with Mid-Century Modern furnishings, but I can certainly admire how stunningly beautiful this piece is.

Eero Saarinen at MODA | TWA Terminal at JFK

There's a LOT to take in at this exhibition, so allow plenty of time to explore. There's ample written material, photographs, models, furniture, two videos, and friendly staff there to answer questions you might have about the exhibition. 

Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation concludes at the end of June, but there's still some great programming coming up in association with the exhibition, and that will all culminate with a Mad Men closing party (mid-Century attire encouraged!). See you there!

Sweetwater Creek State Park

I couldn't believe how incredibly close Sweetwater Creek State Park is to Atlanta! And that it's a State Park that offers so much. 

Really...this Park is less than half an hour from Downtown Atlanta (we got there in like 20 minutes), not very far pass Six Flags on I-20 West. It has a LEEDs Certified Visitor Center—certified at the Platinum Level, I might add, making it one of the "greenest" buildings in the country. It has picnic areas, fishing—with a bait shop, boating, paddle boats, canoes, a playground, and so much more.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

The reason we went earlier today was for the hiking on the miles and miles of trails and to see the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a textile mill that met its demise during the American Civil War. The Mill ruins are located, of course, on the water and one of the trails runs along Sweetwater Creek to the Mill.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

The Mill originally opened as Sweetwater Factory in 1849 (construction began in 1846), later that year renamed the Sweetwater Manufacturing Company. Later, through a series of events that included a renaming of the local post office to the New Manchester Post Office and the selling of the property to the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, the Mill derived its final name.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

At five stories tall, the water wheel provided enough energy to power all the equipment in the Mill. That's 1840s technology folks...tell me of a building that does that today!

Sweetwater Creek State Park

With the onset of the American Civil War in 1861, the Confederate government contracted with the Mill to provide cloth for the Confederate Army. Sherman, knowing how important the Mill was, had it burned when he came through Atlanta and he relocated the towns population—mostly women and children at the time given that most of the men were off fighting the War.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

The museum is fascinating in its compactness, yet being filled with so much information, its range of artifact, the breadth of its stories, its use of multimedia, and it's housed in the Visitor Center which also has classrooms, a gift shop, and a snacks—we had ice cream before we started our miles and miles of hiking...a very good idea, I thought.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Sweetwater Creek it self is a beautiful one. And we got to enjoy quite a bit of it on the "Red" Trail. There are other trails (we took the Blue Trail back to the parking area), each with its own sights, length, and range of difficulty. 

I was told that the Red Trail is the most popular, mostly attributed to the ease of its terrain and that it's the quickest trail to the Mill ruins.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Like many other Parks and river walks I've explored, the paths are a combination of trails, bridges, steps, and boulders. There are also a lot of tree roots and slippery rocks...be sure to wear sensible shoes and definitely wear sunscreen. The trails are mostly shaded, but...you know the sunscreen drill.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Rapids are always great to see—and hear! And the Creek is so winding that we had a new view every few feet—linear and vertically...lots of fun to explore—and ponder the area's past.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

There are a number of curiosities as well. Nature—or possibly man-made—we noticed quite a few tree formations, bends, growths, hollowness, and other bizarre features that set our minds to racing wondering what could have caused 'that'?!

Sweetwater Creek State Park

And especially if you're there close to sunrise or sunset, look up...there are some gorgeous colors and shadows throughout the forests. 

There's so much more to learn here—and I recommend spending the day here. There's a lot to see and learn in the Museum—a lot of which will enhance your experience outside, but you'll of course want to make ample time to explore outside.