Saturday, July 4, 2015

Big Zombie Tour 2: Locked Up With Daryl

I got locked up with Daryl Dixon. Let the jealousy commence.

Atlanta Movie Tours' "Big Zombie Tour 2" is overwhelmingly fun! And whether you think Daryl is sexy hot or just a total badass—and let's be honest, he's both—you're in for treat after treat after treat on this tour.


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

Big Zombie Tour - Part 2 begins in Woodbury—Senoia, Georgia—but goes to several of the other nearby towns where The Walking Dead has filmed. I'm blown away at how they condense so much excitement into a mere few hours...we saw a LOT! We even drove by the "Pudding House", which I was really hoping we'd do. No rooftop excursions, but I left with a craving for chocolate pudding. Thanks, Carl!  

Our tour guide was Michelle and this was my first time on her tour. I've been on tours with Sally, Kathryn, and Charlie over the last couple of years, so this was a new experience. She totally nailed it, of course. Atlanta Movie Tours knows how to select fantastic tour guides! And they all work in the industry...cinema and/or television, that is.


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

This was my second Big Zombie Tour of the day. If you've not read about my Big Zombie Tour - Part 1 yet, you can read it here. Earlier in the day I'd been on Part 1, my second time doing that tour, but this was my first Big Zombie Tour - Part 2 experience and my first time to Senoia.

Doing both tours in a single day made for a long day, but it's one of those times that you're having so much fun, you don't realize just how quickly the hours are passing. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

Senoia, also known as Woodbury (photo) in The Walking Dead, is a cozy, comfortable little town with more to see and do than you might think.This quaint, quite town has been in dozens of movies and it's near some other awesome Georgia attractions, such as Callaway Gardens

On this particular tour, there were five of us from Part 1 who rode the bus to Senoia, but if you're not doing both tours on the same day, I'd recommend driving down earlier and making a day of exploring Senoia before your Part 2 tour. Ask for dining recommendations when you get there.

Big Zombie Tour - Part 2 launches from Woodbury Shoppe, which has a The Walking Dead museum downstairs. That's where I got locked up with Daryl. It's a modest size gallery, but all the artifacts were used in the series, which knocks the awesome-factor higher than you can blow the CDC! (Don't get offended...it's a reference to an early TWD season.)

There are a number of other shops also on the lower level, including a brilliant coffee shop called "The Waking Dead Cafe" that features your typical coffees (regular, latte, cappuccino, etc.), but with super-fun undead names. I'm told that they're working on a website, so I'll come back and hyperlink to it when I learn it's live, here's the link to their Facebook page in the meantime. The staff is super friendly and they were playing Star Trek on their TV, so you can imagine I was so at home...zombie AND Spock! 

I didn't have a coffee—I was already so wired from all the adrenaline from the day's zombie tours—but, was thrilled to see that they carry King of Pops...so I had pop!


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

Michonne is a badass, totally awesome and one of my favorite characters from The Walking Dead...and someone I'd very much like to keep on my good side. To visit the site where she—yet once again—proved her badass-ness was fantastic!

Now, let me ask...what's scarier than zombies coming at you when you're tied up and imminently dinner for the undead? You'll find out on the tour, and no, it's not the blood stain on #14. 


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2, Zombie Arena
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2 | Zombie Arena

You know...it's pretty awesome to be in the Zombie Arena without being forced to compete or actually being on the menu. 

I think one of the things that I enjoy most about The Walking Dead has been to watch the characters change, grow and develop as human beings. No one can know the person they would become in the face of a zombie apocalypse. If I had to choose who I would want most to be like, it'd probably be Daryl, except for the rodent-eating parts (blech).

But the character I think I'd be most like, thinking realistically, is Andrea. She gets a bad rap for making some really bad decisions, but she goes through so much...desperation, heartbreak, helplessness, but she eventually becomes another badass on the show. She's remarkable! They all are! Except for Merle...he was just bad. Great actor, but an angry and despicably mean character.


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2 | Zombie Arena

I absolutely love what Atlanta Movie Tours offers tourists, visiting and local. The opportunity to experience filming locales, to walk in celebrities' footsteps, to see in-person what you've thoroughly enjoyed on the big screen or in the comfort of your own home...being "there" is truly fantastic!

I'm fascinated by the profession of location scout. When I lived in DC, working in the Communications Department for an aerospace company, I was contacted and met with a location scout looking to film a movie about everyday items that "transform" into other things. I worked in a 1,000,000 square feet award-winning building—loved that building—and even though we weren't a match for that film, it was uber cool to be approached and to tour the scout around the building. That building had been the site for other movies, but that's another story for another time.


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

It was totally awesome to visit Morgan's apartment (above). And not far from there are the sites of the pharmacy Glenn would "shop" to and the bar where Hershel went when he was on the verge. It's amazing how emotionally involved we get with characters on a television show or in a book. I'm guilty, and happy to say so.

I remember when I was a kid and hearing my mother  talk about soap opera characters with her friends. It took me a while to discern if she was talking about someone she knew or about a television show. I totally get it now! 

I think the strongest bond I've had with a television character, that I've not met, was Captain Kathryn Janeway (portrayed brilliantly by Kate Mulgrew). As I sat watching the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager, not surprisingly I found myself crying...happy that they did such a remarkable job on the last show of  the seven-year run, and because I was going to miss Janeway so much. Thank goodness for DVDs!

I can't imagine the emotional toll the series finale of The Walking Dead will cause, around the globe! Fortunately, it doesn't look like we have to worry about that for quite some time.


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

I used to be shy at parties. Not so much anymore. Isn't it a drag when you meet someone at a party who's just not a great conversationalist? That's a major problem with party zombies, with their limited vocabulary and their being hungry all the time. Just sayin'.

They're great, though, when you want to be the better looking man in a room. This guy (photo) still has better bone structure, damn it...but at least I have a nose!

I want to say "Thank you" to Cindy, our tour expediter, who made the above photo. We connected on Facebook after my first Atlanta Movie Tours tour early last year, but this was the first time we really got to talk. She's a lot of fun and such a gracious tour guide...and she makes great photos!


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

You know that question, "Who would you like to have dinner with, living or dead?" Well, assuming you don't want to be a zombie's dinner, "Who would you rather have a drink with, Rick or the Governor?"

This was an awesome stop on the tour...the meeting place where "terms" for peace were to be discussed, but things don't always go the way we expect, right? Unless you're watching a series about the undead, and then you can pretty much expect that there's not a fairy-tale ending. Funny how this show keeps you coming back for more, and more, and more...


Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2
Atlanta Movie Tours | Big Zombie Tour - Part 2

I've only shared a few of the awesome sites you'll see on Big Zombie Tour 2. And remember, on each tour they'll have trivia with prizes, a game of "Who Said...?", video clips of The Walking Dead scenes of sites you're seeing in real-time...and so much more, including a digital souvenir group photo! And remember to bring your camera (with extra batteries and memory card).  

Woodbury Shoppe stays open for about 30 minutes after the Atlanta Movie Tours group returns, which so many of us appreciated! I was super excited to see that they carry both of Greg Stones' zombie books! You may recall that he gave me an interview a couple of years ago. Greg is a super nice guy...his books and humor make me laugh unlike anything else on the planet!

Quick! Get your tickets to Atlanta Movie Tours' "Big Zombie Tour 2"...BEFORE the zombie apocalypse! You never know what might happen...you might see or meet a cast member, you might see a zombie, if you're lucky you might even get locked up with Daryl. 

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