2013...A Photo Review of the Year

It's not until I look back through the wanderlust ATLANTA blog that I realize just how much I did in a year, and 2013 was quite a busy year. I'd like to share some of my favorite photos from the year, which do not necessarily cover all of my favorite places, but 25 photos that I really like...I hope you enjoy.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Since today is New Year's Eve, why not start with a glass of bubbly. This shot was made at the Blooms & Bubbly event at the Atlanta Botanical Garden back in the spring.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

"Go Braves" took on a whole new meaning this year, with their announcement that they've moving to Cobb County. But I've been a loyal fan since 1990, so I'm sure I'll still go to see the occasional Atlanta Braves game.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I just love this photo! This was made in one of the permanent galleries at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I love this photo, too! This was made at the currently being renovated Delta Flight Museum, which I believe is slated to reopen in mid-2014.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Getting to tour Fire Station #19 was so much fun! "Thank you" to our first responders for everything you do all year long!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love going to DragonCon, and the great admiration I have for the conventioneers who create their own costumes. This was a 2013 favorite!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

What a wonderful find! Only an hour north of Atlanta, Gibbs Gardens is one of the most remarkable gardens I've visited. So much so that I bought a Four Season Pass, so you'll see more from here.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The World of Shells at Fernbank is an exhibit that I wish got more attention...the collection is truly quite remarkable.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Having lived in Greece for more than two years, attending the annual Greek Festival on Clairmont Road is a treat in culture, tastes, music, and nostalgia.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I have loved Rhodes Hall since the very first time I saw it. That it's garnered the name The Castle on Peachtree I think is very befitting. 

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Scarecrows in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is such a fun and festive exhibition. This year's bought in a record number of scarecrows, many of which were quite impressive!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The Museum of Design Atlanta is one of my favorite museums, in large part because of the "community" they've created. One of the ways they do that is through Field Trip. This chandelier was at DEX Industries when we visited earlier this year.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

It's not very often one gets to pose with creatures of this sort, so I love it when such opportunities present themselves. If you couldn't guess, this is at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

One of the great pleasures of being a tourism blogger is the opportunity to discover exhibitions an destinations that most would not...and then sharing said discoveries with one's readers. This painting of Joan Crawford I discovered in an exhibition at Arts Clayton.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

So, I visited Gibbs Gardens twice in 2013, once in the summer and once for their Japanese Maple Festival. I'll be going back in the spring to see their 20 million daffodils!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I can hardly wait to go back to Medieval Times...what a fun experience! You get a "medieval" dinner--that you get to eat with your hands!--and a professional horse show, sword fighting, jousting...there's a lot going on here!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I visited a lot of churches this year during Phoenix Flies, a program early in the year that facilitates hundreds of free tours around Atlanta. 

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

I'm learning more and more about the Atlanta Beltline and look forward to further tours. This work of art on the Beltline spoke to my love of columns, which perhaps stems from living in Greece?

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

As a photographer, I'm always on the lookout for beauty, and you can find it in the most unexpected places. These poppies were in a flower bed on the property of the Atlanta History Center...love them!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Piedmont Park was the very first destination I blogged about more than three years ago and I still enjoy my visits there, which are fairly regular.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The High Museum of Art is renowned for its spectacular exhibitions. The currently running Paris on Peachtree delights on numerous levels.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a wondrous place, a place where you not only have the opportunity to increase one's knowledge of the world, but that also a place that inspires the imagination.

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

The new 20-story SkyView Atlanta Ferris Wheel has caught the attention of thrill-seeking Atlantans and visitors, alike. And it offers views of Atlanta that no other attraction can!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Atlanta tourist destinations also offer some brilliant holiday photography, such as this dinosaur at Fernbank which I edited to be somewhat ghostly for a Halloween announcement. Great fun!

2013 Year in Review, wanderlust ATLANTA

Atlanta's public art is quite phenomenal, in large part significantly increased in profile by winning the 1996 Olympic Games. This sculpture, The Flair, stands proudly outside Georgia Dome.

Well, there are approximately a bazillion more photos I'd love to share with you, but go enjoy your New Year's Even and Day. Have a wonderful time exploring Atlanta, exploring your own backyard, and showing friends and family around our beautiful city.

Happy New Year!

Travis

Gibbs Gardens' Japanese Maples

There more than 2,000 Japanese Maples at Gibbs Gardens, so you can imagine just how incredibly beautiful the Gardens are right now—during their first annual Japanese Maples Festival.

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

This weekend is peak, however I can't imagine the Maples being more beautiful than when I saw them only a week ago. 

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

Gibbs Gardens has a remarkable Japanese Garden that's more than 40 acres, the largest in the Southeast! However, the Japanese Maples are throughout the more than 220 acres of display gardens.

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

I'd heard about Gibbs Gardens, but wasn't told how incredibly remarkable and stunning it is. Nor was I told of the scale. This particular trip was my second visit, and this time I purchased a "Four Seasons Pass" (membership), so I'll be returning for the Daffodil Festival in the spring, which features 20 million—yes, 20 MILLION—daffodils!

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

If someone asked me what I like most about Gibbs Gardens, I'd be hard pressed to answer...there's so much to like! Of course the Japanese Garden is one that I've spent hours in during both of my 2013 visits there, but I think I'm most impressed with the kindness and knowledge of the volunteers. They're first-class people!

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

If you're anything approaching the tourist that I am, your camera is practically a living appendage, one that pains you to be without. I made 757 photos on this trip, but the friend I visited with beat me by nearly 500 photos...together, we made 2,026 photographs!

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

I was thrilled to learn that a few other friends were in Ball Ground, Georgia, to experience the Japanese Maples Festival, and very excited that more and more people are learning about Gibbs Gardens.

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

When you visit, look all around...forward, upward, backward...there are more photo ops than you can possibly imagine!

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

Keep an eye out for art in the Gardens, including quite a few lanterns throughout the Japanese Garden, of varying styles.

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

And keep in mind that not all photos of the Japanese Maples are on the trees...

Japanese Maples Festival, Gibbs Gardens

If you have time, the Japanese Maples Festival is technically still going on for a few more days. And definitely put the Festival on your radar for next year. As a matter of fact, Gibbs Gardens has flower festivals throughout most of the year. See you there!

Shadow Pix Around Atlanta

Certainly you've done a "series" of photos in various locations? One of my favorites, being the sci-fi fan I am, are my "Vulcan Salute" photos...and I have quite the collection amassed.

However, instead of those, I'm going to share with you some of my Atlanta-based "Shadow Pix," which were made at a number of locations around town...enjoy!

Shadow Pic at the Atlanta Cyclorama

Atlanta Cyclorama

Shadow Pic at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Shadow Pic at the Georgia Capitol Building

Georgia State Capitol Building

Shadow Pic at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Vulcan Salute

Atlanta Botanical Garden (I had to get at least one Vulcan salute in there!)

Shadow Pic at Underground Atlanta

Underground Atlanta

Shadow Pic at Historic Grant Park

Historic Grant Park

Shadow Pic at Barrington Hall

Barrington Hall

Shadow Pic at Centennial Olympic Park

Centennial Olympic Park

Shadow Pic at the Millennium Gate

Millennium Gate

Shadow Pic at the Swan House

The Swan House

Shadow Pic at Woodruff Park

Woodruff Park

The beauty of this kind of series of photos is that they force you to view your surroundings in a different "light," so to speak. You definitely see your surroundings in a way you wouldn't otherwise.

So...go have some fun with a creative series of photos. The possibilities are endless!

Remember to Look Up

Remember to look up once and a while. You might be surprised at what you see.

The Fox Theatre & Bank of America Plaza

I really like this photo. I'd been at this vantage point a bazillion times before, but never noticed how these two structures fit together like a puzzle, while showing the incredibly wide range of architecture in Atlanta. 

And I only would have noticed it at the exact point where I happened to look up. Remember the Swan House photo I made this summer when the moon was uncovered for just a moment? Again, this was superbly serendipitous.

Just for the record, this is The Fox Theatre (left) and the Bank of America Plaza (right). The Fox is Moorish in design and opened in 1939 and the Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta's tallest building (and the tallest in the Southeast as well as the tallest building in any state capital), is of postmodern design and opened in 1992. Quite a difference to fit together so well, right?

Remember to stop by the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page for more tourist information and lots more photos!