Scarecrows in the Garden 2018

Scarecrows in the Garden, at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, is one of my favorite autumn events. The cleverness alone will make you love that you visited.

Scarecrows in the Garden | "The Greatest Crowman" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I've not yet seen The Greatest Showman, but I immediately recognized the cleverness of "The Greatest Crowman"...isn't this wonderful?! I think Hugh Jackman himself would be impressed.

The exhibition is open Tuesday – Sunday, 9am through 7pm and it's open late on Thursday evenings, through 9pm for Fest-of-Ale.

(NOTE: The Garden is closed on Mondays, except for some Monday holidays and Holiday Lights.)

Scarecrows in the Garden | "Indiana Bones" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I'm a huge fan of the Indiana Jones franchise, so to see something this clever—"Indiana Bones"—for Scarecrows in the Garden was pure awesomeness! Of course, I don't think Harrison Ford does or ever did have a "straw belly"...then again, Indiana did imbibe the amber liquors, right?

Scarecrows in the Garden | "The Turnerverse" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I don't get most of the references in this one, but I still think it's brilliantly done and the kooky owls are hilarious! 

If you're going on a Thursday evening during Fest-of-Ale, be sure to head straight to the two-acre Children's Garden where you'll find a great many of the scarecrows in the exhibition. I say go there first because, historically, they close the Children's Garden at dusk.

Scarecrows in the Garden | "Midtown Mayhem" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

If you've ever seen Godzilla (1954) (2014) or King Kong (1933) (2017), you'll appreciation "Midtown Mayhem", created by a Midtown apartment building team.

There's a LOT going on in the Garden in October, so you'll get to see much more than these awesome scarecrows. Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time is on display through Sunday, October 28, the same day that Scarecrows in the Garden closes.

Scarecrows in the Garden | "The Candy Horns" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"The Candy Horns" took 1st Place! I'm not sure in which category, though...there are two: professional (a team with anyone who is paid for professional design services) and nonprofessional (families, individuals, clubs, etc.).

If you have little ones, mark you calendars and make sure they have their costumes by Sunday, October 28...the Garden will be hosting its annual Goblins in the Garden!

From 10am through 4pm your kids can walk the Goblin’s Runway, enjoy some fall themed art activities, listen to a storyteller, and enjoy TRAIN and PONY rides! And for you adult goblins, there will be a cash bar...there's something for everyone! 

Scarecrows in the Garden | "The Huntress" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"THE HUNTRESS - Thrift Shop Style" is delightfully brilliant! Look at her...she's on a mission!

She's got the right idea. There's so much to see at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! I try to visit all 30 acres every time I go. Because we have such a long growing season in Atlanta, the Garden never looks the same meaning there's always something new to see! 

Scarecrows in the Garden | "Indecisive Imagination" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I love the scarecrows with bright colors! "Indecisive Imagination" totally embraces vivid colors and yet is so serene at the same time.

I usually go early October to see the scarecrows so that I have time to see them again, but it's been a busy month. There's so much going on in town! On this recent visit, I went with my friend Gordon, a friend of 30 years and he's a Certified Master Gardener. It was fun visiting with someone who knows so much of the flora we were seeing!

We were pondering which sculpture the Garden will keep after the two-year run of Imaginary Worlds (the Garden is wonderful about keeping a piece of art/artifact after its special exhibitions—that's how we got Earth Goddess!). We tossed around a few ideas and landed on the Phoenix overlooking Longleaf Restaurant.

As we walked down the Promenade, we noticed that the Phoenix's exterior plant material had been removed—as has Earth Goddess's in preparation for her transformation into Ice Goddess for Garden Lights, Holiday Nights. We ventured up to Alston Overlook—the highest point in the Garden and where the Phoenix is located—and sure enough, there's a sign with a rendering of what the Phoenix will look like during Garden Lights, Holiday Nights! Exciting!!!

Scarecrows in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Didn't catch the name or creator of this bright purple dinosaur with yellow wings, but it took 3rd Place, so that says something...I like it a lot! A festive dinosaur...what's not to like?!

They say 'membership has its privileges', and it does. I've been a member for many, many years and it's probably the membership I use most, because it's such a lovely place to visit AND because of the vast amount of programs and exhibitions...there's always something to do at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Become a member and find out for yourself! You'll get to see Scarecrows in the Garden, and other exhibitions free! #notsponsored

Scarecrows in the Garden | "Skel-ELTON JOHN" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I had the honor of meeting Sir Elton John many, many moons ago at a party where he played for a modest group of guests. Delightful, charming, and incredibly talented! It was so exciting to meet him and I was impressed by how humble he was. I can only imagine the number of ways he's been immortalized, now including at Scarecrows in the Garden playing piano!

If you love the scarecrows here, head up to this Garden's annex and see Scarecrows in the Gainesville Garden!

Scarecrows in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Be sure to read the "scroll" at the base of this one...there's some Shakespeare in the mix. I love its title: "If the Phoenix Bird can fly, then so can I". I was there at dusk, so if you see her in daylight, she'll be even more brilliantly colorful!

There you go...a sampling of the approximately 100 scarecrows in this years Scarecrows in the Garden at the always beautiful Atlanta Botanical Garden. Go enjoy them through Sunday, October 28!

Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time

The newest exhibition at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is exciting beyond words...you must see it in real-life! It takes you to a time when you loved playing make-believe, a time of fairy-tales, a time of larger-than-life mysterious and mythical creatures...it takes you to "Imaginary Worlds".

Dragon | Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Atlantans and tourists were blown away when Imaginary Worlds came to the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2013 and again in 2014. The new exhibition, Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time, far surpasses the wonderment we we knew then, as impossible as that sounds. 

The Dragon on the Great Lawn has become an immediate visitor favorite, and be sure to not miss the Sleeping Princess in the flower bed at its feet.

I've already seen the exhibition numerous times, with my 20+ years friend Jeff and fellow friends, my foodie friend Sally, my dear friend Katherine from D.C. who now lives in Florida, and I got to go on the media preview before the exhibition opened to the public...the sculptures have grown in nicely since then. And I'm going back at least a few times in the next couple of months! 

"Imaginary Worlds was just so incredibly popular with our guests that we just had to bring it back—but with an all-new twist," said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO, who had assumed leadership of the Garden only a couple of years before she bought Chihuly to to the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2004 (the first time), the grandest visionary move since the Conservatory opened in 1989.

Pegasus | Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time is a storybook-themed exhibition, featuring magical and mythical creatures in more than a dozen installations displayed outdoors and indoors.

Cocktails in the Garden is back, too! That means you get to see the sculptures dramatically lit as the sun goes down. Some of the creatures have illuminated eyes, including the Pegasus, that are more like catchlight than glowing...they're spectacular! 

The hours for Cocktails in the Garden have changed to half an hour earlier. It's now 5:30pm to 9:30pm, which is great news for those of us who enjoy going straight from the office.

Phoenix | Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

As if the sculptures alone weren't exciting enough, Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time is a two-year exhibition! This year it runs through Sunday, October 28, but don't wait. Once you've seen it the first time, you'll want to go again and again and again.

The sculptures were created by International Mosaiculture of Montreal and were then transported in environmentally-controlled trucks more than 1,200 miles to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It took a period of time to complete the installation once onsite.

Phoenix | Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Being three-dimensional, be sure to take advantage of seeing the whole of the sculptures that you can, particularly the Phoenix. You can't miss the Phoenix as you walk up the Promenade toward Longleaf restaurant. It's perched on the edge of Alston Overlook, the highest point in the Garden.

During one visit, there was a storyteller who dramatically told the story of the Phoenix and its connection to Atlanta...not a boring recant of historical facts (don't get me wrong, I love history), but a fantastical regaling of the rebirth of Atlanta!

Fire Artist| Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Speaking of fiery events, there was also a roving barker and fire artist who put on a spectacular show! There's lots of entertainment, a bit of it roving, so keep your eyes out! 

Camels| Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Be sure to check out the Skyline Garden, behind the Conservatory and Orchid Center, where you'll see a trio of traveling Camels, and if you're there for Cocktails in the Garden, there's another bar over there, that probably has the shortest line!

Faerie| Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The sculptures are not the only magical creatures in the Garden! On one particular evening, there was a violin-playing faerie!

I don't know what other entertainment is planned for Cocktails in the Garden, but it's so far been absolutely fantastical! Do say "Hello!" and ask to make a photo with them...the entertainers have all been wonderfully friendly.

Woolly Mammoth | Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

While I love the dragon and the phoenix, the Woolly Mammoth is monumentally magnificent! And it's a natural fit in its Atlanta Botanical Garden habitat. 

Some of the creatures are seemingly hidden, but if you miss one going in one direction, you'll see it on your return. My recommendation is that you pick up an exhibition map upon arrival so that you're sure not to miss anything! 

Earth Goddess | Imaginary Worlds | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

We here in Atlanta have enjoyed Earth Goddess (Ice Goddess during the holiday lights show) and Shaggy Dog since the 2013 exhibition and they're as delightful as ever. 

If you're visiting Atlanta or going to the Garden for the first time for the first time in many years, Earth Goddess was one of the sculptures that we kept after that exhibition finished, like the three Chihuly glass sculptures we kept after their respective exhibitions.

Atlanta Botanical Garden Gainesville is in on the action, too! They're hosting the Ogre that we enjoyed a few years back. For a creature known to not have a terribly pleasant disposition, this Ogre is so much fun! Their exhibition is Imaginary Worlds: Ogre and Friends, some of the friends being Pandas!!!

Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is a must-see to get a true sense of the wonders that Atlanta offers and Cocktails in the Garden, on Thursday evenings, is perfect for a date night, a get together with friends, and definitely for "something different" to do. See you there!

Atlanta Blooms! 2017

Happy first day of Spring! 

Now is a perfect time to visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden, specifically for its annual Atlanta Blooms! exhibition. 

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Although we had an extremely mild winter—seems last week was our "whole" winter—the Atlanta Botanical Garden is filled with thousands and thousands of daffodils, tulips and countless other blooms! Right now! 

The photos in this post were made just yesterday, March 19, the last day of winter. Hard to believe, but true story!

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

My favorite flower is the tulip. 

I think this is greatly in part due to a story my mother told me as a child. As it goes, we were visiting my grandmother and little Travis, barely old enough to walk, comes into the house bearing a single stemmed blossom, saying, "Flower, Mommy, flower!" 

That flower was the only surviving tulip in grandmother's garden following a harsh freeze. And I picked it. Sweet and innocent, I was. I've loved tulips all my life because of that story. I miss my grandmother Evelyn dearly.

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

If you've not been to the Garden in the last few or couple of weeks, get there soon so you can see the "field" of tulips surrounding the "Water Mirror", accented by the Dale Chihuly Saffron Tower, the sculpture we got to keep after last summer's Chihuly in the Garden exhibition. They're spectacular!

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I was afraid that last week's freezing temperatures would have wiped out all the new blooms, but Garden staff either took great measure to protect them or planted extremely hardy varieties. I'm grateful either way. 

I know that the Garden plants tulips (at least a great many) that will thrive even though mild winters. A lot of tulips, as I understand it, require a number of days of below-freezing temperatures to—in the spring—reach their full potential height. But tulips and everything else pictured here are thriving, despite the recent freezing temperatures! 

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I read in National Geographic Magazine—known for its magnificent photography—many, many years ago that the optimum times for photos are sunrise and sunset. I "listened" to that and do my best to take advantage of that wonderful lighting. I get super excited when I see the results of such lighting. If only it weren't so fleeting.

The photo above is one that had the sunlight behind it. I encourage you to get creative and not assume that "back lighting" is a bad thing. With digital cameras—the freedom to make hundreds of photos in a single outing, if not more—there's ample opportunity to explore and discover what works and what doesn't. 

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Make all the "tiptoe through the tulips" jokes you want (there's a lot more history to this song than most know)...the bottom line is that Atlanta Blooms! is one of the most magnificent flower displays in all of Atlanta! Please, do make time to see it.

This display has encouraged many Atlantans to plant more spring bulbs in their own gardens. The Atlanta Botanical Garden has been a wonderful influence on beautifying out city!

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I encourage you to get "up close and personal" with the flowers in this exhibition, while respecting the Garden, of course. 

It's not respectful or polite, to the Garden or other Garden visitors, to trample into flower beds to get the "perfect" shot. It's not enjoyable for others when beds are disrupted and plants damaged for the sake of a picture. Enjoy the Garden, but please leave it intact for others to enjoy. I'm just sayin'.

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

While I like to play with light, there's the occasional shot with full-on sunshine that makes for a decent photo. 

If you're a budding photographer, I encourage you to experiment—and to read, read, read up on tips and best practices for optimal photographs. Just imagine how amazing your photos will be if you build on what others have already learned and then let loose your imagination on top of that!

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

This particular flower fascinates me! To me, it looks like a praying mantis with Phoenix wings! You see it, don't you? And it's a tulip!

Have you seen Santa Mantis during "Garden Lights, Holiday Nights"? 

Atlanta Blooms! 2017 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Get to the Garden soon so you can enjoy Atlanta Blooms! and if you visit by April 9, you'll also get to enjoy this year's spectacular Orchid Daze!

When planning your visit, be sure to check the Garden's website for other programs on or around you planned visit. There's always something "blooming" at the Garden!

Center for Puppetry Arts: A Hidden Jim

Center for Puppetry Arts

The Center for Puppetry Arts, in Midtown, Atlanta, is the largest non-profit organization dedicated to the art of puppetry in the United States and one of the most surprisingly amazing hidden gems in the city. Rather, I should write hidden "Jim's" in the city…as in Jim Henson, the 20th Century puppetry pioneer and father of the Muppets.

Kermit the Frog and Jim Henson (Kermit's creator) cut the ceremonial ribbon opening the doors of the Center for Puppetry Arts in September 1978. Henson returned 10 years later to perform, with a Muppets ensemble, two shows of "The Muppets Take Atlanta." I so wish I had seen that show!

Only one year before, in 1987, I had driven by the Center for Puppetry Arts for the first time. I'd since wondered "what's inside?" I knew from the obvious size of the buildings that there must be a lot going on inside, but I never heard anything about it.

It wasn't until today, in November 2010 and countless pass-bys since, that I realized that the Center is quite a major production.

Inside, the Center is home to a massive museum featuring thousands of puppetry artifacts, including puppets of all sizes, props, sketches, videos and a lot more, which is a mere percentage of the Center's permanent collection. The Center also has performance spaces, educational facilities and a gift shop.

The Muppets

Growing up with an always-makes-me-smile fondness for the Muppets (The Muppet Show), I want to begin my recanting of this visit—this discovery—with the Jim Henson exhibits. While I indulged in a guided tour, keep in mind that a visitor who is on a self-guided tour may visit the museum's exhibits in any order they like and stay until closing if desired.

The Muppet Show

The first Henson character a visitor sees is Big Bird…a more than eight-foot tall "canary" from the globally popular children's show Sesame Street. Amazingly, Caroll Spinney has played Big Bird since 1969, as well as Oscar the Grouch. It's been said that he's quoted as having had the pleasure of playing the "Yin and the Yang" of Sesame Street.

The next Muppet in sight, arguably the most famous of them all, is Kermit the Frog. Kermit is featured in the "A Man & His Frog" exhibit, located immediately outside the more extensive "Jim Henson: Puppeteer" exhibit.

Puppeteer features Rowlf the Dog, a piano-playing canine and the first internationally recognized Muppet. After a year of starring in Purina Dog Chow commercials, Rowlf became the sidekick, from 1963 to 1969, on The Jimmy Dean Show. Rowlf was performed by Frank Oz who would later serve as the puppeteer behind Jedi Master Yoda in Star Wars, a jewel in the crown that is his career.

The Rowlf Muppet is displayed presenting a rose to Lassie, that he reportedly "had a crush on" throughout The Jimmy Dean Show.

One of my favorite Muppet characters (admittedly, I have several) is the Swedish Chef, the only Muppet to ever feature real human hands. He's on display mixing up a dish that I'm sure would have ended up strewn across half the exhibit floor were it not for the plexiglass.

My tour guide told me that Henson liked the Swedish accent, thus the character's dialect. I'm not sure which is worse, his accent or culinary skill, but both induce a smile, and likely a hearty laugh, quicker than you can pop a kernel of corn.

The Swedish Chef: Popcorn

The Puppeteer exhibit has many other characters, including a hand puppet version of the larger than life La Choy Dragon who was seen only in commercials. I don't remember seeing the La Choy Dragon commercials, but evidently my mother did see them because I do remember La Choy always being in the cupboard.

La Choy Dragon Commercial



Other exhibits, in the Love Family Atrium, include, to name just a few, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth, starring David Bowie.

Speaking of celebrities, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Ben Browder this year at Dragon*Con. Browder was the star of Farscape, a science-fiction television show featuring a significant amount of puppetry.

Creating convincing characters in the form of puppets for a high-action, drama sci-fi series was a challenge—especially for demanding sci-fi enthusiasts, such as myself. That challenge was met with success, especially with Rygell XVI, a vertically challenged alien (puppet) of royal lineage frequntly performing from a floating throne.

The Center for Puppetry Arts is not only for kids. There are grown-up-only exhibits and teen and adult performances, too.

One of the racier puppets on display is the renowned "Madame" who was performed by Wayland Flowers. The word on the street is that Madame has been resurrected and is now performing, via a new puppeteer, in New Jersey.

Puppets: The Power of Wonder

OK, back to the beginning of the guided tour. I had the pleasure of an individual tour given by a delightful and obviously puppetry-savvy young lady who was professional, enthusiastic and in-tune with her tourists. We started in the museum exhibit "Puppets: The Power of Wonder" where she explained what constitutes a puppet, which is a lot more than I knew.

The first puppet on display is a "phoenix" made of found objects. Activated by the push of a button, it's a large automated puppet complete with lights and sound. I made the comment that "the phoenix is appropriate for Atlanta." The Phoenix sometimes symbolizes Atlanta as it too arose from the ashes, paralleling Atlanta's rise from the ashes following the Civil War.

She looked at me quizzically and told me that I was the first to make the connection between the phoenix being at the beginning of the tour and the City of Atlanta. My sense of pride in having made the connection was soon to be dashed as questions to test my true intellect where posed throughout the tour…Let's just say that it was indeed a learning experience.

Although I focus mainly on Jim Henson's Muppets in this post, throughout the museum are puppets from around the world representing a wide array of puppetry techniques, including:

• marionette,
• hand,
• animatronic,
• pole,
• body,
• hybrid,
• shadow, and
• many others.

The mission of the Center for Puppetry Arts is:

"…to entertain and enlighten audiences, nurture the world community of artists, expand the puppetry art form, and explore the past, present, and future of puppetry."

To meet that end, offerings include workshops, tours, field trips, performances, film series, outreach programs, a puppet factory and distance learning…certainly more than I can discuss here. If you have even a mild interest in puppets of any kind, this tour is one you will find intriguing and exciting…it's a door to a whole new world of imagination and artistry.

I've long admired puppets, many of whom were childhood friends from television and theatre. Today, I gained a new appreciation for puppetry—the art form. It has seemingly been a lifetime since I was so impressed, so awakened by any form of art…this is, by far, one of Atlanta's best entertainment and educational destinations.

The Center for Puppetry Arts has an incredibly full calendar of performances—for children, families, adults and holiday specific. The information shared in this post is primarily about the museum. Please refer to the Center's website for information about performances and special events.

At the museum and theatrical performances, photography, videography and even texting is strictly prohibited. Why? I didn't even have to ask…my tour guide clearly and succinctly explained that the puppets and performances are copyrighted. So the rule is not only protection for them, the rule also serves as protection for visitors.

The Center for Puppetry Arts will not have to pull my strings to get me back. I will be returning later this month for a major production of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," based on the 1964 television classic performed by dozens of "live" puppets!

Touring the Center for Puppetry Arts

Date toured: Wednesday, November 4, 2010
Location: 1404 Spring Street, NW at 18th Street (directions and map)
Hours: Tuesdays-Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mondays – Closed.
Cost: Free on Thursdays 1-3 p.m.; otherwise, Adults $10, Children $9
Parking: Free onsite parking, behind the Center
MARTA: Arts Center Station
Facebook: Center for Puppetry Arts
Website: http://www.puppet.org/

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer