March 2026
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Features
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In his memoir, Tom Junod excavates the family secrets that made him who he is today
Writer Tom Junod grew up in the long shadow of Big Lou—a dazzling, ruthless womanizer—and spent a decade excavating the myth of his father’s life. His new memoir is a reckoning with sex, power, and the inheritance every son must confront.
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The Calhoun Rock Garden’s caretakers share their insider tips
Paris isn’t the only place to see the Notre-Dame. A little more than an hour’s drive north of Atlanta is a replica built with rocks. It’s one of 50 miniature dwellings hidden behind a Seventh-day Adventist church in Calhoun. From models of famous landmarks like France’s cathedral to castles built entirely from imagination, Calhoun Rock Garden regularly attracts thousands of visitors a year.
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A swamp storyteller shares insider tips for the Okefenokee
In 2021, Richard Rhodes, interpretive naturalist, began to work at the Okefenokee Swamp to lend his expertise as a guide with Okefenokee Adventures. His job is to help visitors see beyond the alligators and appreciate the full wonder of the Okefenokee and the thousands of species that call it home.
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These Bigfoot believers share insider tips for searching in Georgia
In 2018, Sheila Granger and her husband Scott Granger launched Squatch-Fishing Outfitters in Ellijay. From April to November, the Grangers’ Bigfoot expeditions bring a group of about 10 people into the Chattahoochee National Forest, where, for two nights of intensive observation, they traipse about with night-vision equipment, thermal cameras, and audio-recording devices.
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A 10th-generation local shares insider tips for Sapelo Island
Sapelo Island might just be the most peaceful place in Georgia. A two-hour drive south of Savannah, it has 24 residents, according to JR Grovner, a native who has been running Sapelo Island Tours since he was 12 years old. Grovner’s family has lived on the island for 10 generations, and Sapelo’s peace and quiet, with its idyllic, untouched beaches and diverse wildlife, has kept him enamored with it his whole life.
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A ghost tour leader shares insider tips for Savannah
Savannah’s ghosts play a much larger role in Enocha Edenfield’s life, as she’s the founder of Enocha Edenfield Tours. With so many history tours available in Savannah, it was important to Edenfield that hers stand out, with a mix of charm and fact-based storytelling. “I’m a history nerd with a paranormal problem,” she says. “Not every ghost tour is dedicated like mine are to historic accuracy and to constantly studying and updating things as we discover new things.”
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A cultural ambassador shares insider tips for Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
Tracie Revis is working to reconnect the Muscogee Creek Nation with the sacred Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park while leading efforts to expand the site into a national park that preserves both its cultural heritage and natural landscape.
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The Connector
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Heimler’s History is helping millions of teens pass AP exams with dad jokes
For years, Steve Heimler taught Advanced Placement (AP) history through a small, hybrid homeschool-online learning program in Alpharetta. With no budget for hard drives and limited class time, he began uploading his lessons to YouTube in 2017 under the account Heimler’s History. That decision would soon turn the suburban dad into a bona fide social media star, with a devoted fan base composed almost entirely of teenagers.
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With sustainable aquaculture, Georgia’s oyster industry is making a promising comeback
Georgia’s oyster industry is being slowly revived through sustainable aquaculture after historic overharvesting collapsed wild populations, with new farms like Tybee Oyster Company supplying restaurants. Growth remains early and limited due to labor intensity, storms, and complex regulations, though demand and legislative support suggest strong future potential.
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Is Atlanta’s Upper Westside a real place?
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Upper Westside, or at least of the Community Improvement District (CID) tasked with developing its local infrastructure, which coined the name in 2016. It seemed an apt time to ask the titular question. In short: Yes, the Upper Westside is a real place, but the name has yet to stick for a reason.
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No Tables, No Chairs returns to the Beltline with West African sound you can’t sit still to
For the past decade, the Atlanta Beltline Art program has hosted a music and cultural festival that aims to be so powerfully propelling, attendees can’t help but be swept away. No Tables, No Chairs, an event founded and led by longtime community musician and Georgia State University music professor Mausiki Scales, takes place on Saturday, April 25, on the Westside Trail.
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The Bite
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Piccadilly To Go on Candler Road is the future of meat-and-threes
The recently opened Piccadilly To Go on Candler Road in Decatur is a quick-serve model featuring the company’s first drive-through window. Part of the chaotic jumble of fast-food spots, gas stations, discount stores, and other gritty staples of city life, Piccadilly To Go caters to the workaday crowd. It’s walk in, walk out (or drive through), not a lot of chitchat.
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Lewis Barbecue brings the best of Austin (by way of Charleston) to the Beltline
The smokehouse at Lewis Barbecue, which recently opened at Ansley Mall behind The Cook’s Warehouse, is unlike any smokehouse I’ve ever seen. Six 22-foot smokers fill the space, making it look like the fanciest engine room in Georgia. John Lewis, the pitmaster and proprietor, took Texas brisket and “made it better. And now the world loves it.”
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Review: Spring 2nd Branch brings Korean nostalgia to Marietta Square
Brian So built a loyal following at his Marietta Square restaurant Spring. When he announced the restaurant would close for renovations, he didn’t deprive Marietta of his cooking for long. He opened his first Korean restaurant, Spring 2nd Branch, blocks away from his first location. Spring 2nd Branch is an entirely different restaurant from Spring—open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, and takes no reservations.
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Russian-inspired treats take flight at Honey Birds in Alpharetta
Concealed in a suburban shopping center, Honey Birds Bakery surprises with a beautifully designed dining room—crystal chandeliers hang above olive-green banquettes—but it’s the pastries in the case that truly delight. Owned by friends Natalia Hairetis and Valeriya Zalland, Honey Birds opened nearly a year ago, bringing Russian-inspired desserts and savory delights to Alpharetta.
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The Goods
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Behind the scenes of the Alliance Theatre’s world premiere of Fires, Ohio
When Beth Hyland first shopped around the script for her play Fires, Ohio, multiple theater companies told her it was unproducible. There wasn’t a problem with the dialogue or the plot; the script, humorous and gripping, had already won both the Kennedy Center’s Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting and the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting. The setting itself was the issue: a two-story house in an Ohio town, surrounded by a raging wildfire.
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Where to shop in Atlanta to find the perfect pen
In a world obsessed with artificial intelligence and all things digital, using a pen on paper feels like an act of rebellion. Whether you’re a writer, artist, engineer, or to-do list maker, here are several stores to find your perfect pen.
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Keep Reaching Up: Inside the West End’s first pilates studio
KKRU Pilates Studio & Wellness opened its doors in September 2025, steps from West End fixtures Portrait Coffee and The Wren’s Nest. KKRU, which stands for “Keep Reaching Up,” is the neighborhood’s first Pilates studio. For founder Khetanya Henderson, choosing the West End is a homecoming.
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Miscellaneous
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Editor’s Journal: Bon voyage, Atlanta magazine
This is a bittersweet moment. I’m grateful for the people I worked with here, the team of editors who are dedicated to publishing a high-quality magazine each month. And I’m also grateful for the writers who grace us with their words. Fond adieus, and bon voyage.
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A love letter to the Virginia-Highland Ace Intown Hardware
The first time I wandered into Intown Hardware in Virginia-Highland was by accident. Suffering from dreary winter blues, I had decided to brighten my apartment with some indoor plants, and happened to drive past the store. They might have plants there, I thought. The easy parking won me over, beating congested big-box parking lots by a landslide.
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