Wintertime Fun

ATLANTA’S COOL WEATHER EVENTS TO KEEP YOU BUSY ALL SEASON

By Everett Catts

Winter doesn’t officially begin until Dec. 21, but at venues across metro Atlanta, the year’s coldest season has already commenced with a plethora of events to choose from.

And while the wintertime kicks off with a series of holiday events and activities, there are still plenty of other ways to celebrate the season in January and February, even after the holidays end.

There are countless ways to celebrate Christmas, from art to theatre to visits with Santa Claus. Looking for fun ways to revel in holiday cheer? Check out the Callanwolde Winter House (callanwolde.org/winterhouse2022), which will include art workshops, holiday décor, Santa Claus and more. At Holidays on the Roof at Ponce City Market (poncecityroof.com), you can rent an igloo for up to six people, visit with Santa and check out 9 Mile Station’s transformation into a woodland forest. Fernbank’s

Winter Wonderland: Holidays and Tradi-

tions Around the World (fernbankmuseum.org) will feature trees and other displays decorated by local cultural partners that mark holiday traditions and practices from around the globe.

Holidays on the Roof at Ponce City Market A Gingerbread House at Callanwolde Winter House

The World of Coke's Holiday Celebration (worldofcoca-cola.com) will include holidayrelated exhibits, seasonal/holiday beverages and more. The Atlanta Christkindl Market in the Buckhead Village District (christkindlmarket.org) is a traditional German market with authentic food and beverages, visits with Santa and a great place to find gifts for your loved ones. The Georgia Aquarium's Winter Waterland (georgiaaquarium.org) will include holidaythemed dolphin presentations, photos with Santa, holiday movie showings in its 4D Theater and more. And if you are musically or thespian inclined, there are a few holiday classics that should whet your whistle and put you in the spirit of giving. The Center for Puppetry

Arts’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (puppet.org) is based on the 1964 television special. The Alliance Theatre’s A Christmas Carol (alliancetheatre.org) is based on Charles Dickens’ novella, and the Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker (atlantaballet.com) is adapted from the original book by E.T.A. Hoffman and music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will host three Christmas with the ASO concerts (aso.org), featuring

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights

PHOTOS: (Top Left) Atlanta Botanical Garden; (Bottom Left) Addison Hill Photography

Holidays at Atlantic Station

holiday carols, hymns and more.

Hannukah will take place Dec.18-26, and venues across the city will host menorahlighting ceremonies (atlantajewishconnector. com). Most, if not all of these events have free admission.

The holidays aren’t complete without checking out a light show, and there are plenty to choose from. While most of the light displays can only be accessed by foot, some are the drive-through kind, allowing families to stay warm in the comfort of their own vehicles. Though there are some smaller light shows in your area, these larger ones stand out:

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights

at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Midtown (atlantabg.org) will feature more than a billion lights covering the grounds. Lights of Life at Life University in Marietta (life.edu/lights-of-life) is a drive-through display, but don’t forget to stop for the pony rides, train rides and petting zoo. Stone Mountain Christmas (stonemountainpark.com) boasts the World’s Largest Light Show and also includes a Christmas parade and carolers.

Holiday in the Park at Six Flags (sixflags. com) includes more than a million lights, classic shows and music, visits with Santa and holiday treats. Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens (callawaygardens.com), named one of National Geographic’s Top 10 Light Displays in the World, includes drive-through and walk-through experiences. The Lakeside Light Spectacular at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands (margaritavilleresorts.com) features holiday- and Margaritaville-themed lights, and Celebrate the Station at Atlantic Station (atlanticstation. com) includes lights, snow shows and more.

While there are countless adults-only New Year’s Eve parties in metro Atlanta, several venues are offering ways for the whole family to toast the start of 2023. The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s Bubble Bash (childrensmuseum atlanta.org) will include music, dancing, games and lots of bubbles. Stone Mountain Park’s Early New Year’s Eve Celebration (stonemountainpark.com) will include snow, fireworks and more. Noon Year’s Eve at Avalon (experienceavalon.com) will feature face painting, crafts and snacks and will benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Noon Year’s Eve on the Roof at Ponce City Market (poncecityroof.com) will include balloon artists, a magician and much more.

Though many venues are hosting ice skating rinks as part of their holiday festivities, the rinks will stay open for weeks into January and even February. Here’s where to find those rinks:

The Ice Rink at Sugar Hill (haidrink.com)

The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s Bubble Bash

will host special events including a Valentine’s Day date night. Olde Town on Ice at Olde Town Conyers Pavilion (icedays.com/conyers) and Ice Days Ice Skating Rink in Covington (icedays.com/covington) each have a separate area for hosting private parties and events.

License to Chill Snow Island at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands (margaritavilleresorts.com) offers ice skating plus snow tubing, amusement rides and opportunities to play in the snow. Skate the Sky at Ponce City Market (poncecityroof.com) includes ice skating, unlimited gameplay and admission to The Roof. Skate the Station at Atlantic Station (atlanticstation.com/event/skate-thestation) boasts metro Atlanta’s largest ice rink at 10,000 square feet. The Rink at Park Tavern in Midtown (parktavern.com/ice-rink) offers patrons a view of Piedmont Park and the Midtown skyline plus selfie stations, fire pits and fireplaces and more. Season on the Square at Colony Square in Midtown (colonysquare.com/events) includes days when 10% of admission benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Avalon on Ice in Alpharetta (experienceavalon.com) features a Rockefeller Center-inspired rink.

Though most of metro Atlanta’s festivals take place in the warmer months of the year, there are still some that happen in the winter, though mostly indoors. Are you a beer or wine lover? If so, check out the Winter Beer Fest in Atlantic Station (atlantawinterbeerfest.com) or the Atlanta Winter Wine Festival (atlantawinefestivals.com/winter).

Are you an art lover? Then go to the Callanwolde Artist Market (callanwolde.org). Do you enjoy Chinese food and culture? If so, try the Atlanta Chinese Lunar New Year Festival (atlanticstation.com/event/lunar-newyear-2/). Love movies? Then check out the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (ajff.org).

Looking for something out of the ordinary? Try the Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival (atlantajugglers.org/festivals), set for Feb. 3-5 at the Yaarab Shrine Center in Midtown. It includes juggling, unicycling, flow and play, hooping and comedy.

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Love New Orleans-themed cocktails and food? Check out the Mardis Gras Streetcar Adventure (atlantabartours.com/events), in which participants can ride the Atlanta Streetcar to more than 40 participating bars and restaurants.

Speaking of food, there are not one but two February festivals dedicated to oyster eating while the bivalves are still in season. The Steamhouse Lounge in Midtown will host its annual Oysterfest (steamhouselounge.com), and Atlantic Station will hold the Atlanta Oyster Festival (atlanticstation.com).

If you’re ready to start the new year with an exhilarating bang, take a dip in the Lake Lanier Polar Bear Plunge-N-Paddle on Jan. 1. Other Polar Bear Plunges take place in Acworth on Lake Allatoona (acworthtourism.org/events/polarplunge) and Alpharetta (facebook.com/AlphaPolarBearPlunge/) later in January or February. Most of the events double as charity fundraisers, with some benefitting Special Olympics Georgia.

Speaking of Special Olympics Georgia, the State Indoor Winter Games (specialolympicsga. org) will come to venues across Cobb County Jan. 27 and 28. The competition will include basketball, bowling, floor hockey, powerlifting and female gymnastics.

If you’re the outdoorsy type, the Atlanta Trails website (atlantatrails.com) has a guide on the best hiking trails in metro Atlanta and beyond. It also offers a list of its Favorite Winter Hikes

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

(atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails). The winter hike list includes frozen waterfalls, the Appalachian Trail and even Providence Canyon State Park, nicknamed Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon.”

Two longtime Atlanta traditions will return in late December and midJanuary with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (chick-fil-apeachbowl.com) and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration (thekingcenter.org), respectively. The Peach Bowl, set for Dec. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will host one of the two College Football Playoff semifinal games. The King Celebration, taking place Jan. 10-16 at the King Center, marks the civil rights leader’s birthday.

Throughout the winter, Zoo Atlanta (zooatlanta.org) offers discounted admission for guests. So bring your winter gear to check out the panda bears, elephants, giraffes and the rest of the zoo’s animals. While Stone Mountain, as the world’s largest piece of exposed granite, gets most of the attention, its smaller cousin, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area (arabiaalliance.org), is also worth a visit. Located nearby in Lithonia, it has two granite outcroppings and offers views of the Atlanta skyline on clear days.

Midtown’s Piedmont Park (piedmontpark.org), which is on the BeltLine and considered Atlanta’s version of New York’s Central Park, also gives visitors a chance to unwind. So grab a blanket and some food and drinks, and head down for a fun-filled picnic. Oakland Cemetery (oaklandcemetery.com), a park-like setting just east of downtown Atlanta, dates back to 1850 and is the final resting place of several famous Georgians, including Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell and seven Atlanta mayors. The cemetery hosts events even in winter, including weekly holiday scavenger hunts in December.

Speaking of history, the Atlanta Preservation Center (atlanta preservationcenter.com), which is located nearby in Grant Park in one of the only two remaining antebellum homes in the city, is the place to go to learn more about Atlanta’s architecture and historic buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes.

Reverence

Midtown Eatery Takes Diners Around the Globe

By Everett Catts

With a wide-ranging menu, Reverence, the signature restaurant inside the new Epicurean Atlanta hotel in Midtown, is striving to become an upscale dining haven For breakfast, variety remains the keyword, with plates ranging from to the farmhouse granola to the ruby red grapefruit brûlée to the full Epicurean breakfast. The menu also includes an assortment of for both residents and hotel guests. breads and pastries.

Open since September 2021, Reverence offers a variety of Ameri- The Reverence’s décor is warm but modern, with a mix of gray and can contemporary fare that reflects its executive chef, Ewart Ward- brown walls, tables and chairs dominating the space. The bar, colored haugh. The Scotland native has culinary experience on five conti- in gray and black, fronts the all-glass kitchen so guests seated there nents, including stops in France and, most recently, Los Angeles. can view the chefs at work.

“I think it’s a little bit of creativity without going overboard. We’re Also, the restaurant partners with the Epicurean Theatre, a space always taking a twist on classics and reinventing them,” he said, adding the menu changes with each season and sometimes twice in a season based on items’ availability.

If you’re an oenophile, Reverence is your kind of place, offering more than 200 different bottles in its cellar, ranging from Pike’s Riesling to Dom Perignon brut. For non-wine lovers, Wardhaugh recommends the Bacon, a spin on the old fashioned with bacon fat-washed Old Forester bourbon. Open for breakfast, dinner and Sunday brunch, the restaurant’s fare takes you around the world.

Where else in metro Atlanta would you find a dinner menu that includes caviar a la crème fraiche, with potato croquetas, chive and confit egg yolk; Champagne-infused cantaloupe with hearts of palm, watermelon radish, beetroot crema; and karaage fried chicken (which Wardhaugh says is the most popular) with masa harina, soy, sake, spiced yuzu aioli and citrus chermoula? The entrees are just as varied, and Wardhaugh says the pan-seared Georgia trout, with fingerling potatoes, crème fraiche and smoked trout cream; the steak frites, whose fries are triple cooked; and the char-grilled Turkish lamb kebab, with apricot puree, pickled sunAbove: The Reverence’s décor is warm but modern, with a mix of gray and brown walls. Left: The “waffled” cheddar grits breakfast entree. Photos: (Left) Brandon LaJoie; (Right) Seamus Payne choke, trumpet mushrooms and saffron salsa; are its most popular ones. But also try the wood-grilled sous vide octopus, with bulgur wheat salad, within the hotel that hosts cooking classes and other special dining burnt leek, cauliflower and citrus, or one of the vegetarian entrees such as events at least once a week. Some of those events take place inside the spring pea papardelle, with mushrooms, fava beans, garlic, pecorino Reverence if they outgrow the theatre, Wardhaugh said. and pea sprout. Because Reverence is new, not everyone knows it exists, but those

The sides menu includes nothing but veg- who have found it have been loyal etables, featuring an ode to the South with customers, Wardhaugh says. beer-battered onion rings but also paying “The response has been great,” he homage to the Middle East with bulgur tab- added. “The biggest challenge is for bouleh. The dessert menu includes “Nutter people to know where we are. Once Butter” choux, and Wardhaugh says “any- people find us, we get a lot of repeat thing chocolate” is a crowd favorite, but the clientele because they love the constant chocolate shards are the most popular one. changing of the menus.” N

THE DETAILS

Attire: Business casual Atmosphere: Upscale modern Recommendations: Georgia trout and steak frites entrees, chocolate shards dessert Reservations: Encouraged but not required. Walk-ins welcome. Parking: Valet parking available Hours: Mon.--Sat. 7 to 11 a.m., Sun. 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Mon.-Thur. 6 to 10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5 to 11 p.m. Location: 1117 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30309 Contact: 470-283-2590, reverenceatlanta.com