Perfect Gift for Atlanta History Fans

Chad Elkins of 4SQATL and NASA digital fame launch his 25th Century Games start up with a bang last week.  His 1,000 piece puzzle based on a balloon-eye view of 1892 Atlanta is available as a Kickstarter campaign through August 15.

Augustus Koch was born in Germany in 1840. He moved to the US before the Civil War where he served in The Corps of Engineers. After the war, he traveled to cities around the country and illustrated Bird’s Eye View maps from hot air balloons. Augustus drew a series of perspective based maps from dozens of locations. In 1892, he tied off his hot air balloon near Grant Park and created this beautifully drawn map of Atlanta and the surrounding area complete with notable locations and street names.

Inman Park and the other historic Atlanta neighborhoods are beautifully detailed on the puzzle.

The campaign met its target twenty four hours after it went live, guaranteeing that your $20 contribution will land a treasure for you or a killer gift.  

Atlanta Environs - Brevard, NC

One of the Famous white squirrel and a scene from O. P. Taylor's

Our random stop in Brevard, NC on the way to pick up our camper from Camp Highlander last month provided my crew's #1 surprise of the summer.  

Led by our now required travel companion Atlas Obscura,  we made a minor detour in hopes of catching sight of one of the city's famed white squirrels.   Guided by locals, we struck out at the beautiful grounds of the Silvermont Mansion before heading to the campus of Brevard College on the edge of town.  After finding a colony of baby rabbits, the kids were ecstatic to discover the character above.

My favorite discovery of the day was O.P. Taylor's downtown, justifiably billed as the Coolest Toy Store on the Planet. We spent an hour here exploring two stories of every imaginable Lego set, model car kit, magic trick and board game.  I would make a return trip in the fall just to have more time here.  A must for kids and parents missing the old school experience of  pre-Amazon toy shopping.

After hitting a pop-up bluegrass performance on the square and a tour of the WSQL Radio studios, we had a quick dinner at Mayberry's Soups and Sandwiches before heading out.  

Brevard is less than an hour south of Ashville, NC and well worth the three hour drive from Atlanta.  See you on the road.

Flashback to the ARU Reunion

My most Zambi experience of 2015 was the chance to be back in the scene for a day when the Aquarium Rescue Unit reunion rolled into Atlanta for a stop on their 26th Anniversary Tour.

Get a taste of the magic yourself with this audience recording from the first gig of the tour at the Ram's Head in Baltimore.  This show includes a guest appearance by guitar god John McLaughlin.