Lawrenceville Trolley Ghost Tour

Madame Macabre doing her think.

What: Lawrenceville Ghost Tours
Where: Historic Downtown Lawrenceville, Ga.
When: May-September: Fridays and Saturdays, 8:30 p.m.
then
Every Night in October: Sunday-Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 and Fridays and Saturdays, 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Website: www.scarystoll.com
Cost: Varies Depending on Tour Day and Time, See Website; Free parking downtown


***Special Engagement Times and Prices for Trolley Tour - See Website***


Last year Brooke and I went on the Lawrenceville Ghost Tours. This ghost tour, which was created and is run by the Aurora Theater in partnership with the Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association, offers both a walking tour of Historic Downtown Lawrenceville and a trolley tour that takes you around town as well as for a walk though Historic Lawrenceville Cemetery[1][2]. Having missed the last trolley tour slot last year, we ended up doing only the walking tour. (You can read my review of the walking tour here.) But we decided then to make it a point of going on the trolley this year. So last Friday, we decided to make a date night of it.

So, was it worth the $25 per person?

HOWLphartta Ghost Tour

[Image Source: AlpharettaTours.com]

What: HOWLpharetta Ghost Tour

Where: Historic Downtown Alpharetta, Ga.
When: Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 p.m. March - November
Website: www.AlpharettaTours.com
Cost: $15 Admission, Free Parking


As you all may—or may not know if you've only recently started following me—one of my favorite traditions is going on ghost tours with the wife. Each Halloween season, we try to check out at least one new tour. It's a fun little obsession we have that allows us to learn about Georgia's quirky local history while sightseeing the state's many historic down-towns.  This year, one of those tours was the HOWLpharetta Ghost Tour.

Located in Historic Downtown Alpharetta in northern Fulton County about half an hour north of Atlanta, HOWLpharetta is a guided ghost story tour presented by the nice folks at Alpharetta Tours. Tours meet at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in front of the historic Dodd Hotel at the corner of Milton Avenue and Roswell Street and follows a two mile stroll around town, making frequent stops to weave history with local legends and tales of ghost sightings. "I have permission from the owners to tell you of their ghostly encounters," Jen Hunt, our guide tells our tour group. She goes on to say that many of the store owners and residences enthusiastically volunteered their stories when she initially approached them about doing a history tour. "I don't even mention ghosts," she says. "'Did you know, this building is haunted?' Would be the first thing they say to me."

Jen Hunt of [Image Source: AlpharettaTours.com]

Bring a flashlight as this tour not only only takes you in front of several shops in the well-lit Business District, but also down a couple dark alleyways and side streets as well as Resthaven Cemetery where many of Alpharetta's founding families are buried and to which Alpharetta Tours claims an exclusive night-time access. Add the fact that all the rain this year has caused many of the graves to shift, rise, and/or sink, and you have the making for an eerie and enjoyable night out.

Duluth Food Truck Fridays - Duluth, Georgia

[Image Source: DuluthGA.net]

What: Duluth Food Truck Fridays

Where: 3167 Main Street, Duluth, Georgia 30096

When: Fridays, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.,

September 6th - October 25th   Extended to November 15th!!!!

Website: http://www.duluthga.net/foodtruckfridays

Cost: Free Parking, Free Admission, Food Prices Vary 

Billed as a "community block party," this Historic Downtown Duluth, Ga. event runs every Friday from September 6th through October 25th and features a rotating line-up of Atlanta's best mobile eateries. Check out the event website for that week's food truck lineup as well as the entertainment planned for the day. In fact, Friday September 20th's line up was announced yesterday morning. There will be live music starting at 5:30 p.m. and a screening of Great Gatsby on the lawn planned for 8 o'clock.

I do have one piece of advice for you if you ever decide to check out Duluth Food Truck Fridays this fall: get there early! Let me re-iterate that: GET THERE EARLY!!!

That was probably the only regret the wife and I had when we went this past Friday for our first ever visit. I had geek-related errands and Brooke was working late. So, by the time we finally got there around 7:30 p.m., the lines were long and most of the food trucks had sold out of many of their best dishes. Parking wasn't too bad but the combination of event traffic and the tail end of Friday night rush hour was somewhat frustrating. At least parking was free!

But don't let all that deter you from getting your munch on at this family-friendly shindig. Brooke and I learned about this event earlier that morning when one of the food trucks that Brooke stalks on Facebook, Ibiza Bites, posted that they would be making an appearance. We decided to check it out as a last minute date night idea and we were glad we did. We will definitely go again. It was well worth it. Heck! If we can manage it, we might even go each week that Food Truck Fridays is running. 

Georgia Travel: Pendergrass Flea Market

Photo by Nicole Brooke Blackburn

What: Pendergrass Flea Market

Where: 5641 US Hwy 129N, Pendergrass, Georgia 30567

Hours of Operation: Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.pendflea.com/
Cost: Free Parking & Admission


This weekend was fairly uneventful for the Spousal Unit and me. I mostly spent it doing schoolwork and finishing a The Walking Dead season two marathon. We did watch a couple movies from Redbox that we'd been wanting to check off our list, so that was a plus. The highlight of the weekend, however, was when Brooke and I, on a random whim, decided to head a few exists north on I-85 to Jackson County and walk around the Pendergrass Flea Market Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Nicole Brooke Blackburn

Located in Pendergrass, a town about an hour northeast of Atlanta on I-85 with a population pushing 425 people ^[1], the site is about a quarter of a mile west of the interstate as soon as you get off at Exit 137. The flea market claims to be the largest one in Georgia, boasting on its website to have "more than 700 booths and 250,000 square feet of air conditioned space centered around a turn of the century-style 'Old Town Main Street'" (see picture below). It also hosts a petting zoo, carnival style games, pony rides, a paintball field, and much more. There is even live music featuring many local artists [click here for schedule]. 

A panoramic view of Old Town Main Street when you first step inside