Place Spotlight- Athens, Georgia

Athens, GA. 

Home of the University of Georgia, the Georgia Museum of Art, the State Botanical Gardens, and historical events. It's also home to a vibrant art and music culture, great shopping, and lots of amazing and independent restaurants. 

The Georgia Museum of Art regularly features rotating exhibitions of world, American, and Southern artists and has an extensive permanent collection. Paintings, sculpture, mixed media, pottery, textiles, and carvings all have their place in this museum. I'll be honest, the first time I visited this museum, I was blown away at how impressive it was.

One of the exhibits featured right now is the roadside artwork of John Baeder. He paints and photographs roadside diners, grills, and food carts. Coupled with the permanent Southern folk art on display at the museum, the exhibits makes for a fun and quirky taste of Americana in its truest form. 

In addition to the Georgia Museum of Art are various art galleries including ATHICA: Athens Institute of Contemporary Art, Clayton Street Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art Galleries, Lyndon House Arts Center, and The Gallery @ Good Dirt. Contact info for these galleries and others can be found here. 

In addition to its vibrant art culture, Athens is most well-known for its music scene.

Venues like 40 Watt Club and the Georgia Theatre were the jumping off points for bands like R.E.M., the B-52s, Widespread Panic, Dreams So Real, Indigo Girls, Matthew Sweet, The Method Actors, Love Tractor, Pylon, Flat Duo Jets, The Primates, Modern Skirts, The Whigs, and Corey Smith (via Wikipedia). 

Many more bands and singers had their start in Athens. The college atmosphere coupled with the nightlife opportunities create a perfect environment for musicians to get their start.

Every year, AthFest Music & Arts Festival invades downtown Athens, featuring music and art on outdoor stages and in select venues. This year, AthFest is June 20-24, 2012. Visit AthFest.com to see more about the festival and see the lineup schedule.

While you're visiting Athens, be sure to visit the small, non-profit zoo called Bear Hollow Zoo & Memorial Park. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged as it DOES cost money to take care of the bears, otters, owls, alligators, birds of prey, and other animals native to Georgia. This zoo, even though it's small, is one of my favorite places to visit. I love watching the otters play and the bears nuzzle around for pine cones and berries. 

Last but not least, let us not forget about the AMAZING restaurants in Athens. There are a ton of wonderful and exciting restaurants in Athens, but some of my favorite restaurants in Athens include Last Resort Grill (American/ European food with FLAIR! Try the tiramisu), Transmetropolitan (Italian pizzas and pastas), Chango's Noodle House (yummy, casual, and urban. Great for people watching) , and Cali-n-Tito's (Authentic Latin American Cuisine served with a laid-back, at-the-beach feel, the BEST fish tacos in town). While you're there, also try locally roasted Jittery Joe's Coffee at any of the various locations around town. And while you're there, pick up a can of their blend called Whoop Ass, so every time you open it, you can open up a can of... well... you know. ;)

And for you craft beer connoisseurs out there, try Terrapin Beer Company featuring three different beers year round and many seasonal selections, collaborations, side projects, and special collections. 

I hope you visit Athens soon and that you enjoy it. If you're going to be in the area, let me know!!! Email me at magnoliamerryweather@yahoo.com. 

Happy traveling!

Book Review: On Folly Beach by Karen White

"Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it's the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own...." (via Barnes&Noble)

On Folly Beach by Karen White follows the story of two women: Emmy - a modern day woman who has just lost her husband in Iraq, and Maggie - a woman who survived WWII and the heartache that came with it. Their lives intersect when Emmy buys Maggie's bookstore, Folly's Finds at Folly Beach, SC, and moves from the midwest down to the Coastal South. She is haunted by her own memories and ghosts even as she discovers Maggie's ghosts as well. Emmy reveals Maggie's past through unsigned notes written in old books. Love, war, passion, heartbreak, betrayal, espionage, deception, and grief filter throughout the entire stories of both Maggie and Emmy.

History buffs will enjoy the story since it talks about German U-boat activity in the Atlantic during WWII and also about the Duquesne Spy Ring. The writer takes some liberty with history to make it more real for the story, but the basic facts stay the same.

This book touches on some of the hardest human emotions, and ultimately, it is about learning to let go, grieve, and then move on with your life. It is tragic at times and heartwarming at others. But overall, you leave the story feeling like you have glimpsed into the heart of human existence - love and loyalty between two human beings.

On Folly Beach is potentially the best novel I have read in a very long time. I would highly recommend it to any reader. It was incredibly well written and poignant.

I doubt that I will ever forget this story.

Book Review: Fiddle Dee Death

Picked up a book on Jekyll Island, GA, a few weeks ago at Jekyll Books at the Old Infirmary. The store itself once was the infirmary for the Jekyll Club. (Click the link for history about the Jekyll Club.) I was visiting Jekyll Island on vacation and needed a book to read. I wanted something Southern with a little bit of mystery.

I chose Fiddle Dee Death by Caroline Cousins. The description on the back reads:

"Old bones, old photos, old flame.... Pinckney Plantation on Indigo Island, South Carolina, has a long history - and now a dead body. Who is he? Did he fall or was he pushed? How are cousins Lindsey and Margaret Ann going to tell Miss Augusta? Can cousin Bonnie wear green to the funeral? Southern manners mix with mystery as the three cousins ferret out secrets and scandals, old and new."

 This book was entertaining. It was filled with witty, Southern humor that had me laughing at times, and it definitely painted a decent picture of life in a small Southern town. However, I had a difficult time keeping all the characters straight, and I sometimes felt lost in the story. Worth a read, but I wouldn't go out and buy a copy for all my friends.

Fall in the South

This season tends to creep up on us Southerners. One day, it feels like full-blown summer still. 87* and so humid you can't breathe. But then one morning, you realize that the air feels thinner and cleaner. And the sky looks bluer. That's when fall starts to sneak in. It may hide a few days behind the oppressive heat, or it might show its face a few times with a light breeze or a hint of coolness in the air.

But you never realize that it's actually fall until one morning, you wake up, and suddenly you realize, "Oh! There it is!"

And you're surprised to see that the leaves are changing and the pumpkins are ripening. The dew feels heavier in the morning, and fog creeps in at night.

It's like the whole South takes a sigh of relief for having made it through another stifling hot and dry summer. And it slowly relaxes itself to enjoy this respite from the heat and prepare for the quiet cool of winter.

Out and About!

Visited a shop today on Saint Simon’s Island, GA, called Tonya’s. It’s a Southern girl’s dream!
Everything from monogrammed canvas tote bags, to Lilly Pulitzer koozies, to preppy luggage, to brightly colored Initial cocktail napkins, beach towels, and insulated beverage tumblers. Visit the shop if you’re ever on Saint Simon’s Island. It’s on Mallory Street in the Pier Village.

Or you  can just look online here.

Welcome to Magnolia Merryweather!

As y'all can see, our blog is officially launched! Whether you're new to Magnolia Merryweather or you started this journey with us on our Tumblr, we are so very happy to have you!

This blog will be a conglomeration of Southern traditions, locations, places to see, recipes, stories, music, fashion, and everything else in between. We'll try our darndest to be true to our history and heritage and show you glimpses of our side of life in the South - the classy, elegant side, of course!

So sit back, sip on a tall glass of iced sweet tea, and listen to the tree bugs sing as you enjoy your little bit of Southern charm and hospitality!

"The American South is therefore not a place or thing;
it is not a collection of folkways or cultural distinctiveness. It is an idea."
David L. Smiley