we took the kids to a recent trains, trucks and tractor event at the southeastern railway museum in duluth and had a blast! there were historic pullman and u.s. mail trains to explore (including one used by president harding), elaborate toy train sets for viewing, actual restored locomotive and two-passenger trains for riding and our favorite part of the museum, a marta bus graveyard!

the bus graveyard was awesome! they had different busses on display from the 40s through 90s. there were a few different incarnations of orange colored busses that were especially great. i wish they would go back to the vintage design! you could even explore the interiors of the different busses. the kids liked running up and down the aisles and sitting on the driver’s seat.

besides the busses, there were also big hangers with historic trains you could explore as well as a museum filled with old train sets. we also rode on both the restored locomotive and the two-passenger trains! they took you on a nice tour of the 35 acre site, although the train whistle was a little loud for the kids.

all-in-all, the southeastern railway museum was a ton of fun. we definitely plan on going back when grey is a little older!

– ryan

southeastern railway museum

3595 buford highway,
duluth, georgia 30096
404-436-1825

we recently tried the new atlanta bbq restaurant called smoke ring in castleberry hills. i have to say it was very impressive and might give community q a run for it’s money as the best bbq inside the perimeter.

the atmosphere was great, which is a huge part of the bbq experience in my opinion. it was rustic, yet modern and clean. there was reclaimed wood everywhere, vintage chairs & bar stools, drinks in mason jars, and old chandeliers made with edison bulbs and vintage baskets. it also featured a huge open floor plan with plenty of seating, unlike fat matt’s and community q. in the middle was a very inviting gazebo-type booth, we’ll have to sit there next time. there was also outdoor seating with great views of downtown atlanta.

now on to the food. we tried the spare ribs, beef brisket and crispy brussel sprouts, which were amazing! the ribs weren’t quite as good as community q, however they were still great. they featured a dry rub and were smoky, but not too overwhelming. the sliced brisket was top notch! i even liked it more than fox bros brisket, which is saying a lot. their cajun boiled peanuts and homemade pork rinds were also very tasty and highly recommended. as far as sauce goes, they had a tangy red, sweet red, grainy mustard (made with sweetwater 420) and a white sauce, so all of your bases were covered.

another perk of smoke ring was the full liquor bar. they had a good looking selection of bourbon, draft beers, moonshine and craft cocktails, including a boiled peanut martini, which sounded interesting!

check out the full menu as well as more information on chef jordan wakefield and his goal of creating a unique georgia-style bbq.

we will definitely be heading back to smoke ring!

– ryan

smoke ring

309 nelson street sw
atlanta, ga 30313
404-228-6377

i recently went curling with a couple of friends at the atlanta curling club. they host open sessions at the marietta ice center where you can learn to curl or play full games if you are experienced.

i went for a basic learning session and had a blast! i learned how to keep score, how to balance and deliver a stone with a curl, and how to sweep a stone into the house. they also went over the basic rules & terms, as well as the positions of a curling team. i can’t wait to head back and play an actual game!

– ryan

atlanta curling club

4880 lower roswell road
marietta, ga 30068
404-483-1545

check out this scary statue at netherworld!

– ryan

there are some creepy monsters at netherworld!

– ryan

sunrise at the gates of netherworld.

– ryan

here we go again, looks like another snow & ice storm in atlanta! from our instagram feed!

– ryan & gub

we got up at the crack of dawn and headed to the yellow river game ranch on groundhog day to see if georgia’s general beauregard lee would see his shadow. they claim he is 94% accurate, and we are always up for some agritourism, so we made our way to lilburn to see what it was all about. as the sun finally started to rise, the general came out of his house and did not see his shadow, predicting an early spring!

there was a fairly big turnout for the celebration, including various members of the press and medieval times. lots of people even brought signs to cheer on beau. waffle house was also on hand providing coffee and hot cocoa during the cold, foggy morning.

afterwards we walked around the ranch to check out the other animals before heading to dunkin donuts for a little treat for the kids! oh, we also watched bill murray’s groundhog day, as per holiday tradition!

– ryan & gub

yellow river game ranch

4525 us 78
lilburn, ga 30047
770.972.6643

here are more photos from our recent snowmageddon! we thoroughly enjoyed the winter weather, hopefully it won’t be another three years before we see snow again in atlanta.

– ryan & gub

as you have probably heard by now, atlanta was rocked pretty hard by a snowstorm this week. beyond the treacherous driving conditions, the snow was really fun and actually stuck around for a few days. here are some of our favorite instagram moments from the snowpocalypse! we will also post some non-instagram photos in the near future.

before you judge the south for such a traffic mess after only a few inches of snow, be sure to check out this great politico article covering all of the underlying factors involved.

– ryan & gub