we recently went to fort mountain state park for some outdoor family fun.  it was our first camping trip with the two little ones, so we definitely overpacked and were totally nervous.  in the end we encountered a bear, a (potentially) poisonous snake and a torrential rain storm and still somehow walked away wanting to go camping again as soon as possible!

clementine loved the whole outdoor experience. all she can talk about is going camping again.

‘i go camping outside!’ – clem

fort mountain had plenty of nice trails/hiking and a huge 17-acre lake for swimming in addition to camping. it was also a good 10-15 degrees cooler in the canopied mountains than the city. we weren’t expecting it to get so cold at night, we actually had to zip up our sleeping bags to stay warm!

for an outdoor getaway only two hours from atlanta, we totally recommend fort mountain state park.

– ryan & gub

fort mountain state park

181 fort mountain state park road
chatsworth, ga 30705
706-422-1932

we recently went to the pinewood tippling room in downtown decatur, which is located in the old cakes & ale. we found a great scout mob deal and decided to try out the new restaurant.

the pinewood specializes in southern fare and fancy libations, which both lived up to their expectations. the restaurant in the style of other modern watering holes, ie. h. harper station, with tasty, albeit pricey, handcrafted cocktails. the bartenders were very knowledgeable though and definitely worked hard for their tips! the food was very tasty as well. we both ended up going with the fried chicken & waffles and had the crispy pork belly to start things off.

we definitely enjoyed our first pinewood tippling room experience and would head back! be sure to check out their dinner, libation & spirit menus.

– ryan

pinewood tippling room

254 west ponce de leon avenue
decatur, ga 30030
404-373-5507

my dad and i were able to score tickets to the ncaa men’s basketball championship game this year in atlanta! it was last minute, but well worth the effort. the key was buying tickets from fans who were disappointed their team lost in the elite 8. and even though there wasn’t any booze available, it was still a ton of fun!

i have to admit, the ticketless flash seats process was the smoothest large event i’ve ever attended. with over 75,000 people in attendance, we didn’t have to wait in any sort of line while entering the arena. they just swiped your credit card at the door and you were good to go, your ticket was printed right then and there for you. you could also resell your tickets fairly easily through their website.

be sure to check out the louisville fan sporting a cardinals hat and glove while texting!

– ryan

with warmer days on the horizon, what better time to look at patio dining options in atlanta. here are 10 of our favorite local restaurants to enjoy outdoor eating and drinking in the spring or fall!

be sure to leave comments with your favorite in-town patios as well!

– ryan

leon’s full service (downtown decatur)

131 east ponce de leon avenue
decatur, georgia 30030
404-687-0500

•leon’s has one of the nicer in-town patios! this old service station in downtown decatur has been converted to a restaurant with a little courtyard patio for outdoor dining. they are known for their pub frites and great selection of ol’ timey cocktails. they also have lots of tasty draught beers, wine and a pretty sweet outdoor bocce ball court!

sun in my belly (kirkwood)

2161 college avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30317
404-370-1088

•sun in my belly is mainly known for their top-notch brunch. you’ll be thinking about their honey glazed bacon and stuffed challah french toast for days! what you might not know, is they also offer classy southern dinners and adult beverages. plus, all of this can be enjoyed on their street-front patio or open-air garden porch. they are the premiere kirkwood restaurant and also walking distance from our house, so we are big fans!

victory sandwich bar (inman park)

280 elizabeth street ne
atlanta, ga 30307
770-676-7287

•victory sandwich bar offers amazing little sandwiches (you’ll want two) and great sides (hello fancy nuts and spicy ramen noodles), which can be enjoyed on their outdoor patio in inman park. they also have cocktails (frozen jack & coke slushie), beer, wine and a brand new decatur location.

woody’s famous philadelphia cheese steaks (midtown)

981 monroe drive northeast
atlanta, ga 30308
404-876-1939

•an atlanta tradition, woody’s has the best cheese steaks in town and a huge wraparound porch for outdoor eating in midtown! they also serve draft beer!

yeah burger (virginia highlands)

1017 north highland avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30306
404-437-7845

•does eating a warm bowl of homemade chili or an amazing local kale salad on a spring afternoon sound pleasant? well then head over to yeah burger in the virginia highlands to enjoy their patio! you’ll also find tasty burgers, craft cocktails, draft beer, milkshakes, crispy brussel sprouts and more at this fine establishment.

six feet under (grant park)

437 memorial drive se
atlanta, ga 30312
404-523-6664

•six feet under has the best rooftop patio in town with great views of downtown atlanta and historic oakland cemetery. oh, and they also have delicious seafood, draft beer and cocktails (including oyster shooters), if you’re into that sort of thing!

taqueria del sol (downtown decatur)

359 west ponce de leon avenue
decatur, ga 30030
404-377-7668

•taqueria del sol is a downtown decatur staple. they offer unique tacos & specials, strong margaritas and open-air seating in an old gas station! be prepared to wait in long lines for both lunch and dinner however.

urban pie (downtown kirkwood)

2012 hosea williams drive
atlanta, ga 30317
404-373-2778

•urban pie serves up awesome thin crust pizza with plenty of outdoor seating in downtown kirkwood! they also have beer and wine available.

fox brothers bbq (edgewood)

1238 dekalb avenue
atlanta, ga 30307
404-577-4030

•it might not be our favorite bbq in town, however fox bros is super close to our house and has a very nice patio! they offer lots of adult beverage options and tasty, albeit overly smoked, bbq as well.

los bravos (decatur)

2895 north decatur road
decatur, ga 30033
404-508-0404

•los bravos serves 32 oz draft beers, great margaritas and has a huge patio with oodles of outdoor seating! it’s the perfect mexican food option in the springtime.

after years of driving by the waffle house museum in avondale estates and never seeing it open, we decided to put forth a little effort and figure out what the heck was going on. so for a recent birthday of mine, we found their website, called the number and set up a free tour for us and some friends! it was way easier to arrange then expected.

for those who haven’t been, the waffle house museum is both a replica of the original waffle house and a memorabilia exhibition on the site of the very first restaurant. it also happens to be right down the road from our house! the museum offers free tours curated by the daughter of the original waffle house builder, while they also have some great cold room from www.walkincoldroom.co.uk to keep everything stored and good.

the tour was actually informative and very fun; we learned quite a bit! we had no idea the first restaurant opened because two neighbors, joe rogers sr & tom forkner, felt avondale estates was lacking a 24-hour diner. we also learned they were georgia tech grads, hence the black & yellow color scheme, and that they named the restaurant after the most expensive item on the menu to help promote it. with 1600 locations to date, i’d say these guys were ahead of their time!

it’s nice to see they went all out replicating the first waffle house! the outdoor sign uses the original shaky font and the interior features original menus, prices, diner hats and historical facts about the restaurant chain. they even have fake food on the counters to give the impression that you walked into the diner in 1955.

the memorabilia exhibition was pretty cool as well if you are a fan of the wahoo like we are! it’s filled with chotckies from their 58 year history, including; buttons, menus, diner hats, waitress uniforms, chinaware and tons more.

the waffle house museum offers free tours to the public. just call 770-326-7086 to make an appointment with at least 48 hours notice. it was super easy to set up, fun and free, so you should plan a visit!

– ryan & gub

waffle house museum

2719 east college avenue
decatur, ga 30030
770-326-7086

looks like yeah burger has a thin mint milkshake this month! sounds yummy!

– ryan & gub

yeah burger

1017 north highland avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30306
404-437-7845

here’s a list of my favorite concerts from last year. i have grand notions of putting up a list of my favorite albums as well, but i’ve had those goals before! as with recent years, there was a heavy mix of reunion concerts on the list. i guess that’s just what happens when you get older.

afghan whigs – sat, oct 20th – the masquerade
david byrne & st vincent – wed, oct 3rd – cobb energy center
chairlift – thu, apr 19th – the earl
frankie rose – tue, apr 10th – 529
grimes – mon, mar 5th – drunken unicorn
jeff mangum – wed, feb 1st – variety playhouse
the jesus & mary chain – thu, sep 6th – variety playhouse
neon indian & purity ring – mon, mar 19th – the masquerade
perfume genius – thu, mar 29th – the earl
radiohead – thu, mar 1st – phillips arena
tame impala – thu, mar 8th – drunken unicorn
youth lagoon – thu, mar 22nd – drunken unicorn

-ryan

– be sure to check out my favorite shows from 2011 and 2010 as well!

a new doughnut shop opened up in oakhurst called revolution doughnuts & coffee. well, it’s somewhat new, as you can tell from how little clementine is in the photos. this house of sweets can be found on college avenue next to ale yeah. they offer coffee drinks and hand-crafted doughnuts made from scratch daily using organic flour and locally sourced ingredients. their flavors are truly unique as well, including: salted caramel (with optional bacon!!!), jalapeño lime, blueberry, vanilla bean, orange pistachio, nutella cream puffs, banana cream pie sliders, apple fritters & more! you won’t find such flavors at dunkin donuts.

we’ve had these delicious treats a few times now! i would say they aren’t quite sublime doughnuts caliber, however they are still tasty and for the convenience, you won’t find any better near kirkwood! plus revolution was a kickstarter project, so support your local business and go try some tasty doughnuts!

– ryan

revolution doughnuts & coffee

908 west college avenue
decatur, ga 30030
678-927-9920

there’s a new dancing goats in town with a huge porch and a small, but appetizing, lunch menu! it’s also the first business to open at ponce city market, atlanta’s exciting new city project from the creators of the chelsea market in nyc.

ponce city market is the largest adaptive reuse project in atlanta’s history! the massive project involves restoring the historic sears, roebuck & co building in the old forth ward with lots of new restaurants, businesses, residences and surrounding parks. as of now the plan is to open spring 2014.

take the virtual tour!

– ryan

dancing goats ponce city market

675 north avenue
atlanta, ga 30308
404-874-0370

happy valentine’s day! clementine loved her valentine’s balloon. she was too small to fully enjoy her last encounter, so she made the most of it this time around.

gub created some sweet home-made cards for the family and in return received flowers and treats from cacao atlanta! this included handcrafted truffles, dark chocolate peanut butter cups & muscadine cordials. yum yum!!!

be sure to stop by one of their atlanta locations or factory store for some local “bean to bar” treats and good ol’ fashioned chocolatiering! here is their boutique menu or you can purchase items from their website.

– ryan

cacao atlanta factory store

312c north highland avenue
atlanta, ga 30307
404-221-9090