Marietta's holiday season starts tomorrow, Friday, November 6, when the Marietta Square Art Walk runs from 5 to 9 p.m. That's 27 days before the tree goes up in Glover Park. The busy stretch ends four weeks later on another Art Walk Friday, December 4. That evening the Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour also opens its doors.
Between those two Fridays, two restaurants have opened just south of the Square, and both are on Atlanta Street. Fin & Feathers opened in August. Glover Park Kitchen opened three weeks ago. Their hours, house rules and seating line up closely with this calendar, so where you eat on Atlanta Street shapes how a holiday evening on the Square goes.
The Season Starts Tomorrow, Not December 3
The free, self-guided Marietta Square Art Walk shows local artists' work around the Square on first Fridays. This month the same Friday is also opening night of the 90th Jubilee Weekend at the Gone With the Wind Museum at Brumby Hall and Gardens. The Jubilee marks 90 years since Margaret Mitchell's novel was published.
The City of Marietta's announcement lays out the Marietta half of the weekend:
- Friday, Nov. 6, 4 to 7 p.m.: reception in the historic Brumby Gardens, with a private gift shop sale that includes rare items
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m.: tour of the Gone With the Wind Museum
- Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: vendor market in the gardens
- Saturday, noon: talk by Megan Tatum Miller
- Saturday, 2 p.m.: tour of the Marietta History Center
- Saturday, 3 p.m.: an informal screening of the film, with a Zoom talk by Pauline Bartel starting at 5 p.m. during the intermission
On Sunday the weekend moves to the Road to Tara Museum in Jonesboro, so the Marietta events end Saturday evening. The city notes that parts of the weekend depend on the weather and that everything is subject to change. Updates are posted at GWTWMarietta.com.
The reception ends at 7 and the Art Walk starts at 5, so the two overlap for two hours on Friday. On Saturday morning the Marietta Square Farmers Market runs at the same time as the vendor market in Brumby Gardens. The farmers market has Saturdays listed every week through December and into January.
Atlanta Street Added Two Dining Rooms Since August
On a night like that, dinner decides how the evening goes. Here's what's new a block off the Square.
Fin & Feathers opened at 16 Atlanta St SE, in the former Carmen's Kitchen & Cocktails space across from Johnnie MacCracken's. It soft-opened August 6 and held its grand opening September 3. Restaurateur Damon A. Johnson Sr. started the concept in Atlanta in 2019. He calls the cooking "Nu American Soul": shrimp and grits, catfish and grits and honey bourbon salmon on the "Fin" side of the menu, chicken and waffles and jerk chicken egg rolls on the "Feathers" side.
Two house rules from Marietta.com's profile matter on an Art Walk night. After 8 p.m. every day, only guests 21 and older with valid photo ID are admitted. A 20 percent service charge is added to every check. The Art Walk runs until 9, so a group with kids should book an early dinner there or plan to eat elsewhere.
Glover Park Kitchen opened at 72 Atlanta Street, directly across from Glover Park Brewery at 65 Atlanta Street SE. Brewery co-founders Hank DuPre and Sam Rambo built it. According to Marietta.com, it soft-opened October 7 and held its grand opening October 9. DuPre told the Marietta Daily Journal how the opening felt:
"We spent a lot of time and a lot of effort to get here. Don't know exactly what to expect. A little nervous about it, but we certainly hope that our vision is accurate."
Executive chef Lance Hagan has more than 20 years of fine-dining experience, including Pano's and Paul's and Table 1280. The menu takes its cue from Southern Sunday suppers, with family-style sides sized for two or three people. Dishes include Charleston shrimp and grits, Springer Mountain fried chicken, the Hagan Pot Roast made with beer-braised short rib, and Buford Highway collards with gochujang and turkey burnt ends. The seasonal cocktail is the Fireside Orchard, made with brown butter maple bourbon, apple, walnut and citrus.
In December, the most useful feature is the covered, climate-controlled veranda, which gives you outdoor-style seating on a cold night. The restaurant also has a lawn, an indoor-outdoor bar and a chef's table with limited seating. The hours on its website match the calendar's peak nights:
| Day | Glover Park Kitchen hours | What's on the Square |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Tree lighting, Dec. 3, 4 to 8 p.m. |
| Friday | 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Art Walks, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4, 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday | 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Farmers market Saturdays, Jubilee on Nov. 7 |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Final day of the home tour, Dec. 6 |
| Monday | Closed |
On each big night, the kitchen stays open at least an hour past the event's last listed time. The hours and menu are a current snapshot from the site, so check before you go.
The Middle of November Runs at a Slower Pace
Between the two Fridays the calendar thins out to single events, which makes these good weeks to try the new places without a crowd from a big Square event.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Marietta Square Farmers Market | Weekly Saturday market |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | A Christmas Story at the Strand | Earl Smith Strand Theatre screening |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | "Trains & Planes" Pop-In, Marietta History Center | Activities 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; free gallery admission 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Home Alone at the Strand | Screening |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Elf at the Strand | Screening, the night before Thanksgiving |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Marietta Square Farmers Market | Thanksgiving weekend market |
The Marietta History Center's Pop-In on November 21 is the family daytime option. Its next one, "Holiday Celebrations," is on December 19. The film dates come from the current event listing at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre, which doesn't print the year next to each date, so check the theater's site before buying tickets.
December 3 to 6 Is When Everything Lands at Once
The season starts slowly and finishes with four busy days in a row. Here is the confirmed order:
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 4 to 8 p.m.: the Ugly Sweater Parade & Christmas Tree Lighting in Glover Park, 50 N. Park Square NE.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 7 to 10 p.m.: the Marietta Pilgrimage gala at the Whitlock Inn.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 8 p.m.: the Christmas Home Tour opens in the Church-Cherokee Historic District.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 9 p.m.: the second holiday Art Walk around the Square.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: the farmers market in the morning, plus the home tour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: the last day of the home tour.
Friday, December 4 is the night that takes planning. The home tour and the Art Walk start at the same hour, and the tour closes an hour earlier. If you do the houses first, from 5 to 8, you still have an hour of galleries before the Art Walk wraps at 9. Glover Park Kitchen stays open until 11 that night.
Thursday, December 3 needs a different plan for families. The tree lighting ends at 8, which is also when Fin & Feathers becomes 21 and over for the rest of the night. A group with kids coming out of Glover Park after the lighting has until 10 at Glover Park Kitchen, across from the brewery.
After the home tour ends, the Square goes back to a slower holiday rhythm. The History Center's "Holiday Celebrations" Pop-In is on Saturday, December 19, the same morning as a farmers market. The market is also listed for December 26, the day after Christmas.
If the Christmas Home Tour gets you thinking about the old houses in the Church-Cherokee district, or about getting your own place ready for guests this season, the team at Purpose Driven Real Estate Group would be glad to talk it through with you. We know Marietta street by street, and we're happy to share what we know. Schedule Your Free Consultation.
