So fun! The shows were so cool and interesting and the food was amazing, so much to do there!read more

Probably OK if you have a lot of money and either a costume or kids. Less so otherwise.read more

The Taste of Smyna is an annual food festival that takes part in downtown Smyna located in between…read morethe Smyrna Public Library/Smyrna Community Center/Smyrna City Hall. When coming here I recommend parking in front of the First Baptist Smyna church. Parking is completely free. This is our second year coming here, this year was better than last here. There was a huge turn out this year as viewers can see from the pictures, the weather turned out to be completely beautiful and there was such a great selection of food. The Taste of Smyna is a free event to visit and guests can walk along Village Green Circle and try out samples from over 30 restaurants, each sample ranges anywhere from 1 to 4 dollars. They had live music from the Scott Thompson Band this year. For kids, they have plenty of activities, the Atlanta Braves had a tent setup for young kids to practice hitting a ball (3 times) and afterwards they could get their face painted by a local airbrush artist with different brave logos. They also had a great selection of blowup houses for kids to jump around, slides, rock climbing, bungee cord lift (goes about 20 feet) and they had this really cool thing where kids are put into a huge ball, it is filled with air and then they float around inside a pool like environment. Checkout the pictures so you know get a better idea. What is also cool about this festival is that the festival sponsor gives out awards to one restaurant for four categories; this includes the best Entree, Dessert, Decorated Booth and Food Presentation. There are also gift giveaways and free balloons for kids. I am very impressed with the way Jrm Management Services puts on this event, they also run the tastes of Forsyth/Kennesaw/Acworth. Even though this year was extremely crowded, there was still plenty of room to get around. This is definitely a food festival that is worth checking out and that is coming from someone who drove 50 miles one way to come to The Taste of Smyna. I highly recommend this festival. [Review #207]

Really enjoyed myself this year I went alone and met so many People. The food options were…read morereasonable but delicious. I even took some samples to go. Parking was free and I feel the organizers did a great job with the setup of everything. I will be going back next year, because I absolutely enjoyed this event

We had a fun time at the North Georgia State Fair! There's a lot to do, so I'd recommend going…read moreearly. All the shows are included with admission, but food, games, and rides cost extra. Food isn't cheap either, with prices around $8 -$25. Parking took a while because there were so many cars. At least it's free, but be prepared to walk since some of the lots are a good distance from the fair. Still a great outing with family or friends. Tomorrow, October 4, is the last day if you're hoping to go! If you do go, 5 pantry items will get you in for free.

40+ MINUTES IN LINE JUST TO BE TOLD "I DON'T CARE"…read more Phones falling during rides!! A bird that appeared to to be dying, along with horrible treatment from staff. The fair itself felt extremely unprofessional. Earlier that night, we witnessed a bird from the exhibit fly down, hit the ground, and remain motionless with its legs in the air. It appeared to be dying. When my brother picked it up, it couldn't even lift its head. The employee had his back turned to the exhibit, so I had to speak to him from behind to get his attention. When I first told him what happened, he did not seem concerned. He eventually turned around and saw my brother holding the bird near the exit, where he could clearly see that the bird was completely motionless. He then took the bird, left the exhibit unattended, and returned without the bird as if nothing had happened. But the ride-line incident was ultimately the final straw for me. My younger brother is 11 years old and urgently needed to use the restroom, but he didn't know where one was. Why would an 11-year-old be expected to walk through a dark crowded fairground alone to find a restroom? So my adult brother took him to find one while I stayed in line and held our place. One of my other adult brothers also had a dead phone, so they had to find him as well especially with how easy it was to get separated or lost in a crowd that large. My brothers eventually returned together, and the employee saw them come back and rejoin me but said nothing. We continued waiting as the line moved closer to the ride. It wasn't until we got closer to the barricade leading to the ride that he stopped my brothers and told them they had to go to the back. We explained what happened and even showed him the dead phone. I had remained in line the entire time. My brothers weren't trying to cut in front of strangers -- they were returning to the family member who had stayed in the same spot in line. The employee then addressed the people behind me as though they would have a problem with my brothers returning. Instead, they said they had no issue with it and confirmed they had seen me remain in line the entire time. They were actually frustrated with the employee because they disagreed with how he was handling the situation. After they spoke up, he dismissed their input and said, "I don't care." He then ordered my brothers to the back. What made this even more frustrating was that my coworker had left the line in this same employee's view, sat at a nearby bench because his legs were hurting, returned to the line, later left to throw something away, and came back -- and was never told to go to the back. I also told the employee that I was an Animal Control Officer with Cobb County and was there with my family trying to enjoy our time together using the free admission provided through my job. He responded in a snarky tone, "you paid," and still ordered us to leave the line. As we were walking away, he smiled. Moments before we were told to leave the line, a group of girls who appeared to be unattended began looking around the ride area for a phone that had fallen during the ride that had just finished. There was a clear no-cellphone policy. The ride workers eventually began looking as well. This raised a serious safety concern, as someone could have been seriously injured. If you're planning to ride the Mantis, please be aware. The employee pictured in this review is the employee who was managing the Mantis ride line -- the green-and-purple roller coaster. He was extremely rude and dismissive throughout this interaction. Phones MAY NOT be secured!!! Fair staff directed me to the sheriff's officers to report the incident. I did, but no name or contact information was taken and I wasn't given a report number. I'm disappointed. I would not recommend this fair to anyone even as someone who works for the community.

I was excited for my first visit to Tomorrowworld this year but it was literally a miserable 6…read moremiles hike back to a field where thousands of people were waiting in hopes of one Uber car arriving. If I could give no stars I would, it was a waste of time and money. Tommorworld should really do something after such a terrible experience. After the concert ended at 1am, crowds of people stormed to leave the muddy event, the staff directed us to wait in a terribly long line to go to Kiss and Ride or take an Uber, we arrived to the front to find out we didn't even need to wait in that line. We had no idea where to go next other than walk 3 miles back to the taxi/uber drop off, which felt like more than 8 miles after enduring the festival. The only way out was offering to pay a random person a large sum of cash that parked at the festival to take us from the area after walking and waiting 3 1/2 hours. If we didn't think of getting a random car to drive us out, we probably still would have been waiting for an Uber car to arrive at 11am this morning. Good luck to anyone who is attending the concert today after braving Saturday's crazy fiasco. September 26, 2015 was my first and last time ever attending Tomorrowworld!

So I have gone two years in a row. The first two things I noted in year two was the following-…read more 1.) The growth of people video taping Go Pro. Maybe I just did not notice it the first year? It can be a little annoying to have people standing around with camera's on sticks around you. 2.) In this snapchat, Instagram era girls are slutting it out, more and more. Lots more REAL skimpy outfits in year two. No complaints here. The lineup of music in year two was simply not as good as year one. Kaskade to close, sure it was OK, but Armin the year before was WAY better. I mean at one point Kaskade just plays the summer anthem, no mixing, no remix....BORING..... The grounds were dusty this year. It had not really rained in Atlanta for 3 weeks, so it was like a rendition of Mad Max. Dusty. I suppose I can't really fault the Event people for this, but it was kind of a drag. Like many, I was listening to XM Radio's coverage of Ultra Japan on the long drive over to Chattahoochie Hills. It seems even that festivals line up might have been better then Tomorrow World. For inaugural year most people will agree the Pete Tong Stage on Saturday was for sure one of the highlights. For this year many people including myself enjoyed the more techno centric line up of the Richie Hawtin stage. In general I love that my city of Atlanta hosts the largest music festival in the US. That said, it is still a music festival in the US. Americans don't really dance. They stare at the DJ, use Go Pro, and pose for Instragram photos, as opposed to truly getting down like festivals in Europe or South America.

I went to the Little Five Points Halloween Parade on Saturday and had a good time. The Halloween…read moreParade is part of an all-day festival in L5P with musical acts, street performers, food trucks, and people walking all over the neighborhood in costume. It's one giant Halloween party. This year marked the 11th annual edition. The parade took place at 4pm and lasted a good 1.5 hours. It was long. The parade started on Euclid (at Washita Ave.) and headed NE towards Moreland. At the intersection, the parade took a sharp right and headed south down Moreland. The parade made a U-turn where Moreland splits (because of a median) and headed back north all the way until Druid Place, where the parade ended. Because of the length of the parade, there are many places where you can watch it, either on Euclid or Moreland. I watched from the intersection of those two streets, the heart of L5P. If it's sunny, like this past Saturday was, I recommend standing on the side of the street where your back is against the sun. The crowds were enormous and it was funny how my section kept inching closer and closer towards the middle of the street. Just before the parade began, we were on the sidewalk. By the end of the parade, we were a good 1.5 lanes into Moreland. Several people have asked me how this parade compares to Dragon*Con and it's difficult to compare the two since each parade is unique in its own right. I personally prefer the Dragon*Con parade. It's a much bigger scale production with some of the best costumes (cosplay) in the world on display. The L5P parade has a more local, independent, and artistic feel to it. One thing the L5P parade has that Dragon*Con doesn't is Halloween candy being thrown into the crowd. I also noticed a lot of kids and pets at this parade, so it's more family-friendly. Parking is not bad if you don't mind walking. You should be able to find parking along any of the Inman Park or Candler Park neighborhood streets. Just be aware of the "no parking" signs.

L5P Halloween parade & festival still going strong. Unless you have been, you might not be able to…read moreimagine how many people can pack into the area. Cause it's a lot. Wrecking Bar beer sold for $6 outside the Porter; bahn mi's, tacos BBQ and Island Noodles to eat; freaks and geeks to watch. Perfect.

This was my very first time coming out for the festival. It does remind me of going to Marietta…read moreSquare where there are vendors and local owned businesses. The location was cool but could be on the dangerous side due to the train still running. Not many places to park and the places you can park they were charging $10. If you plan on eating any food from the trucks make sure your prepared to spend some money. There were three different stages with many local schools performing and also dance schools. Unfortunately it rained all Sunday so we did not get to catch any of the performances.

THE KID IN ME The…read morekid in me loves a big festival in a small town. Kennesaw is the perfect backdrop for this annual festival that features a parade, musical performances, food and arts and crafts. I was determined to get to the festival regardless of the weather. As always, we arrive early, just after 8:30 so that we can get the lay of the land and take it all in. Parking was great, very close, well-staffed with attendants and only cost $5. Can't beat it! The parade usually precedes the beginning of the festivities. I did not get to see the beginning of the parade because I was distracted by one of the jewelry vendors and was too busy purchasing items. We did however get there before all was done. Every parade is unique, but audience participation is essential if you really want to have a good time. This parade is not as open as others. The streets are very narrow, so gates are used to contain the crowds. They don't throw candy from floats because they don't have them. They actually walk along the route and politely put the candy into the hands of the kids. If you yell out "Hey! I want candy too , they will give you some. If you yell out to the square dancers to "do-si-do", they will comply. The Steampunk group was one of my favorite as the fashion is just so cool and their sign read something like: Steampunk gun club and sewing circle, (interesting combination). That Harrison High School Band was the bomb! They sound so professional! After the parade, we continued to check out the various vendors. Some of my favorite vendors are the jewelry vendors that travel around with their wares. Stones to Wear is my favorite as I love sterling silver and big bold pieces. Phil and Sharon are like family and we always stop by and visit with them. The Panjo guy was unique. He took kitchen pans, (cake, brownie, heart-shaped etc) and made banjos out of them. He actually did a demonstration which was very cool. If you like dulcimer music, then you would appreciate this. I want to give a special shout-out to Superior Plumbing who provided superior toilet facilities complete with sinks and running water. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! If you decide to go, be careful as the ground is very wet and muddy. I wore sport sandals that can be easily cleaned and are quick to dry. If you don't want to eat typical carny food, eat before you go or eat afterwards because the only healthy vendor we saw was the Smoothie vendor. We wanted something more substantial so we just ate after we left. We had a great day and it was made even more special because of the train that frequently runs right through the festival! Love it!

The experience got better and better as the nite went on…read more We arrived around 8, and was delayed by poor management. Bottleneck problem at the parking lot and will call box. They should have had 2-3 people working the parking lot and collect payment. I prepaid my parking and had to wait in line for all the other drivers. Same with Will Call box.. had to wait for queue jumpers..ugh..rude people Upon entrance, we were first greeted by the arts and craft vendors. It was a huge letdown to just see these vendors, until I discovered the area next to the vendors. Now it got much more interesting.. yeah, there were corporate vendor stands, but they also had some of the food trucks there and large open area with picnic tables and lights strung up. Quite festive, .. think OctoberFest. We got us a few things and enjoyed out dinner under the stars and lights. The food is overpriced, but that is to be expected at any festival. We eventually found the main stage and enjoyed a few performances. It was windy out and the balloon show was delayed. We left when it was too cold to be outside. Its a lively festival and lots of folks were dressed up. Very kid friendly and tons of security folks around to prevent the drunk college kids. A well managed festival once you get inside. Pro tip : Wear Layers to stay warm. If you have kids, come earlier to hit up the stand and grab swag and candy.

Me and my family had a great time attending Owl-o-ween. Reading past reviews made us nervous but it…read morewas not that bad since we arrived at 7pm. Purchased our ticket on Groupon(big money saver). Pros: Because of past reviews on parking issues, we paid for parking upon arrival and did the walk up for $15. The lines to get in to the parking lot were long but moved pretty quickly. The walk to the field was also not bad. Upon arrival were a bunch of hot air ballowns. The event was separated into several sections. The first field had a couple of hot airballowns with different vendor stalls. The kids recieved a gift bag at the entrance and were able to trick or treat to each booth and airballoon. The treats were pretty big so we were pleased. We didn't wear costumes but many people and kids did. We saw many creative costumes around the area and they also featured a stage cat walk for everyone who bought a costume. Watching the kids were amazing. 3 different stages with musical performances. To ride the hot air balloons were $15 and the line gets long. Thatnshould be the first thing to do once you get there, its pretty awesome. They also had pumpkins near the kids stage to take home and a silent music party which i found interesting. Con: My only argument would be the food. Many food stalls don't provide straws for drinks, so it wasn't the greatest experience with my 4 year old and their were many fried options, than healthy ones, so not really kid friendly when it comes to food.

Do you avoid a lot of the festivals around town because you hate strollers constantly ramming in to…read moreyour heels and waiting forever to get a bite of overpriced food? Yeah, me too. Well, unless I have to work the festival, which is usually the case. The Buckhead Spring Arts Festival was, quite literally, a breath of fresh air. Located along the shady and winding walk in Chastain Park, I'm pretty sure this is the perfect place to have a festival. The tree cover meant it never got too sunny or hot and the long meandering path meant that there were no bottlenecks and it felt more like taking a wonderful walk through the woods than dealing with typical festival shenanigans. There was a steady crowd all day, but it never reached obnoxious levels. People were encouraged to bring their dogs, which just added to the festivity of it all. The vendors and artists covered an impressive array: from crafty stuff to fine art, there was a lot to look at. I'm really looking forward to the future festivals that these organizers are putting together later in the year on Ponce and in Piedmont Park. They seem to know what a neighborhood festival really should be all about.

Going to art festivals is one of my hobbies, so I have solid opinions on what elates and pisses me…read moreoff about them. What I hate most is crowds of people double-fisting plastic cups of Miller Lite pouring into the booths and blocking my view. Luckily the Buckhead Spring Arts Festival maintained steady, healthy foot traffic that added to the event's energy but didn't give me a panic attack. I also appreciated the booth's set-up through shady Chastain Park along just one side of the path; that way, I didn't have to switch my view back and forth between booths or make a loop. One trip down the tented aisle, and I was through. I found the art pricey overall--expected for the typically wealthy Buckhead demographic. I couldn't resist purchasing a smaller piece by Best in Show winner Knick Knack Paddywhack, a woman who fashions sculptures from old toys and antiques. My sculpture comprises a glass granny head; an old teapot with handles on each side that look like hands on her hips; a tin torso; a block of bobbins (Get it? My name is Bobbin...); and dangling movable legs. The Buckhead festival was more about the art and less about hanging out in the park and getting drunk. There can be benefits to both scenes--I just like knowing what I'm getting into.

Good food, good atmosphere! I had the chicken & waffles & the hubby had a hot chicken wrap w/fries…read more The chicken was extremely good, juicy & tender & the breading was very good. The waffles were fluffy & extremely fantastic. The tray had granny smith sautéed apples & maple syrup I had 1/2 of my hubby's had Nashville chicken wrap the next day & it was awesome & heated up very well. The meal came out to 42 & change which considering how good the food was it was worth it. The atmosphere was very good you have to get in line to order then you get to sit at a table, there is full service waitress from then on. The service was great & we even had a waitress keep someone from taking our table! Highly recommend if you are in downtown Marietta.

This was my first Taste of Marietta! I had a wonderful time…read moresampling all the food at the many different restaurants. Now I have some kind of idea of how much fun this festival is.

PIGS AND PEACHES BARBEQUE FESTIVAL…read more Today's festival was awesome and was well planned and organized. There was plenty of advanced information describing activities, vendors and performers. The signage directing you to the venue and parking was on point. We were able to park and walk for free, but if you wanted to get closer to the venue it would only cost $7. When we arrived, it was still cool and the walk was very reasonable. Upon entering the venue, there are several vendors selling jewelry, services, food, and more. The first stage that you see is the family stage with performances that were great for the entire family. The cloggers and dancers performed on this stage, yet it was the only one that was not shaded on this very hot day. The cloggers were great but we just could not tolerate the sun. As we moved throughout the venue, we noticed to additional stages, the adult stage and the second stage. These stages were close to the shaded areas, (large tents with tables and chairs) so that you could sit and enjoy a mile while you listen to music. The main stage was popping with the Alex Guthrie band. They were very soulful and played some great "old school" tunes and well as original music. There were several barbeque vendors and it was difficult to choose one. My husband just decided to go with the one that had the large pig roasting. I guess it looked very authentic to him and it was a very good choice. If you are looking for something active, they have a zip line, (more child appropriate) for $10 and helicopter rides for $30. In addition, there is a very large play area for the kids to bounce until they drop. I scored a cool souvenir tee, delicious apple slushy, caricature and earrings today. The barbeque was so filling that I just did not have room for anything more and I missed an opportunity to find traditional peach cobbler. Oh well, there is always next year!

So disappointed this year. Because of the road closures and lack of parking it was not easy to…read morestart this event. Just a handful of actual BBQ businesses and each one of them were showing their prices higher than what you would spend in the restaurant. Williams Brothers had 2 booths at lease so in total maybe 5-6 at best of other BBQ shops. The craft booths were just about selling the same thing at each one of them. We were asked so, so,so many times if we wanted new windows in our house or insurance from vendors. "Which was more of them then crafting or spice vendors. We only found one vendor that had anything to do with peaches. we normally go to these to try and fine New and or better BBQ places to try but we won't waste our time and money again. After walking around and getting tired of hearing the same line of sales pitches, we walked over to Cheeseburger Bobby's and had dinner for 2 including drinks for what it was going to cost one of us just to try out some BBQ. Not one of the BBQ vendors had something of a sample tray or plate for free or to buy just to get a feel for the flavor of their BBQ. Only getting one star because they did have lots of jumping houses for kids to play in.