Read more about the article Winter Lantern Festival – Atlanta, GA
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Winter Lantern Festival – Atlanta, GA

We usually try to see Christmas lights every holiday season. Favorites include Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens. This year, we tried out a new event – the Winter Lantern Festival.

Lantern festivals originated in China thousands of years ago. Over the past decades, the spectacular display of hand-crafted silk designs now illuminated by LED lights has spread to the United States. Atlanta welcomed the Global Winter Wonderland in 2013. Now you can catch the annual Atlanta BeltLine Parade and the newer Sandy Springs Lantern Parade.

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A Morning in Portland, Maine

Our trip to the Maritime Provinces of Canada was coming to a close and we had to drive back to Boston for our flight home. By rearranging the itinerary to explore Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, and Lunenburg, we didn’t think we’d spend any time in Portland, Maine.

However, we found a way to squeeze a bit of time there. By powering through a six-hour drive from Saint John, New Brunswick to Portland (after taking the 2.5-hour ferry from Nova Scotia), we arrived in Portland around midnight. This left the next morning to explore the city before heading to Boston.

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Booth Western Art Museum – Cartersville, GA

For years, we’ve heard about the Booth Western Art Museum, but only recently made a visit. Wow – it is impressive!

And I’m not necessarily a fan of Western art. I tend to favor the impressionists such as Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, and Sisley. However, the paintings, sculptures, and movie posters drew me in. Who knew that Cartersville, just 45 minutes northwest of Atlanta, boasted such a great museum in this specific art genre?

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Cochran Shoals Unit at the Chattahoochee River – Atlanta

The Chattahoochee River is Atlanta’s unofficial playground. Run by the National Park Service, the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area operates several units. The Cochran Shoals Unit at Interstate North lies just off of the top end of I-285 (Atlanta’s beltway affectionately called the Perimeter). Although close to a major interstate, the area allows visitors to feel miles away from civilization.

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