By Connie Carlson | Carlson Orange Team | carlsonorange.com
May is my favorite month to be a Marietta local. The Square comes alive in a way that is hard to describe if you have never experienced it. The dogwoods are done and the energy picks back up, and suddenly every weekend has something going on. If you are new to the area or just looking for a reason to get outside, this is the month that usually converts people. I have lived here for over 20 years and I am still surprised by how much this little square can hold.
Every month I pull together my personal picks for what to do in and around Marietta. I keep this list honest. These are not sponsored, not paid placements. They are just the things I would tell a friend who called me up and said, what should we do this weekend? My top 5 for May are below, and I saved the best one for last.
If you have been looking for an excuse to get a group of friends together and do something fun on a Tuesday night, this is it. Gear Hart Designs hosts a guided painting class right inside Glover Park Brewery, which means you are painting with a local artist, surrounded by great beer and the kind of energy that only Glover Park Brewery can bring. No experience required. I love this event because it mixes two things that are very Marietta: supporting local artists and gathering around a cold craft beer with people you like. Tickets go fast, so grab yours early.
Date and Time: Tuesday, May 12 | Doors open 4pm, class 6:30 to 8:30pm Location: Glover Park Brewery, 65 Atlanta St SE, Marietta, GA 30060 Cost: Tickets required in advance More info: gloverparkbrewery.com Instagram: @gloverparkbrewery
This one is perfect for the runners and the walkers and the people who say they are going to start running any day now. The Memorial Day race at Sprayberry Square gives you three distance options so nobody has an excuse to skip it. Active and retired military run free with a valid ID, which I think is a beautiful touch for a Memorial Day morning. All finishers get a commemorative medal, and there are awards for top finishers in every age group. It is a genuinely fun morning, and it is a great way to start a holiday that deserves to be more than just a cookout.
Date and Time: Monday, May 25 | Race start 8am Location: Sprayberry Square Shopping Center, 2550 Sandy Plains Rd, Marietta, GA 30062 Cost: Registration required | Free for active and retired military More info: findarace.com Instagram: @runmarietta
This is one of those Marietta events I look forward to every single year without fail. The Greek Festival at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in East Cobb is three full days of homemade Greek food, live music, traditional dancing, church tours, and a marketplace full of vendors you will not find anywhere else. The Hellenic Dance Program performances are incredible, the pastry tent is dangerous, and the gyro bowls are exactly as good as you are hoping they will be. Admission is just $5 and kids 12 and under get in free. Complimentary parking with a shuttle runs all weekend. Friday evening has free admission from 4 to 5:30pm if you want to beat the weekend crowds. Come hungry.
Date and Time: Friday, May 15 from 4 to 10:30pm | Saturday, May 16 from 11am to 10:30pm | Sunday, May 17 from 11am to 4pm Location: Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, 3431 Trickum Road, Marietta, GA 30066 Cost: $5 adults | Children 12 and under free | Free admission Friday 4 to 5:30pm More info: mariettagreekfestival.com Instagram: @mariettagreekfestival
I am genuinely excited about this one. The M2R TrailFest is a free, all-ages public arts festival that takes place along the Mountain to River Trail in downtown Marietta. We are talking sculpture installations, live murals, aerialists, dancers, live music, free art drops, and a Fence Art Gallery that stretches nearly a mile alongside the trail. This year also includes the Fur Folly Pet Parade, which starts at Lewis Park Dog Park and winds its way to Atherton Square at 10am before Opening Ceremonies kick off at 11am. The trail runs right through the heart of our town, from near Wellstar Kennestone all the way to Brown Park, and on this day it becomes one big outdoor arts experience. I walk this trail almost every week. Seeing it transformed like this is something special. It is free, it is outside, and it is completely Marietta.
Date and Time: Saturday, May 9 | 11am to 6pm | Pet Parade staging at 9:30am, parade starts 10am Location: Mountain to River Trail, Atherton Square (McNeel Alley NW), Marietta, GA 30060 Cost: Free More info: m2rtrailfest.com Instagram: @mariettaartscouncil
I saved the best for last. May-Retta Daze is my number one pick for May and it is not close. This is the quintessential Marietta Square spring weekend. Two full days of handmade arts and crafts from juried artists who make everything themselves, no machines, no mass production. Live acoustic music on the Glover Park stage all weekend long. Festival food, a children's zone, the famous hat parade, and the Farmers Market running Saturday morning just a few blocks away. It does not matter if you have been to this festival five times before or if this is your first spring in Marietta. You are going to love it. Bring the whole family, wear a fun hat, and plan to stay a while. This is what life in Marietta looks like when the weather finally cooperates.
Date and Time: Saturday, May 2 from 10am to 7pm | Sunday, May 3 from 11am to 5pm Location: Glover Park, Historic Marietta Square, 50 N Park Square NE, Marietta, GA 30060 Cost: Free admission More info: mariettaga.gov Instagram: @mariettaga
May in Marietta does not slow down. This is just my top five. There is a lot more happening this month, and every single event goes straight to the My Marietta Event Calendar, which you can subscribe to for free. It syncs to Google or Apple Calendar and I update it every month so you never have to wonder what is going on around the Square.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MY MARIETTA EVENT CALENDAR
https://conniecarlson.myflodesk.com/mymarietta
Connie Carlson | Carlson Orange Team | Real Broker LLC www.carlsonorange.com Because nothing feels better than bringing you home.
