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How to enjoy Dragon Con without attending Dragon Con

From the parade and people-watching to arcade games and aquarium fun, here's how to experience the spectacle without attending the convention.

Things to Do

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dragon Con" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/08/29/dragon-con-downtown-2024" data-vars-content-id="dbd59426-c5dd-46f7-8a03-05eaf2a9d203" data-vars-headline="How to enjoy Dragon Con without attending Dragon Con" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/08/29/dragon-con-downtown-2024" target="_self">Dragon Con</a>, the largest sci-fi and fantasy convention in the Southeast and an Atlanta treasure, is back. But you don&#x27;t need a badge or deep understanding of &quot;Doctor Who&quot; history to experience the fun.Why it matters: The five-day convention is a Labor Day weekend tradition, and organizers estimate roughly 75,000 people will attend the parties, panels and a concert by a &quot;Star Wars&quot;-themed heavy metal band that performs composer John Williams&#x27; scores.

Georgia tick bites hit August record ahead of fall peak

Another tick activity peak is coming this fall, as Lyme disease risk expands in the Southeast.

Health

This year&#x27;s tick season has been a doozy in Georgia — and another peak is coming in the fall.Why it matters: Tick bites can pose serious health risks, transmitting pathogens that cause illnesses including <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lyme disease" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/lyme-disease-symptoms-treatment" data-vars-content-id="2533d6ed-ff72-4fa2-a3f4-4710c5685c48" data-vars-headline="Georgia tick bites hit August record ahead of fall peak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/lyme-disease-symptoms-treatment" target="_self">Lyme disease</a> and triggering <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="alpha-gal syndrome" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/31/alpha-gal-ags-tick-meat-allergy-cases" data-vars-content-id="2533d6ed-ff72-4fa2-a3f4-4710c5685c48" data-vars-headline="Georgia tick bites hit August record ahead of fall peak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/31/alpha-gal-ags-tick-meat-allergy-cases" target="_self">alpha-gal syndrome</a>, an allergy to red meat.

Celebrate 40 years of Spike Lee films with free screenings

The screenings are free and open to the public and will be held each Wednesday at 7:30pm at Emory University.

Culture

Emory University&#x27;s Department of Film and Media will use the fall semester to celebrate one of America&#x27;s most widely-respected movie directors. Why it matters: Spike Lee&#x27;s legacy stretches across generations, and his films have not only received critical acclaim and awards, but have influenced mainstream American pop culture.

College football takes over Atlanta this Labor Day weekend

From Georgia Tech's season opener to Auburn-Baylor and the first ATL Labor Day Classic, Atlanta has three straight days of college football.

Are you ready for some football? Because this weekend is a three-day college football festival.Thursday: Georgia Tech <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="opens" data-vars-click-url="https://ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/schedule/season/2026-27" data-vars-content-id="42323aa1-fa46-47cb-93bf-c3daf2aa3a57" data-vars-headline="College football takes over Atlanta this Labor Day weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/schedule/season/2026-27" target="_blank">opens</a> its season against Colorado at Bobby Dodd Stadium at 8pm.<ul><li>Head to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Helluva Block Party" data-vars-click-url="https://ramblinwreck.com/hbp" data-vars-content-id="42323aa1-fa46-47cb-93bf-c3daf2aa3a57" data-vars-headline="College football takes over Atlanta this Labor Day weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ramblinwreck.com/hbp" target="_blank">Helluva Block Party</a> on Bobby Dodd Way at 4pm or join the ESPN SportsCenter on Campus live broadcast on the top level of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Peters Parking Deck" data-vars-click-url="https://ramblinwreck.com/news/2026/08/28/sportscenter-on-campus-returns-to-georgia-tech-for-football-opener" data-vars-content-id="42323aa1-fa46-47cb-93bf-c3daf2aa3a57" data-vars-headline="College football takes over Atlanta this Labor Day weekend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ramblinwreck.com/news/2026/08/28/sportscenter-on-campus-returns-to-georgia-tech-for-football-opener" target="_blank">Peters Parking Deck</a> at 5pm.</li></ul>

Remember when Atlanta got drive-thru funeral viewing?

Herschel Thornton dreamed up the unusual service as a way to make funeral viewing more accessible.

History

In the mid-1960s, Atlanta mortician Herschel Thornton dreamed of a novel idea: a series of drive-thru windows where people could view loved ones from the comfort of their cars.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Herschel Thornton Mortuary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thorntonmortuary.com/about/about-us" data-vars-content-id="11df89a4-a5cf-454f-812c-4b0d4894c790" data-vars-headline="Remember when Atlanta got drive-thru funeral viewing?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thorntonmortuary.com/about/about-us" target="_blank">Herschel Thornton Mortuary</a> claims to be the first funeral home in the country to offer a 24-hour drive-thru viewing window.

The Spiller Field Magnolias will live on across Atlanta

Cuttings already grow across metro Atlanta, and the historic trees may even sprout again from their stumps.

Part of one of Atlanta&#x27;s most beloved trees came crashing down over the weekend. But the Spiller Field Magnolias will live on.Why it matters: Cuttings taken the grand magnolias in 2013 have already been planted across metro Atlanta.<ul><li>And experts say the damaged magnolia could eventually send up new shoots from its stump.</li></ul>

Rare photos show Cabbagetown before its transformation

New exhibition of Barbara McKenzie images document daily life before the mill closed and community transformed.

Neighborhoods

A new exhibition of never-before-seen photographs shines a light on the history of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cabbagetown" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/05/07/cabbagetown-amphitheater-revival-brookshire-legacy" data-vars-content-id="197647c0-3695-4d04-9043-54ec2fc0d96a" data-vars-headline="Rare photos show Cabbagetown before its transformation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/05/07/cabbagetown-amphitheater-revival-brookshire-legacy" target="_self">Cabbagetown</a>.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cabbagetown &#x27;76" data-vars-click-url="https://thepatchworks.org/2026/04/15/cabbagetown-76-the-photographs-of-barbara-mckenzie/" data-vars-content-id="197647c0-3695-4d04-9043-54ec2fc0d96a" data-vars-headline="Rare photos show Cabbagetown before its transformation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thepatchworks.org/2026/04/15/cabbagetown-76-the-photographs-of-barbara-mckenzie/" target="_blank">Cabbagetown &#x27;76</a>, an exhibition of Barbara McKenzie photographs at the Cabbagetown Community Center, captures the everyday life of the close-knit, hardscrabble community during a time of economic uncertainty.

A 125-year-old Atlanta mansion hits the market

The former museum and Peachtree landmark comes with history, tax credit potential and a motivated seller.

Real Estate

For 125 years, the historic Rufus M. Rose House on Peachtree Street has been a family home, an eclectic museum and antique store, and preservation offices.<ul><li>Now you can make it yours for $2.58 million.</li></ul>Why it matters: The Victorian mansion — built in 1901 for Rose, an Atlanta physician and founder of the R.M. Rose Distillery in Vinings — has waited decades for a new chapter.<ul><li>The red-brick home is the last house standing from a pre-automobile era when Peachtree was Atlanta&#x27;s Millionaires&#x27; Row.</li></ul>

New AJC podcast resurfaces Georgia Guidestones mystery

A new podcast explores the Guidestones' origins, destruction and why the quirky monument remains fascinating.

News

A new AJC podcast probes the origins and 2022 destruction of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Georgia Guidestones" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/07/07/investigation-underway-after-georgia-guidestones-bombed" data-vars-content-id="2e44b84a-b33d-44fc-9bf2-0d2369c2239f" data-vars-headline="New AJC podcast resurfaces Georgia Guidestones mystery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/07/07/investigation-underway-after-georgia-guidestones-bombed" target="_self">Georgia Guidestones</a>, reviving questions about one of the state&#x27;s most enigmatic landmarks.Why it matters: Before their mysterious destruction in 2022, the Georgia Guidestones were simultaneously a roadside attraction and magnet for conspiracy theories, from New World Order fears to claims it was satanic.<ul><li>In &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Who Blew Up the Guidestones?" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ajc.com/about-us/2026/03/new-ajc-podcast-investigates-who-blew-up-the-georgia-guidestones/" data-vars-content-id="2e44b84a-b33d-44fc-9bf2-0d2369c2239f" data-vars-headline="New AJC podcast resurfaces Georgia Guidestones mystery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ajc.com/about-us/2026/03/new-ajc-podcast-investigates-who-blew-up-the-georgia-guidestones/" target="_blank">Who Blew Up the Guidestones?</a>,&quot; journalist Tyler McBrien investigates who may be behind the monument&#x27;s creation and 2022 bombing — and why we care so much about the mini-Stonehenge to this day.</li></ul>

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's personal items go up for auction

A handwritten note, campaign items, jewelry and even the former president's handmade furniture are part of the sale.

Politics

If you ever wanted to own one of former President <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jimmy Carter&#x27;s ties" data-vars-click-url="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/group-ties-worn-president-jimmy-carter-864/286672?ldp_breadcrumb=back" data-vars-content-id="c7354490-6b2c-447d-84ee-74d283d18ea9" data-vars-headline="Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter&#x27;s personal items go up for auction" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/group-ties-worn-president-jimmy-carter-864/286672?ldp_breadcrumb=back" target="_blank">Jimmy Carter&#x27;s ties</a>, now might be your opportunity.Driving the news: Christie&#x27;s is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="auctioning" data-vars-click-url="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/viewing-room/1/3949?sc_lang=en" data-vars-content-id="c7354490-6b2c-447d-84ee-74d283d18ea9" data-vars-headline="Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter&#x27;s personal items go up for auction" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/viewing-room/1/3949?sc_lang=en" target="_blank">auctioning</a> dozens of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter&#x27;s personal mementoes and memorabilia, some of which have strong links to historic events or the family&#x27;s inner lives.

The viaducts that lifted Atlanta above its railroads

A new GSU exhibit explores how the blink-and-you-miss-them bridges fueled growth — and left some old streets behind.

Around the turn of the 19th century, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Downtown Atlanta" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/06/06/folio-house-atlanta-affordable-housing-constitution" data-vars-content-id="a929617b-af9f-484b-bfa8-67abfb6e0559" data-vars-headline="The viaducts that lifted Atlanta above its railroads" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/06/06/folio-house-atlanta-affordable-housing-constitution" target="_self">Downtown Atlanta</a> was increasingly congested as the growing city center tried to coexist with some of the Southeast&#x27;s busiest railroad crossings.<ul><li>To keep apace, city leaders decided, one could only go up.</li></ul>

Remember when Georgia fell for the ole alien monkey trick

In 1953, two barbers and a butcher sparked a martian mania with a dyed green monkey

For one glorious week in 1953, Georgia was the middle of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="martian" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/02/26/georgia-ufo-sightings" data-vars-content-id="8bedd04b-e4cf-4f59-8d41-8b783d999c83" data-vars-headline="Remember when Georgia fell for the ole alien monkey trick" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/02/26/georgia-ufo-sightings" target="_self">martian</a> mania. Then reality reared its ugly head.Why it matters: The list of great hoaxes wouldn&#x27;t be complete without a tricky trio who tried to pass off a dead, hairless monkey dyed green as an alien body.

Decades-empty Atlanta Constitution building gets new life

A long vacant downtown building will soon offer affordable homes for essential workers in Atlanta.

Development

A historic but beat up South Downtown building that sat vacant for five decades is getting the overhaul it has long deserved.Why it matters: Developer Gorman and Company plans to turn the former Atlanta Constitution building into <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Folio House" data-vars-click-url="https://www.gensler.com/projects/143-alabama-st-folio-house" data-vars-content-id="57093d34-68f9-4b46-a95f-1b66e74402a9" data-vars-headline="Decades-empty Atlanta Constitution building gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.gensler.com/projects/143-alabama-st-folio-house" target="_blank">Folio House</a>, a mixed-income housing development with rents affordable for service workers, bus drivers and more.

Remember when Georgia sold land that reshaped America?

Bribes and a bonfire on the Georgia Capitol lawn marked one of the country's earliest land scandals.

Georgia&#x27;s borders once stretched as far west as the Mississippi River. But the corrupt Yazoo land deal selling off the sprawling territory to political insiders changed the state&#x27;s shape forever.Why it matters: The shapes of U.S. states are quirky, especially in the eastern United States, where geography, greed and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="questionably shoddy surveying work" data-vars-click-url="https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/archived-columnists/jamils-georgia/nge/" data-vars-content-id="b9f50370-88ec-4729-94ac-de1354b6c002" data-vars-headline="Remember when Georgia sold land that reshaped America?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/archived-columnists/jamils-georgia/nge/" target="_blank">questionably shoddy surveying work</a> made squiggles and swerves on maps.