For nearly 30 years a forgotten lot on Roswell Road near the intersection with East Andrews Drive has been home to the annual return of Little Rob’s Christmas Tree Lot. Hand-lettered signs dotted with folksy spray-painted tree motifs standing near the entrance to the lot are surrounded by Christmas trees ready for sale. Beyond a trailer on wheels is a small tent under which workers are diligently crafting wreaths as owner Rob chats with a customer.
Rob founded the tree lot in 1992 right after he graduated from college. A Buckhead native, he heard about the opportunity from his father who was friends with a Christmas tree farmer. The farmer had tried setting up shop to sell his trees but found he didn’t enjoy the process, so Rob decided to give it a shot. “I made enough to hit the road climbing until I ran low, which turned out to be right about when people needed trees again,” said Rob, an avid rock climber.
Always a free spirit, Rob’s childhood was spent roaming the neighborhoods around Chastain Park where he grew up. “The tree business buys me time,” explained Rob, who has since moved to Colorado where he spends much of his time rock climbing, mentoring, and training students through Outward Bound. He returns once a year for his annual tree sales, and typically stays with his mother from around 10 days before Thanksgiving until the sales run out, usually right around Christmas.
“The community that I engage with consists largely of repeat customers who I check in with annually, and they’re nice folks,” said Rob. “A particular toddler I recall from my very first season just came in yesterday and showed off her baby bump – that’s pretty cool. I get the sense that my people see themselves as a bit of an embattled remnant, trying to hang on to the place they value amidst an onslaught of development and growth.”
As someone who knows Buckhead inside and out but spends most of each year away, he has had a unique opportunity to witness the community as it has changed throughout the years. After all, it was only a year ago that the huge lot of land across Roswell Road was a forest whereas now it’s in the midst of a massive transformation as it becomes an extension of Camden Buckhead.
“The sense I’ve had since I was a kid here was one of woods constantly getting mowed down to make way for something else,” said Rob, who has now been personally affected with the news that developers will be transforming the lot where he sells his trees– along with adjacent properties that include long standing businesses– to the future site of the Dream Hotel. Rock’n Taco, one of the affected businesses, has already relocated to Roswell.
Though this announcement certainly puts the site of Little Rob’s Christmas Tree Lot in peril, Rob remains hopeful for the future. “The fact that this site has remained vacant for as long as it has is a minor miracle,” Rob said. “This enterprise, if it is to continue, needs some commercially zoned vacant land that my people don’t mind driving to. Holler!”
Every December the Atlanta History Center is transformed into a candlelit wonderland as part of their Candelight Nights program. Guests are invited to stroll through the forested grounds and visit three historic homesteads along trails lit by torches and candles. Open this year on Friday, December 13 and Friday, December 20, visitors of all ages will love this experience!
Your visit begins in the main atrium of the History Center where you can buy tickets, visit with Santa Claus for photos and sharing Christmas wish lists, and check out the Holiday Market offering local crafts, artist creations, and vintage holiday decorations.
There are cash bars for adult beverages and hot cider for the kids. The path leads into the forest and through the beautiful gardens linking several fun destinations and activities. The darkness of night adds beauty and excitement illuminated by glittering decorations, torches and candles.
View holiday traditions from the Civil War era, the 1930s, and pioneer days at the Center’s historic houses while interpreters bring historic characters to life. Souper Jenny will be serving up famous soups and salads, and you’ll find several cash bars for visitors, bringing even more fun to this beloved holiday tradition.
The program is $20 for adults, $15 for members, and $10 for children, learn more and buy tickets on the Atlanta History Center website.
Built in the 1840s, the Smith Family Farm is Atlanta’s oldest surviving farmhouse. Initially belonging to Robert Hiram Smith, a hog farmer with 800 acres to his name. There’s a farmhouse and a separate kitchen out back, as well as a dairy, blacksmith shop, smokehouse, corncrib, chicken coop, barn, outhouse, and gardens.
Caroling and 1861 Christmas Tree lighting in the front yard at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm.Open hearth holiday cooking demonstrations at the Smith Farm Kitchen at 7:15pm, 8:15pm, and 9:15pm.Gather around and hear stories and songs by the fire about enslaved peoples’ experiences during the holidays and hopes for the end of slavery.
Watch the performance of Stephen, an enslaved woodworker, as he tells a tale of tough decisions he must make for his family, 6:45pm, 7:45pm, and 8:45pm
Guests can make popcorn garlands, salt-dough ornaments, dip candles, and watch blacksmithing and open-hearth cooking demonstrations.
Constructed in 1928 at the end of the Jazz age, it was the home of the Inman family who built the home for entertaining. Mansion views of the Swan House Lawn, classic cars, and beautiful decor throughout transport you back in time. Designed by architect Philip Trammel Schutze and decorated by Ruby Ross Wood, the home is one of the most iconic properties in Buckhead.
Classic jazzy Christmas tunes by the Joe Gransden Trio at the Swan House, December 14 and December 21 at 6:30pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
Crafts at the Swan House include DIY 1930s Holiday Postcards and custom headbands
When the first white settlers arrived to the high ridges of Atlanta they began building log cabin houses. Elias Wood and his family occupied this cabin not too far from the spot where Peachtree Creek and Chattahoochee River meet and spent many years there, reshaping and reforming the cabin multiple times.
Grab a s’more and a cider while you listen to the Atlanta Sacred Harp Singers perform a collection of hymns from The Sacred Harp at the Wood Family Cabin, performing nightly at 7pm and 8pm
Founded in 1926, the Atlanta History Museum is one of the Southeast’s largest history museums. In addition to several showcase spaces, guests can partake in food by Souper Jenny and beverages from Brash Coffee. Stop by the gift shop to browse books, unique gifts, and local goods.
Learn more by visiting the Atlanta History Center website or calling them directly at (404) 814-4000.
The spirit of Buckhead heads forward. This is the way it has been, and perhaps this is the way it will always be. The spirit of Buckhead points forward. You see it in the way we work, and you see it in the way we play. The reach is always extending further. The search is for excellence and beauty and grace and vibrancy.
We are a community of individuals. We are diverse, we are dynamic, and we are discerning. We are builders. We are connected to one another with a common bond. A common dream. A common quest. Pointing life in one direction. Forward.
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