For the new residents at the Astoria at the Aramore that may not be familiar with the New Year’s Eve parties in Atlanta, you have quite a few options available to you. Being in Buckhead is prime location for New Year’s Eve in Atlanta as that is the central location for all of the evening’s biggest celebrations.

1. The Peach Drop: the signature celebration in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve. Located at Underground Atlanta, you can watch the peach slowly drop as the seconds get closer and closer to 2009. Once the clock strikes midnight and 2009 officially begins, fireworks and confetti will light up the sky. This year, Julianne Hough will be performing live at the Peach Drop. You may recognize her from Dancing with the Stars, but she has successfully become a rising country music star in the past year.
2. Jezolution: This is Jezebel Magazine’s signature New Year’s Eve party at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. (more…)

   

There are two different ways to help bring in the new year for Vinings residents. The more traditional is the countdown to midnight at the City of Smyrna. Of course once the clock strikes midnight, there will be a beautiful fireworks display that lights up the sky and kicks off 2009 with a bang! It’s completely free to take advantage of the New Year’s Eve fireworks, so be sure to stop by after dinner.

The other New Year’s Eve celebration in Smyrna is hosted by Radio Disney at begins at 10:30 a.m. This is an event that is fun for the whole family with great games, cool contests and amazing prizes. When the clock strikes noon, all in attendance will toast with cider and have the opportunity to participate in a balloon drop! (more…)

If dramatic dancing, brilliant colors, stimulating backdrops, exciting costumers and original music sounds appealing to you, then the Chinese New Year Spectacular is a can’t-miss opportunity. In fact, it is a must see event regardless. The performance has been receiving rave reviews from both the media and audiences, and it’s time you saw for yourself what all of the excitement is about. You only have this weekend, Friday and Saturday,  to catch one of the three amazing performances at the Cobb Performing Arts Centre. CPAC is only a few minutes away from the luxury Cobb County homes at Avignon at Vinings, making it easy and convenient to attend one of the shows. Presented by the New-York based Divine Performing Arts, the Atlanta show is part of a 20-country world tour. The company’s masterful choreography and graceful routines range from grand classical processions to ethnic and folk dances, with gorgeously costumed dancers moving in stunning synchronized patterns. Its themes are drawn from the pages of history as well as our world today. Go ahead and purchase your tickets for this exceptional performance.

New residents in the Astoria at the Aramore have embarked a new way of life. Their luxury new home in Buckhead is augmented by the high-class lifestyle of the community and surrounding area. Thus, with a new way of life should come new traditions. Every December, the Atlanta Ballet performs the Nutcracker at the Fabulous Fox Theater. Their rendition of the classic ballet is a little different than most American performances, as the story is set in Russia. The costumes, the music and the dancing are beyond magical and a great way to induce the holiday spirit. Since The Astoria at the Aramore is a short drive from the Fox, making plans to see the Nutcracker every year would be an extremely convenient and enjoyable holiday tradition. So be sure to purchase your tickets for one of the upcoming performances.

Tomorrow, once the turkey is gone and the pies have been consumed, you should make your way over to Lenox Square Mall for one fantastic Atlanta holiday celebration that is now in its 61st year. It’s the Lighting of Macy’s Great Tree, and is sure to be a star-studded and entertaining evening. The star of the evening is the tree itself, of course, which is a solitary white pine tree. On the tree you will find 125 Red Macy’s Stars and 125 Snowflakes complemented with the traditional metallic balls and illuminated spheres. Depending on the weather, it takes a crew of 8 people working for 2-3 weeks to decorate the Great Tree. Decorations include: 1,200 multi-color metallic basket-ball sized ornaments, 50 flashing strobe lights, 400 internally lit ornaments, 4000 11-watt bulbs all topped off with a spectacular internally lit LED color changing Macy’s star. At the centerpiece of this stellar topper – is a star with a ring of 50 crystal faceted star strobes encircling the star. Needless to say, the tree is spectacular and requires one amazing celebration for the official lighting. (more…)

The Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 2008 Christmas House is open for tours. All of the proceeds of the annual event, which is now in its 34th year, benefit the Alliance Children’s Theatre. The house is only open until Sunday, December 7th, so you should make plans to view it soon. There is talk that this year’s house is well on its way to becoming the most successful Designer Show House ever. Taking a tour of the Christmas House is a fantastic way to get yourself in the holiday spirit while helping a good cause in the process. The House, designed by Harrison Design Associates and situated on almost 2 acres of very visible and desirable real estate, will feature individually decorated rooms by the area’s “A” list designers to showcase high-style interiors while capturing the essence of the Season.

The house is conveniently located in Buckhead, which is the same neighborhood as all of the new homeowners at the Astoria at the Aramore. (more…)

If you are anywhere near Midtown Atlanta on Sunday, which you always are if you recently moved into a luxury new condo in Atlanta at the Astoria at the Aramore, the make sure you stop by the High Museum of Art for the grand opening of The First Emperor. This highly anticipated exhibit is finally upon us, and you can be among the first to see one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. Of course, this extraordinary exhibit is not the only historical attraction opening in Atlanta this weekend, only a few blocks from the High Museum is the Atlanta Civic Center, who recently welcomed King Tut and many of this treasures. On display at the civic center are 50 objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun, including the gold sandals that adorned the mummies feet and a beautifully adorned canopic jar that mummified his internal organs. King Tut is not the only ancient ruler of Egypt in this exhibit. Also on display is Khefren, whose great pyramid is the only remaining structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world and Hatshepsut, the queen who became king as well as other significant figures. If you are a history buff, then these are two exhibits you won’t want to miss.

There are many benefits to choosing Avignon at Vinings as your new home, but one in particular is the convenience to the Cobb Performing Arts Centre (CPAC). This new Atlanta venue is only minutes away from the luxury townhome community in Vinings. Both the Atlanta Ballet and the Atlanta Opera have chosen the Cobb Performing Arts Centre as their venue of choice for all performances, which means that Avignon residents have convenient access to all of these exceptional events throughout the year. Traditionally, these are the types of events that would be hosted downtown at the Fabulous Fox Theatre - a 30 minute commute from the Vinings area. Well, this weekend the Atlanta Opera is peforming Cinderella on the CPAC stage. Disney has made the fairy tale a well known story, but seeing it performed through dance and song is a completely different and moving experience. You have four opportunities to catch this masterpiece: Nov 15, 18, 21 and 23. So, to all of the homeowners at Avignon at Vinings, be sure to take advantage of these exceptional performances going on in your backyard.

The Atlanta History Center, located in Buckhead off of West Paces Ferry Road, is bringing the Day of the Dead celebration to Atlanta this weekend. On Sunday, November 2nd, from noon to 5 p.m., visit the Atlanta History Center for educational experience about the famous Mexican festival. On display will be decorated altars that honor deceased family members, much like the altars you would find in Mexico during this celebration. Historians will be on hand to tell stories about the Day of the Dead. Authentic Mexican food and music will also be featured on Sunday. This is a prime opportunity to learn some of the traditions of a different culture that shouldn’t be very foreign to us as Mexico is our neighboring county. The program, presented in collaboration with teh Instituto de Mexico and the Mexican Consulate, takes place outdoors and is free and open to the general public. This is a prime cultural experience and extremely convenient for anyone living in the Buckhead area. The Astoria at the Aramore is opening in a matter of days, meaning that soon unique exhibits like this one will be a part of your regular routine.

For the wine connoisseur residents at Avignon at Vinings that have full intentions on taking advantage of the wine tasting room in the clubhouse, this is an event you won’t want to miss. The South City Kitchen is hosting “The Power of Pinot” next Thursday night - November 6th from 6:30 to 8:30. The South City Kitchen is a very popular local restaurant that hosts fantastic events like this one on a regular basis. Living only moments from such charming restaurants is only one of the many perks you will have when choosing to purchase a new townhome in Vinings at Avignon.

This is so much more than just a dinner party as each meal  has been specifically chosen to pair with a specific wine. As the title of the event suggests, the wines are all Pinots - Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. Let’s start with the passed hors d’oeuvres (more…)