Cityscape

Atlanta is a city of festivals. There’s the Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park, Pride Week, the return of the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Downtown Festival and on and on. Our favorite is the NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL, which transforms the city for 10 days each July into a cultural haven, where dance troupes, musicians and artists pay homage to the African diaspora. This year’s highlights included performances by Grammy-nominated composer and trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe and the Forces of Nature Dance Theater Company. In addition, there was the Pan-African Film Festival and an eclectic artists’ market.
www.nbaf.org.

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It wasn’t so long ago that ANDRUW JONES walked into the office of Atlanta Braves general manager John Schuerholz without his agent and agreed to a long-term contract that gave the Braves a significant hometown discount. His reward? Now that the contract is ending next year, Jones was placed on waivers this year to test the trade waters. We’ll agree with Jones that it was “rude” and that the Braves would never have placed Chipper Jones or John Smoltz on waivers. We also understand the realities of a budget forced on the team by out-of-town ownership. The pity is that we’re about to lose Andruw just as he hits his prime. He’s developed into one of the most dangerous power hitters in the game, and just happens to be the sweetest-fielding centerfielder since Willie Mays. Enjoy him while you still can. Without Andruw patrolling the outfield, Turner Field just won’t be the same. less...

With rapid construction overtaking Atlanta’s already jammed streets, there’s no better way to escape than to cruise down to CUMBERLAND ISLAND. It’s Georgia’s biggest barrier island, and it can only be reached by ferry, making it a subtropical oasis for a plethora of animals, including egrets, pelicans and wild horses. Walk along the secluded beach, with its backdrop of smooth, white dunes, and you might catch a glimpse of loggerhead turtles laying eggs. Or venture under the island’s canopy of massive live oaks to spot anything from painted buntings to armadillos. Be sure to check out Plum Orchard, the remnants of the Carnegie family’s Tara-esque mansion, built in the 1890s. The island’s serenity is constantly threatened by politician-led schemes to turn it into a tourist trap. For now, however, it remains the crown jewel of Georgia’s “Golden Isles.” If you visit, go between now and April, because the island’s wildlife also includes sand gnats and mosquitoes.
912-882-4336. www.nps.gov/cuis

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