Georgia Magazine - October 2023 - 18

" The Walking Dead " admission-free museum.
Nic & Norman's restaurant wasn't a film
location, but it is the work of two men who were
integral parts of the series. Greg Nicotero was the
show's executive director and one of the creative
minds behind all that special-effects makeup.
Actor Norman Reedus played the character
of survivalist Daryl Dixon.
This restaurant offers a respite
from the zombie apocalypse and
evokes the feel of a 1920s speakeasy.
The menu includes a variety of
flatbread pizzas, gourmet burgers,
salads and entrees with Southern
flair, such as Coca-Cola Braised Pork
Shank, Fried Chicken Pot Pie, Brisket
Mac and Cheese and Homestyle Meatloaf.
And those paintings on the walls? They're the
artwork of the restaurant's talented founders.
A different sort of tour
Zombie searching doesn't stop at Senoia's city
limits. Down the road is the real Woodbury. The
crews roamed around to find filming locations in this
area, so the shooting area is not as consolidated.
To make your search easy, the Meriwether
County Chamber of Commerce offers a totally
unique-and scary!-self-guided tour. The Real
Woodbury Zombie GeoQuest is a geocaching
activity, best described as an electronics-driven
treasure hunt.
On the tour, you'll visit 12 locations, including
the Red Oak Covered Bridge and the Woodbury
Research Facility, an abandoned location with
satellite dishes that make it a favorite for filmmakers.
First, go to bit.ly/zombiegeoquest and log in or
create an account with Geocaching.com to view the
coordinates needed to find the geocache locations
Above: Actor Ian Somerhalder, who starred as Damon
Salvatore in " The Vampire Diaries, " is surrounded by fans of
the show, including Vampire Stalkers founder Jessica Lowery
(second from left). Left: The real city of Woodbury created a
geocaching adventure with a zombie theme.
with a GPS or smartphone. The Geocaching.com site offers several tutorials
to help get beginners started.
While on the geocaching site for Woodbury, you can follow a link
to download and print a passport, or you can pick up one at the Warm
Springs-Meriwether County Regional Visitor Information Center on Broad
Street in Warm Springs.
Before you embark on your trip, know that you also need at least 12
trinkets of some sort. When you find a cache, you will find a trinket and a
stamp to mark your passport.
" The unwritten rule about geocaching says you can take a trinket out
for your own, but you have to replace it with a trinket of greater or equal
value, " explains Carolyn McKinley, executive director of the Meriwether
County Chamber of Commerce.
In keeping with the TV show's theme, some of the trinkets in the
caches may be on the ghoulish side-fake body parts and weapons, for
example-but don't let that scare you off, because your completed
passport earns you a coin stamped with the geocache's logo. Just present
your stamped passport at the visitor center and collect your prize.
Besides vampires and zombies, you'll find lots of great photo ops
everywhere you go in Covington, Conyers, Senoia and " the real " Woodbury.
Yes, it's all very frightful, but it's the kind of bloodcurdling good fun not to
be found elsewhere. So if you're feeling brave, head over and explore these
horror hot spots.
Sarah Russell is a freelance writer in Hot Springs, Ark.
Guided tours
* Filmed in the South, Conyers; (770) 217-7503; fi lmedinthesouth.com
* Georgia Tour Co., Senoia; (770) 599-0091; georgiatourcompany.com
* Main Street Trolleys and Tours, Covington; (470) 708-8148;
mainstreettrolleys.com
* Mystic Falls Tours, Covington; (770) 728-1669; mysticfallstours.com
* Water Tower Tours, Senoia; watertowertours.com
A production team prepares to fi lm in Olde Town
Conyers. The town square portrayed New Orleans
in " The Originals. "
18 Georgia Magazine October 2023
Self-guided tours
* Conyers Convention & Visitors Bureau, bit.ly/conyerstour
* Geocaching, geocaching com. To get directly to the Real Woodbury
Zombie GeoQuest, go to bit.ly/zombiegeoquest.
* Georgia Tour Co., georgiatourcompany.com. Click on " Touring Dead
Tours " on the home page, then click on " Download Here " at the far left.
* Meriwether County Chamber of Commerce, Warm Springs;
(706) 655-2558; meriwethercountychamber.org
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http://www.Geocaching.com http://bit.ly/zombiegeoquest http://www.Geocaching.com http://www.filmedinthesouth.com http://www.georgiatourcompany.com http://www.mainstreettrolleys.com http://www.mysticfallstours.com http://www.watertowertours.com http://bit.ly/conyerstour http://geocaching.com/ http://bit.ly/zombiegeoquest http://www.georgiatourcompany.com http://www.meriwethercountychamber.org

Georgia Magazine - October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2023