In fact, Bits of Treasure is part of a nice cluster of consignment, vintage, antiques and thrift stores in Flowery Branch. Park at Bits and Treasures and you can easily walk from shop to shop. If you get hungry, try Tropical Breeze – an authentic family owned Cuban restaurant – it’s right next door.

Check out the photos below to see some of the cool things we saw at Bits and Treasures this week:

baseball cards, tin toys and brass cracker jack prizes

vintage masonic parade ribbon

groovy 8 tracks and tons of LPs

souvenirs from vacations long ago

solid brass smoking stand with electric lighter

Visit Bits of Treasure Antique Mall

5533 Atlanta Highway, Flowery Branch, GA 30542

770-967-0603

Over 30 historic sites are on view during this walking tour through old town Flowery Branch.

Learn about the booming railroad industry in the area and the cotton trade that made this tiny railroad town a major stop on the Atlanta rail line.

Download the walking tour brochure here. flowery-branch-walking-tour

Managers Patty Phillips and Diane Hanes have brought a little bit of the Big Easy to the Branch with the New Orleans theme of their bakery/bistro. Enjoy the atmosphere and “laissez les bon temps rouler” (let the good times roll!)

At Calliope Sweets, you’ll get the old-fashioned tastes of your youth with every mouthful of their delightful baked goodies.  The goal is to help you remember the way your Mother and Grandmother took such love and care to prepare special treats just for you.

Stop by to pick up something special for dessert at home, to take to a party or as a Hostess gift.  Or join us in the store for a snack or dessert. You can even savor their fresh brewed coffee as you enjoy the aroma of just baked goods that fills the store.

Open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 8pm
Call ahead to pick up an order fresh from the oven 770-965-3333.

CLICK HERE to visit their website!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Calliope's charm is sweet too.

Yummo! All treats are baked on site.

Need a gift? Wrap up something sweet.

The price is right for these homebaked treats.

Placecards wait to name delish fare

We are so proud of our Falcons and their winning season – and we hope to see them go all the way to the Super Bowl later this month. Help us cheer them on during their game this weekend at one of the many sports bars and pubs around Lake Lanier where the game will be watched by locals and visitors alike.

Check out the video below to get a fan’s perspective of training camp…

All work and no play makes for a pretty dull NFL mascot…luckily, Freddie the Falcon knows how to have fun with the fans. Shown here at the Atlanta Falcons Training Camp facilities in Flowery Branch near Lake Lanier, Freddie uses an eager volunteer to show of his tumbling skills…or not…

To learn more about Toasted & Tapped, check out their website - CLICK HERE!

Owners including Paul are living the dream with their own brew pub!

Specialty hops and other key ingredients go into their home brews.

Where the magic happens - the brewery is on view for all the patrons to see.

Take a step back to the 1950s, where families sat around a pictureless box to listen instead of watch — hard to imagine, isn’t it?

Before Xbox, Internet and HDTVs, the most popular form of leisure was found in radio, and that entertainment returns this weekend with Fifth Row Center’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” at Springs Community Church.

“This version of the play gives us an opportunity to expose our audiences to something very different and special from our normal shows,” director Melissa Thomas said. “It has been especially fun for the young people in the cast, as they could not fathom how their grandparents survived without Nintendo Wii.”

The original script from the classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life” called for 27 actors, which are hard to find during the holiday season, but the radio show allows actors to play multiple parts.

“This has been the best fun. The actors all tried different ways to portray each character, even having to talk to themselves until we figured out who should play whom. It’s a true actor’s show,” Thomas said.

Ciro Manzari is one of the actors with multiple roles of Joseph and Mr. Potter.

“I love Christmas time and all the holiday classics that so many of us have watched since we were kids,” he said. “The movie ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ is truly one of those classics, so to have the opportunity to audition and land a part in this production was exciting.”

With the theme of “there’s always hope,” the show will inspire and entertain.

“‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ shows how someone can overcome major detours in life,” Manzari said. “The main character had his whole life planned out until obstacles kept him from fulfilling his dreams. In the end, he realizes that his small, insignificant life had such a profound effect on the lives of others. He comes to realize that he truly had, a wonderful life.”

Though different from a typical play and radio segment, Thomas’ rendition offers audiences the best of both worlds.

“Our show is actually two shows within one. As the audience enters the theater, they will be taken back to a radio studio on Christmas Eve, 1944. They will listen to big band music of the era as the actors prepare to perform,” Thomas said.

To add to the vintage appeal, Usherettes will be selling vintage candy and “USO Bonds” throughout the show.

“We have had special commemorative cards, or ‘bonds,’ made that we’ll be selling for $1 each. All proceeds will be given to the (USO),” said Thomas. “The cast chose the USO as it has played such an important role in the lives of our service men and women, especially during WWII.”

As an act of appreciation, any person serving in the U.S. military receives a free ticket when arriving to the show in uniform.

After the show’s introduction, the real treat begins.

“We will have live sound effects as if you are hearing the show over the radio,” Thomas said. “I invite everyone during the show to close their eyes for a short while, and feel what it would have been like to actually hear this over the radio.”

With period costumes and technology, the essence of “It’s a Wonderful Life” will shine on stage.

“Our ‘Foley table,’ where all the sound effects are coming from, is actually the star of the show,” Thomas said. “We usually take these sounds for granted in a live action show, but in radio, someone has to make them. Sound effects will be done live on stage with our two wonderful Foleys, Jeff Hanna and Tom Kiningham”

For an out-of-the-box holiday experience, Thomas invites everyone to join them this weekend, leaving technology behind and gaining perspective.

“This play has so many warm memories for so many people. It just isn’t Christmas without George Bailey taking on Mr. Potter,” she said. “Everyone one of us is important to someone else and all of our lives’ matter. This play is so full of joy and Christmas spirit that it will make everyone leave with a good, tingly feeling all over.”

Show & Ticket info:
Fifth Row Center Theater
7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18
The Springs Church, 6553 Spout Springs Road, Flowery Branch
$8 children, students and seniors; $10 adults
678-357-7359 or email ticket requests to: info@fifthrowcenter.com.

The menu is filled with dozens of delicious options. Of course they have a fine traditional Cuban sandwich, but don’t be afraid to try one of their other main dishes including shredded beef with black beans, grilled pork chops in mojo sauce or even a side of fried plantains.

imported soft drinks like Iron Beer are a great treat for kids

Homemade Sangria is filled with local fresh fruit

Get your caffeine fix with a cup of authentic Cuban Coffee

The beverage menu alone will boggle the mind – house made sangria, imported sodas including Iron Beer, fresh squeezed juice drinks (the day we went, they had pineapple and mango) and of course hot brewed Cuban coffee with cream.

Just like Grandma's - the rice pudding is made fresh

No meal at Tropical Breeze would be complete without dessert – they bake all their own sweets and have standard fare you’d expect to see like tres leches cake but don’t miss the flan with ice cream or the rice pudding. And for kids, they make hand dipped milk shakes.

Click HERE to check out their menu

Tropical Breeze Restaurant

5545 Atlanta Highway, Flowery Branch, GA 30542
770-965-1305

Visit their website HERE

Dine In – Delivery – Take Out – Catering

Actors from the theater company located on Main Street in Flowery Branch have pulled together a series of local ghost lore and wrapped it up in a walking tour of the downtown historic district.

Click the link below to find out more…if you dare.

Flowery Branch Ghost Tours