March 20, 2010 is Obscura Day.
The idea is that on Obscura Day people everywhere in the world will visit and explore the strange places, the back rooms, the obscure alleys, the hidden treasures of their hometowns.
Obscura Day is the invention of the people who run Atlas Obscura, a web site that bills itself as "compendium of the world's wonders, curiosities and esoterica." (Yes, The Tree that Owns Itself is included in the site's catalog.)
It's not too late for Athens to have it's own Obscura Day events, and I think the folks over at Flagpole Magazine would be naturals for organizing this.
What, in addition to that self-owning tree, should be included in an Athens, Ga. Obscura Day?
Hannah:
Thanks for the excellent, quirky suggestions.
Posted by: Dan Lorentz | February 24, 2010 at 02:11 PM
As part of an Obscura visit to Athens, I would also visit the Double-Barreled Cannon and head to the Hargrett Collection at the UGA Library to take a look at a book bound in human skin. The Athens Music History Walking tour has a number of interesting spots, such as the Murmurs Trestle and St. Mary's Episcopal Church (or at least what's left of it). While the Georgia Museum of Natural History isn't quite "ready for primetime" with dedicated exhibit space, they do have a display room on campus that's open on Saturdays, with some pretty odd and interesting specimins. Sad but true that real record stores are becoming an oddity-- Athens still has two! What about discovering traditional medicinal uses of plants at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia's Heritage Garden? Athens is full of cool spots like these!
Posted by: Hannah S. | February 24, 2010 at 08:31 AM