There is a stretch of the year in Alpharetta — roughly Labor Day to Halloween — when the humidity finally breaks and the city is genuinely at its best. Here is what is filling in on the calendar, and a couple of things worth knowing if you live here.
Bike share is coming back. The city has signed a five-year agreement with Tandem Mobility to return bike share to Alpharetta: twenty-five bikes across five stations at the Alpha Loop near Westside Parkway, Alpharetta City Center, North Point Park, Rock Mill Park and Avalon. Riders can rent with a credit card, the first hour is free, and bikes can be returned to any station, which makes one-way trips practical. Stations are expected to be installed in the coming weeks. For anyone who has walked the Alpha Loop and wished the distance between City Center and Avalon were shorter, this is the fix.
Voces del Corazón opens on Canton Street. Arts Alpharetta and Alpharetta Arts & Culture are presenting a juried exhibition celebrating Hispanic and Latino artists — painting, sculpture, photography and more, built around personal journeys and identity. It runs August 19 through October 17 at the Alpharetta Arts Center, 238 Canton Street, and admission is free. There is a free public reception on Friday, August 21 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., with live music and refreshments.
Dolly on the terrace. The Eclectic Lawn Series brings Run Katie Run to the Alpharetta Arts Center terrace on Saturday, September 19 at 7:00 p.m. with Here I Come Again, a tribute to Dolly Parton's catalog. The band has played Dollywood for the past five seasons. Bring a chair, a blanket and a picnic.
And the standing calendar. The Alpharetta Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings from 8:30 on South Main. The Moonlight Market and the On the Green concert series continue downtown. If you have out-of-town guests coming through this fall, a Saturday built around the market and Canton Street is the easiest possible win.
One practical note. Work on the Georgia DOT SR 400 Express Lanes project continues through the Alpharetta area into late October, with activity across several zones along the corridor. Residents in affected areas receive notice before work begins. If your commute runs 400, build in a buffer and watch the message boards.
We pay attention to this calendar for the same reason we pay attention to zoning and inventory: the texture of a place is what people are actually buying. Clients relocating to north Atlanta rarely ask about square footage first. They ask what a Saturday looks like.
If you're considering a move to Alpharetta, Milton, Roswell, Johns Creek, Cumming or Canton and want a straight answer about which of these communities fits how you actually live, the Bonnie Smith Group would be glad to help.
