One of the Arabia Alliance's longterm restoration projects, Lyon Farm, is open to public tours. The Alliance threw a Celebration of Preservation, Conservation and Interpretation at Lyon Farm in August and since then has opened up DeKalb County's only extant plantation home to the public. Guided tours of Lyon Farm opened to the public on November 15th. The interpretation does not romanticize beginnings; it acknowledges Indigenous presence before forced removal, examines settler occupation, and confronts the role of enslaved labor in shaping this farm. Read our Field Note on what to expect. And click here to purchase a ticket for the next tour on January 17.
While Stone Mountain might be Georgia's most popular destination today, for much of its history it was an unofficial capital of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1915, the Klan was reborn at Stone Mountain and held national rallies and cross burnings in town as late as 1978. The Arabia Alliance interviewed DeKalb County Park Ranger Horace O’Kelly about what it was like growing up as a Black child in Stone Mountain. O'Kelly still remembers the annual Klan rallies that would meet in Stone Mountain and march through Shermantown, a historically Black neighborhood nearby. Read more in this exclusive Field Note.
Upcoming Events
- Every SATURDAY & SUNDAY - AWARE gives free Animal Tours every weekend from 1-2pm (weather permitting). Meet "animal ambassadors" and Georgia wildlife up close!
- Every WEDNESDAY - Join Ranger Doffice from 4-6pm at the Arabia Mountain Nature Center for a relaxing Walk It Out Wednesday hike.
- AND Every FRIDAY - Head out to Arabia Mountain Nature Center for a free Guided Nature Hike With Arabia Mountain Naturalists from 8-10:30am.
- December 2 - The Arabia Alliance is proud to be a co-sponsor of this Muscogee Creek Indian Freedman Band Talk + Reception at the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance from 6:30-8:30pm.
- December 3, 10, & 17 - Get ready to roll up your sleeves for E.M.B.A.R.C.'s Volunteer Wednesdays in the Garden from 3-6pm.
- December 6 - Enjoy a Restoration Workday at Wilburn Farm in Stonecrest with Birds Georgia in two sessions from 9am-12pm and 1-3pm.
- December 10 - Join the Arabia Alliance Team for some needed maintenance & clean up at the Historic Stanley Cemetery from 10am-12pm.
- December 13 - Friends of Panola Mountain is offering an Extended Hike from 9am-2pm.
- December 19-21 - Panola Mountain Park Rangers need your help to find ornaments during this fun Holiday Elf Hike Scavenger Hunt from 9am-4pm on December 19, 20, and 21.
- January 1 - Take part in Panola Mountain's annual First Day Hike with a morning session from 9am-12pm and an afternoon hike from 1-4pm.
