Paradise Garden Foundation presents the 5th Outsider Art Trail Tour on Saturday, June 18, offering a road trip deep into the heart of southern small-town charm and quirk. Wander down some rural byways, and celebrate summer amid the leafy beauty of Northwest Georgia.
Participants can start their day early at a “picker’s paradise” as they dig for treasures at Trade Day, a giant outdoor flea market just outside downtown Summerville that has been a Chattooga County tradition since 1976.
Explore two remarkable outdoor art environments on foot – world famous Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden in Summerville and Calhoun's The Rock Garden, featuring more than 50 diminutive buildings, crafted from tiny stones, shells, glass fragments, and more are modeled on famous cathedrals and other landmarks.
Visit and be tempted to start or add to your collection at two folk art spaces in Summerville -- Folk America Gallery, and Finster Picture Framing. In a storefront right around the corner from Finster Picture Framing, visit Summerville’s potter at Myers Vintage & Local, showcasing slab pottery and vintage local finds.
Somewhere in between, lunch on the patio or cool off inside at Jefferson’s for juicy burgers and salads, or Trion’s Sweet P’s Tavern near Paradise Garden.
From Summerville, head to Rome, Ga., fun-filled afternoon at the Kingfisher Art Co. “Outsiders: Folk Art from the Rural South” opening art reception (3-6 p.m.) and music performance by Abe
Partridge (6-8 p.m.) sponsored by Rome Area Council for the Arts.
The Outsider Art Trail Tour is a self-guided, dog-friendly, get-outta-the-house event designed as a day of discovery and art at a chill pace. The tour is free with Paradise Garden admission ($15
adults/children 12 & under free), with donations appreciated at the Rock Garden, as well.
Trade Day opens at 7 a.m. (just ½ mile south of Paradise Garden), galleries, and art environments from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pick up an Outsider Art Trail “Passport” at Paradise Garden, and, as you tour, earn stamps to qualify for a drawing for free prizes including an overnight Airbnb stay at Paradise Garden.
Make the Outsider Art Trail Tour a full weekend adventure. Consider two nearby state parks for an array of overnight accommodations – James H. “Sloppy” Floyd State Park and Cloudland Canyon State Park – www.gastateparks.org/reservations.
The Outsider Art Trail Tour is organized by Paradise Garden Foundation. Read more about the stops and download a map here: https://paradisegardenfoundation.org/outsider-art-tour/.