Georgia has a lot of beaches, both oceanfront and lakeside. It also has no shortage of oddities, from the Doll's Head Trail to the monkey from Mars.
At the intersection of highways 54 and 16, in Turin, you get the intersection of beach and oddity.
Welcome to Barbie Beach.
» 10 (somewhat) hidden gems to explore in metro Atlanta
In Steve and Linda Quick’s front yard, near the road, is a 6-by-4-foot patch of sand that is home to various Barbie and Ken dolls — most of which are sans clothing.
So, you might say it’s a nude beach. For dolls.
But the dolls don’t just sit in the sand. They play volleyball and basketball. They’ve even re-created a royal wedding.
The Quicks often change up the scene based on current events. The first scene depicted the 2006 Winter Olympics, which were happening in Turin, Italy.
“It started with six naked Barbies, a pingpong net, a pingpong ball and a homemade sign for the Olympics in Turin,” Linda Quick said in an interview about the beach.
“Three more beers, and your imagination gets crazy,” Steve Quick chimes in. “You start talking it through and you go ‘Hey, we can do this and we do this.”
» 6 Georgia roadside attractions worth the drive
Unlike many of Georgia’s quirky roadside attractions, however, this one has its own movie, by Courtney Dixon, that was accepted for the “short film corner” at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
But why are the dolls naked? That's how they're donated to the Quicks, the couple said in an interview with Medium.com.
Turin is about 45 minutes south of Atlanta via I-85, if you’d like to check it out for yourself.
If the sight of nude dolls offends you, go ahead and close this story. But if you’re just dying to know what Barbie Beach looks like, check out these Facebook posts.
About the Author
