There’s a lot to love about Georgia

We have those four Georgians to thank for the rock ‘n’ roll, modern country and rap genres that to this day ring out across this city and this state. I’m grateful for one of America’s truly special music scenes.

Here in Atlanta, we have iconic venues like the Fox and the Tabernacle and soulful spots like Eddie’s Attic and Blind Willie’s, and you can find live music any night of the week. If you want to catch a major act, we have State Farm Arena and the Benz. The Atlanta Symphony, down the street from The AJC’s new home, is second to none.

And don’t get me going on Athens — home to REM, the B-52s and the one and only Widespread Panic.

I hit major music highlights this year, from an intimate shows at Eddie’s Attic to Big Bunny’s extravaganza at State Farm. I was lucky to spend some time in Macon. Jessica Walden took me on a tour of Capricorn Records, where the legendary Allman Brothers Band recorded. And I got to check out the Otis Redding Museum with the force of nature that is Karla Redding-Andrews. Sitting behind Lil Baby at a Hawks game was as Atlanta is it gets. And let’s not forget that our own Killer Mike cleaned up at the Grammys.

I couldn’t be more thankful for the substance and soul of one of America’s great music meccas. — Andrew Morse is president and publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Geoff Duncan

For Georgians, there is a lot to be grateful for this holiday season. We live in an amazing state with a bright future on many fronts, including college football. For the first time in many (too many) years, both the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech football programs are headed in the right direction.

Georgia fans are well versed in the euphoric sensation of success. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech is just starting to reacquaint itself with that feeling. The metrics used to gauge their successes might be different on the surface, but they are alike at their core.

Under the steadfast leadership of Brent Key, the Georgia Tech football team is now competitive every time they walk on the field, including against the Bulldogs.

For the first time in a long time, both Bulldog fans and Yellow Jacket fans will have grateful hearts at season’s end. — Geoff Duncan is a former Georgia lieutenant governor and a contributor to AJC opinion.

Meagan Hanson

When AJC opinion contributors were asked to write about something Georgians can be grateful for, my mind immediately went to food. The Atlanta and Savannah food scenes continue to hold national attention, but there are many notable staples outside the metro areas that deserve recognition.

Oakwood Cafe in Dalton has some of the best Southern cooking north of Interstate 20. A friendly staff serves a delicious meal that won’t break the bank. Trust me when I say make sure you get yourself a biscuit. Or two.

The first time I went to Blue Willow Inn Restaurant in Social Circle, I knew it was somewhere I could take my grandma. That’s quite the compliment! With its Greek Revival columns and Southern charm, the stately restaurant welcomes guests with open arms and a buffet-style brunch. Fans have been waiting for the restaurant’s reopening after an extensive renovation, and we hope that will happen in early 2025.

Locals brag about Brown Dog Eatery in Carrolton, especially its perfectly cooked salmon and duck fat fries. It has a unique feel with a vibrant menu; it had me at “Cheerwine BBQ sauce.”

At Oil Lamp Restaurant, a classic meat-and-three, cafeteria-style lunch in Perry, I leaned into my Southern roots, ordering fried catfish and the best mashed potatoes and gravy I have ever had. It has a wild number of pie options, including my favorite, coconut cream.

I recently met some folks for a business lunch at KD’s Cafe & Catering in Waycross. I don’t think a crumb was left on anyone’s plate. Everything was super tasty, and the staff was fun.

Finally, I cannot go to St. Simons Island without eating at Crabdaddy’s. But there’s a curveball: It has a filet mignon that rivals the best steakhouses in Atlanta. The menu says the bread pudding serves two, but you won’t want to share.

From Rabun Gap to St. Marys, Georgia is blessed to have good food at every turn. — Meagan Hanson, an AJC contributor and executive director of Georgians for Lawsuit Reform, represented the Brookhaven area in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019.

Josh Levs

Atlanta is a fantastic place to create — a career, a project (like a podcast, hint hint), a movement and more. So I’m happy to see that the city kept its ranking as Startup Blink’s “11th-best startup ecosystem in The United States.” (And remains in the top 30 worldwide.)

That creativity shows up in new restaurants and stores and hangouts too. So it should be no surprise that Atlanta was just rated No. 1 on WalletHub’s “most festive and affordable cities for Christmas celebrations.” I don’t have to be an official Christmas celebrator to feel the pride!

Of course, it’s not just the metro Atlanta area doing all this. Georgia is a beautiful state filled with people creating wonderful experiences every day. My family and I are always discovering new adventures here. A highlight this year: a hideaway in Townsend, where dolphins swam right up to the house. — Josh Levs, the host of They Stand Corrected, the podcast and newsletter fact-checking the media, is a frequent contributor to AJC Opinion.

Jamie Riley

Though I’m new to Georgia, I already hate the traffic. That’s why I’m especially grateful for the growing bicycling infrastructure in and around the city.

Atlanta has been scorned for its lack of bicycle infrastructure, but it now has more than 100 miles of bike lanes. Bicycling advocacy group People for Bikes named the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Cycle Track, finished just last year, as one of the best new bike lanes in the country.

Though drivers often grumble about road space being dedicated to two-wheel traffic, studies have shown that a robust and safe bicycle infrastructure doesn’t cause congestion. And in urban areas, bicycle lanes either increase or don’t affect revenue for nearby businesses.

I’ll admit I was afraid bicycling in Atlanta before I moved here. (Though I had four serious car-involved crashes in the years I rode my bike to work in Washington, D.C., I much preferred biking to driving.) But good planning and awareness make for safe riding.

So thanks, Atlanta, for all the great bike lanes. — Jamie Riley is The AJC’s opinion editor.

Corey Ryan Forrester

The best things in life are free, and the second-best things in life can be purchased pretty cheap on the side of the road in Georgia.

I, of course, am talking about boiled peanuts. I don’t know if they were invented in Georgia, and, frankly, I don’t care, because there is no denying we perfected them. A Yankee might turn his snooty little nose up at the sheer mention of boiled peanuts, but that’s because they think culinary masterpieces require white tablecloths and wine older than their second wives.

The boiled peanut is a simplistic marvel, and perhaps the only outwardly trashy redneck snack that is also heart healthy.

I don’t mean the ones at the gas station by the way, though those will do in a pinch. I mean “P-Nuts” from a stand on the side of a road sold alongside other phonetically spelled things like “jelliez” and “maters.” The kind that come from a drum that has been perpetually boiling since the Carter administration and that smells like Louisiana and your Mamaw’s house at the same time.

(Boiled P-Nut stands are also a unit of measurement. For example, Panama City, Florida, is about 17 boiled P-Nut stands from Valdosta.)

In a world where our traditions and culture are under constant threat of removal, I am thankful for the one constant in my life: my beloved boiled P-Nuts. Throw in a crisp fountain Coke and, brother, I might as well be playing checkers in heaven. — Corey Ryan Forrester is a comedian and AJC contributor.