Southern Hospitality in Smynings: Tea, Food, Music

What is about to be revealed is certainly no secret to the hipsters among us (and you know who you are). Raved-about Indie band Bon Iver is coming to Smynings Thursday night. Following up their 2007 album "For Emma, Forever Ago" is a new self-titled release. Not to be confused with Bon Jovi, Bon Iver’s music is comprised of melodic, folkie, dreamy, atmospheric layers. Fronted by singer Justin Vernon and his regular band members, Bon Iver’s sound has evolved from a more acoustic sound on the first album to a fuller, more fleshed-out sound. On this tour, several other people heavily pedigreed in the Indie pop scene will be onstage. Musicians who have collaborated with The National, Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire, and Sufjan Stevens and others will contribute to the overall effect. This melodic, hauntingly beautiful music event is slated to happen at ’s John A. Williams Theatre at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 28. Tickets are $30 to $38 plus Ticketmaster fees.

Good ol’ Southern hospitality never goes out of style. Perching on a front porch swing, swigging a glass of sweet iced tea, and cheerfully chatting while the world goes by are the cornerstones of the old South’s warm welcome. True Southern hospitality always encourages one to linger awhile. What better local place to linger, chat and experience that hospitality than our own purveyors of authentic Southern charm? invites you to Linger and Learn, a social, fun, interactive cooking demonstration. Drop by to linger on Thursday, July 28, at 5:30p.m. where you’ll watch, sip, taste and learn how to prepare an array of outrageously scrumptious summertime dishes: pickled Georgia peach salad arugula, pecans, goat cheese and pecan vinaigrette; summer ceviche Georgia shrimp; roma tomatoes and cucumbers; chilled roasted tomato soup and house-made corn crackers; and seared sea scallops with romesco-style pan sauce, Georgia peanuts and okra. To accompany this seasonal bounty, South City Kitchen offers a generous tasting of light, summery wines, including Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Chardonnay, Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon, and Le Cengle Montevina Barbera. Now that’s what we call a display of Southern hospitality! Tickets for Linger and Learn are $30 per person including tax and gratuity. Space is limited.

This place offers so much more than tea. Vinings Jubilee’s is a delightful nook offering 75 varieties of loose-leaf tea, for those who wax rhapsodic about the humble tea leaf. In addition, they serve iced tea, fun bubble teas, tea frappe, light breakfast, sandwiches and savory treats to accompany your beverage. They also host tea parties for groups. And on Friday night, July 29, a visit to TeaFuse will include live entertainment as they bring back their Summer Open Mic Nights. At 8:30 p.m. on the last Friday of each month, the microphone is wide open for any musician who cares to share their talent with the good people drinking tea. No cover charge for Open Mic Night, but there is a $7 food and beverage minimum per person. Interested performers should sign up via the website.

Bibliophiles, if you’re not Booked For Lunch on Friday, July 29, consider a short drive up to Marietta to take part in an interesting noontime talk. Cobb Library Foundation hosts the third 2011 "Booked for Lunch" with notable local author Joshilyn Jackson at Indian Hills Country Club on Friday at 11:30 a.m.  Among her accomplishments, Jackson has authored a quartet of novels including the New York Times Bestsellers "Backseat Saints" and "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming." Tickets are $25 and include an upscale lunch in the posh surroundings of Indian Hills Country Club. Proceeds from the event will go toward a scholarship fund which is given to a staff member currently employed by Cobb County Public Library for assistance with continued education for master's degree in Library Science. 

Known for its selection of delectable family-friendly chow and fun and lively atmosphere, has gone a step further in ensuring that families still get to enjoy a night out once in a while. Every Saturday, children under 12 can eat for free. The menu offers a greater variety than one might think: tasty appetizers, bar food, pastas, wraps, a section humorously titled “Man Steaks,” fresh salads, salmon and more. Parents, you should be aware that each booth has its own TV, which of course has a list of pros and cons a mile long. But if you can gain a little peace while you and your spouse converse (and the kids eat for free), this should seal the deal.