The 25th Annual Decatur Tour of Homes will take place December 7th and 8th this year.

From the Tour of Homes website….

This year’s theme is Historic Decatur. The tour offers an eclectic mix of homes in the McDonough-Adams-Kings Highway Historic District as well as in Oakhurst. A free shuttle will transport attendees to each location.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at The Seventeen Steps, Intown Ace Hardware, Bicycle South and The Seen Gallery.

Proceeds of the Tour of Homes will benefit the Decatur Youth Fund and the Decatur Preservation Alliance. For more information call 404-371-9583.

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See the continuation for a list of addresses of houses participating in the tour Read the rest of this entry »

As reported a couple days ago, Decatur’s Wi-Fi service is now live. According to the city’s website the service will be in a Beta test period thru December. Until then service may be sporatic at times and email accounts won’t be available until after the Beta period is over. Click here for more details.

Below are the city’s access instructions and a current coverage area map.

How to Connect

1. Enable your wireless (WiFi) device.

2. Connect to the SSID “DecaturWiFiBETA”

3. Launch your internet browser.

4. You will be redirected to the login portal as pictured here.

Report your technical concerns to

Coverage Area Map

Map Legend

Blue/Green: Laptop coverage on street and possibly into the fronts of some buildings (-35 to-65)

Yellow: Laptop on street will most likely work (-65 to -85)

Orange: Marginal, if any, coverage (-85 to -100)

Gray: Outside coverage area

Excellent Poster from the DAA’s Blog

Tickets for this Saturday’s Decatur Wine Festival are still available. Click here to purchase or pick them up at the Decatur Package Store up on Clairemont (according to their sign out front).

In a timely coinsidence, Creative Loafing recently updated its restaurant Wine Specials list (though the Wine Festival is a curious omission). Many Decatur establishments appear…

Duck’s Cosmic Kitchen — Every Thursday from 5-8 p.m., Duck’s serves half-price wines by the glass, along with appetizer and small-plate specials. 111-D New St., Decatur. 404-371-8823. www.duckscosmickitchen.com.

Java Monkey — Wine tasting every other Thursday on the patio. The next tasting will be Thurs., Nov. 8. Sample featured wines and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. $15. 7-9 p.m. 425 Church St. 404-378-5002. www.javamonkeydecatur.com.

Palate Wine Bar — Wine tasting every other Thursday from 6-8 p.m. Sample featured wines paired with light appetizers. $10. Every Monday, enjoy half-price bottles of wine. 321 W. Hill St., Decatur. 404-373-4702. www.palatewinebar.com.

Wahoo! A Decatur Grill — Wine tasting every Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. Taste four featured wines and a complimentary cheese plate for $15. Wednesday nights enjoy half-price bottles from the regular wine list and 25 percent off reserve wines at the bar. 1042 W. College Ave., Decatur. 404-373-3331. www.wahoogrilldecatur.com.

Did you know? Speaking of wine, did you know that “The Grape” was originally supposed to open a location where Dancing Goats coffee now resides at 419 West Ponce? Not sure why plans fell through, but I’m happy with the outcome. I’ve never been a big fan of the pretentious Grape in any of its Metro Atlanta incarnations. Anyway, it’s much easier on the wallet to be a coffee snob.