About Greene County, GA

Valentine's Day-Lake Oconee, Georgia. Wishing you and yours lots of love not only today but every day of the year! Still in need of something to do to surprise your special someone this evening, be sure to check out my recent Valentine’s Day blog with lots of great dining out options.

The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Plantation also features the incredible Georgia Spa Resort and trust me, it is never too late to get a gal a nice massage or mani/pedi package!

This will be my fifth Valentine’s spent with my love, Drew, and he never ceases to make me feel special. Not just today but everyday. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

(photo courtesy of Lake Oconee Food & Wine Festival)

It’s almost time for the 3rd Annual Lake Oconee Food & Wine Festival! The date has been bumped up a bit from last year and is being held in March instead of May so don’t wait around and miss out on your chance at tickets. The weekend’s events, being held at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation, kick off March 23rd with The Vintner Dinner at The Linger Longer Ballroom. Saturday’s Festival events include tastings by Gaby’s, Georgia’s Bistro, and Linger Longer Steakhouse, over 100 different types of wine, and an extensive silent auction. Drew and I went last year and had a great time!

The Festival is organized by Gatewood Schools with all proceeds benefiting the academic and enrichment programs. There is nothing better than a fun event that helps support the kids of our local schools!

For ticket information call (706)453-9243 or send an email to info@oconeefoodandwine.com

Valentine's Day on Lake Oconee-The Ritz-Carlton.

Seems like just yesterday I was writing a post about Valentine’s Day but, alas, it was exactly one year ago. Where does the time go?

I hope all of you have had a year full of love. I certainly did. Four months ago today Drew and I got married. It was the greatest day of my life. We had the most incredible day celebrating with our families and friends who came to Greensboro from all over the country. Many of them stayed at The Ritz-Carlton on Lake Oconee and, naturally, they thought it was heaven on earth. How could they not, right? So fellas, if you are looking for the perfect place to take the special lady in your life this Valentine’s Day then you'll feel relieved to know that The Ritz has got you covered!

Georgia’s Bistro, Gaby’s By the Lake, and The Linger Longer Steakhouse are all offering the 3D package-Different, Delicious, Dining options-available February 10th thru the 14th depending on the restaurant. Below are some of the specials each restaurant will be offering as well as the dates they are open.

Gaby’s By the Lake “Romance on the Lake” Menu

Chef Jason Bates has created a special menu for Gaby’s that pairs romantic foods with others known to be aphrodisiacs. Ooo la la! Start with Oysters on the Half Shell with Bloody Mary Granite or Roasted Fingerling Potato & Asparagus Salad with Three-Pepper Chutney & Sweet Chili Beurre Blanc. Follow that with Braised Short Ribs and Lobster Mashed Potatoes. Still got room? Perhaps a nice after dinner cordial and Chocolate Fondue for two! Gaby’s will be open February 10th thru 13th but will be closed February 14th.

Georgia’s Bistro “His & Hers” Valentine Menu

Four-Course tasting sound more like your style? Chef James Balster from Georgia’s has just the treat for you and your sweetheart including appetizers he calls Love Bites to Share. Pick from Saffron Mussels, Caprese Salad, Citrus Poached Shrimp, Tuna Tartare, and more. Second & Third courses include Short Ribs, Roasted Salmon, Prime Rib, & Pan-Seared Scallops. And for dessert who wouldn’t want to share a Fire-Roasted Apple Cake & Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit Tart?! Georgia’s will be open February 10, 11, 13, and 14th.

Valentine’s Day at Linger Longer Steakhouse

Linger Longer Steakhouse will have it’s regular, fantastic menu along with phenomenal specials created by Chef David White. Specials include Crab Cakes, Lobster Mushroom Risotto, A 14 ounce Bone-In Cowboy Ribeye, Potato-Crusted Snapper, Chocolate Fondue for Two, & Bailey’s Irish Creme Souffle. The Steakhouse will be open February 10, 11, and 14th.

Regular a la carte menus will be available at Gaby’s and Georgia’s as well. To make your reservations call (706)467-7135.

Movies- Lake Oconee. Good Morning Movie Watchers! It’s a little after 9 a.m. on Thursday morning and there’s just over 14 hours left to cash in on this great Groupon deal, $2 for 5 $1 Vouchers Toward Any Movie Rental at any Blockbuster kiosk. Drew and I frequent the Blockbuster kiosk at Publix here on Lake Oconee a lot so we definitely make sure to snatch this one up when it comes around. The offer doesn’t expire until May and at such a great deal you can buy one Groupon for you and one for a friend. Happy Thursday!

Catchy Ways to Advertise Your Business-Lake Oconee, Georgia. This morning the ad of a restauarnt/coffee shop caught my eye as the local weather was being presented while watching The Today Show. As the cold months seem to be setting in for Georgia, Community Grounds of Atlanta has found a unique way of their own to try and "brew up" business. They call it Temperature Pricing and every morning this week they are selling cups of coffee for the lowest temp of the morning. The picture to the right is courtesy of their Facebook page and everyday they announce the number. It certainly caught my attention. I've never seen a coffee shop do anything of the sort and I found it to be quite unique. Almost like a game and who doesn't love a good game!? Yesterday's status said the temp was 23 but since it felt like 9 degrees out a small cup of coffee was $0.09, large for $0.23. Nifty!

I can only imagine how many coffee shops there are in Atlanta. A quick search on Google rendered 1,880,000 hits. Yowza. How many of those hits would you think are for Starbucks? Search of that...1,690,000. Numbers like that can be daunting for any business when put into perspective. I'm impressed by Community Grounds catchy efforts to be creative. Naturally it has me wanting to go there next time I'm in the area and in turn I guess that means they accomplished their goal in this advertising technique.

I've had really good cups of coffee. And then I've had some that were not so good. The bad ones are just as easy to remember as the good ones but not for the same reasons. I'm certainly not going to be running back to...well, I'll keep that to myself....for my morning kickstart but I frequent Spillin' the Beans here on Lake Oconee several times a week. They have a good product. Real Estate Agents are no different than cups of coffee. There are Offices and Agents everywhere you look. Some you come across are refreshing, give you energy, and satisfy your needs. Some are bland, stale, and even though they might look good they leave you unfulfilled.

Which Agent are you going to choose to be? Like Community Grounds, what are you going to do to set yourself apart? And if you are looking to buy or sell, what kind of representation are you looking for? With Masters week approaching in the coming months here on Lake Oconee, I'm picking my brain for another creative way to reach as many people as possible while they are in town. Last year's efforts of spray painting haybales on the main highway between the lake and I-20 brought me listings, several potential buyers, and it made conversation with people easy when I went out to meet and greet. It stirred the exact curiousity I had hoped it would and in that week and weeks after I had more traffic on my website than I'd ever had before. It was unbelievable exposure for the listings I currently held and those Sellers were beyond appreciative of the effort. It was more of a rewarding experience than I could have ever imagined it would be when the idea orginally started taking shape.

If you were looking to buy or sell, wouldn't you want someone that you know is going to give 100% to help you reach your goals? I would love to have the opportunity to tell you why Marge at Large and Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee are the perfect partner for you. Give me a call, (706)817-1372 or check out my website for more information www.margeatlarge.com.