Georgia Magazine - September 2017 - 22

Tour a red-carpet Main Street

(Continued from page 20)

"Right now there are only seven homes on the Gin
Property, because it's the set for 'The Walking Dead'
town of Alexandria [the fictional setting that sheltered
survivors of the zombie apocalypse]," she
says. "Just think: I moved from
New York City to live on a movie
set. Isn't that something?"
By February 2016, Brady
opened The Tomato House restaurant, which serves supper seven
days a week and lunch Wednesdays through Sundays. Her clientele includes regulars from Senoia,
nearby Peachtree City and Coweta
County, but she also sees tourists
from around the world who flock
to Senoia because of its film fame.
"We sometimes have fans of
'The Walking Dead' who come in
costume, but we've never had any
of the costumed extras eat here,"
she says. "I'd love to see the reactions of people if they
did eat here."
Brady's property sees some zombie action from time
to time. "Rick [Grimes, lead character on "The Walking
Dead"] has killed a few zombies in my backyard," she
says with a smile.
Helfman says that many people from nearby
Peachtree City have adopted Senoia as their downtown,
coming to dine and shop. And then there are the tourists who visit on their own or to take behind-the-scenes
tours of movie sets from the two companies that offer
them: Atlanta Movie Tours and Georgia Tour Co.
"The tourism impact is the icing on the cake,"
Tigchelaar says. "But the cake is the revitalization of the
town that's taken place in such a nice way. Here there's
a historic sense of place and community. And many
people tell us that Senoia is just like the little town they
grew up in."
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer from Flowery
Branch.
PAMELA A. KEENE

Fifth-generation Senoia resident Tray Baggarly
now lives in the house his grandparents owned, not
far from downtown.
"I can remember when Senoia was just a sleepy
little town, even as recently as 10 or so years ago,"
he says. "My late father was on the Downtown
Development Authority, and when he died in 2004,
I sat in his place, and there were many times that
we met and racked our brains as we tried to come
up with a way to attract business to downtown.
Not long after, the film work took off."
Today, "The Walking Dead" fans, lovingly
called Walker Stalkers, flock to Senoia to see
where the magic happens. Some people come in
costume, but most are attired in street clothes.
You'll see families, groups of young adults,
retired veterans and all kinds of people who are
curious about the hoopla surrounding the TV
series. But not everyone is all about the dead.
To celebrate its rich history and heritage,
Senoia has developed a self-guided tour of the
town's 49 historic homes and churches. A free brochure with tour information is available at the Senoia
Welcome Center, along with another that offers a selfguided tour of the sidewalk pavers that commemorate
movies and TV shows filmed in Senoia.
"People may come here for 'The Walking Dead,'"
says Baggarly, "but once they get here, they see
there's so much more to do-great restaurants, history, shopping. Back when I was a kid growing up
here, I never would have thought."

-Tray Baggarly

* Atlanta Movie Tours: Three Big Zombie Tours by bus
to various filming locations, plus a walking tour of the
area in and around Senoia, at various starting points.
atlantamovietours.com. (855) 255-3456.
* Georgia Tour Co.: Senoia on the Big Screen and The
Touring Dead walking tours, starting at Georgia Mercantile Co. on Main Street. georgiamercantile.com/
tours. (770) 599-0091.

COURTESY SENOIA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

'I can remember
when Senoia was
just a sleepy little
town, even as
recently as 10 or
so years ago.'

Movie tours and more

The Senoia Downtown Development Authority
hosts events throughout the year. Here's what's on the
boards through the end of 2017.
* Cruisin' to the Oldies Car Show, Sept. 30
* Merchant Sidewalk Sales, Oct. 7
* Downtown Trick or Treat, Oct. 27
* Light Up Senoia, Dec. 2
* Candlelight Tour of Homes, Dec. 10
For more information about Senoia and area
events, visit enjoysenoia.net.

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

http://www.atlantamovietours.com http://www.georgiamercantile.com/tours http://www.georgiamercantile.com/tours http://www.enjoysenoia.net http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2017