If you know anything about me, you'll know that I am obsessed with Stranger Things. Seriously, I even wrote a review of the show as soon as it aired more than three years ago now (wow, I can't believe it's been that long). While my thoughts haven't really changed since that initial review (besides the fact I probably love it more now than ever), I hadn't travelled around to see any of the filming locations, even though a few of the locations are only about 15 minutes from my house (I know! What's my deal!?).

After we all finished season three, we needed more, so my nephew, sister, and friend made a plan and decided to spend a day traveling to locations from all three seasons. There are still plenty of other locations to visit and we plan to do so over the next few months, but these are the locations we visited during our first round of touring Stranger Things filming locations. (*This article was a huge help in finding most of these locations.)


This post has spoilers through season three. 


We started around the Douglasville area, so we drove further out and visited the Douglasville locations last, since they were closest to home. This is the route we took to see the sights. Points labeled on the map are listed below in the order they were visited.







A. Your favorite Hawkins residential neighborhood, including the residences of Mike & Nancy Wheeler, Lucas & Erica Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, and Barbara Holland. 
The Wheeler House @ 2530 Piney Wood Ln, East Point (in the cul-de-sac)
The Sinclair House @ 2550 Piney Wood Ln, East Point (right next door)
The Holland House @ 2980 Piney Wood Dr, East Point (turn right onto Piney Wood DRIVE)
The Henderson House @ 2886 Piney Wood Dr, East Point (follow down to Dustin's house)

You'll know the Wheeler house and the Henderson house from all the "NO TRESPASSING" signs, but pictures from the street are okay. (A house in the neighborhood is actually for sale right now. I tried to convince my husband to buy it, but that was a no-go.)










B. Hawkins General Hospital 
First Baptist Church of East Point @ 2813 East Point St, East Point

You'll go to the back of the building, down the left side of the building on Thompson Avenue and turn right between the two church buildings to park and see the scene from the show. Hawkins General is only from season one (instead, there's Hawkins Memorial in season three) - you'll remember it specifically from where Hopper walked out the doors to have a smoke before getting into the creepy, black Hawkins Lab car.







You can add in these stops along the way, in this order, without going too far out of the way (and are next on our list!):

Hawkins Town Hall 
East Point City Hall @ 2757 East Point St, East Point

Brimborn Steelworks (where Billy wrecks his car in season three)
Atlanta Utility Works @ 2903 RN Martin St, East Point

Hawkins Community Pool
South Bend Pool @ 2000 Lakewood Ave SE, Atlanta (basically in East Point)

The Harrington House 
Residential house @ 8253 Carlton Rd, Riverdale

Hideaway (where Hopper gets in a fight with the the trooper that found fake Will's body)
Smokin' Cues @ 112 North Berry St, Stockbridge



C. Hawkins Middle & High Schools
Old Patrick Henry Adult Education building @ 109 South Lee St, Stockbridge

This was one of my very stops of our entire day. The gym still has Hawkins Middle School across the top of the building. The high schools are located behind the Middle School gym. When we got there, there was security setting up barriers because they're starting to set up for production (so much excitement!). I wish we could've explored more, but it was so incredibly cool to give Hawkins Middle a visit.









Great one to add in here:

The Hawkins Post
Lithonia Farmer's Market @ 6980 Main St, Lithonia



D. Starcourt Mall
Gwinnett Place Mall @ 2100 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth

There is so much stuff I could say about this location. I am so upset they have torn down most of the set instead of turning it into a museum (at least temporarily). Gwinnett Place has been dying for years, and it didn't help a girl's dead body was left to rot in the back of the food court's Subway for a few weeks before anyone ever found it. There are less than 10 functioning stores, and if you give this mall a visit, the random closed down stores throughout the mall are not part of the set - they're just closed down. The set was all housed within the food court and the floor directly above it. It's guarded and there are so many barriers, it's tough to see anything (unless you want to be sneaky, which I was way too chicken to do). Your best best is going to the bottom floor barrier, where you can look into the food court, where both an ESPRIT and Taco Bell are "Coming Soon." We also tried going into Beauty Master and trying to look into the area, but it wasn't very helpful at all. If you go to the Food Court entrance, you can't get in, but you can still still some Starcourt signage, which was seriously so cool.

If you're into the Scoops Ahoy ringer tee I'm wearing, get your own from Totally Good Time for 20% off with code KAYLA20 (the shirt I'm wearing was received complimentary from TGT).









E. Hawkins National Laboratory 
Georgia Mental Health Institute at Emory @ 1256 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta

When we visited the Georgia Mental Health Institute at Emory (which is used as the exterior of Hawkins National Lab), it was around 6 pm on Saturday. It's supposedly open daily, but when we went the gates were down. I plan to try again sometime during the week before 5.


F. Sattler Quarry
Bellwood Quarry, Atlanta
Bellwood Quarry was used as Sattler Quarry (and has been in a ton of other shows/movies), but you can only get to it by breaking the law and doing some incredibly sketchy stuff, so we didn't get a chance to view it. Where GPS takes you is not a location where the quarry is actually visible, but they're turning the area into a park, so we'll see in the next couple of years.


G. Benny's Burgers
Tiffany's Kitchen @ 7413 Lee Rd, Lithia Springs,

I've driven past Tiffany's so many times, but it looks like such a hole-in-the-wall. I've yet to eat inside, but both inside and outside was used for Benny's Burgers in season one.






H. Merrill's Pumpkin Farm
Sleepy Hollow Farm @ 628 Sleepy Hollow Rd, Powder Springs

We tried to visit Sleepy Hollow Farm (which I've driven past countless times, but never gone to), which is where Hopper's Cabin is located, as well as the rotten pumpkin fields from season two. Unfortunately, it's on private property and you're required to have an appointment to visit. We'll be visiting in October for an actual Stranger Things tour and an escape room (I'm terrified, but the things I'll do for ST!) of Hopper's Cabin (exterior of actual escape room is used for filming), so stay tuned.


I. Palace Arcade & Family Video
Vacant old laundry mat @ 6501 Church St, Douglasville

Season two introduces us to Palace Arcade, and Family Video is not totally seen until season three, but they're actually side-by-side in Douglasville. Right now, there's nothing inside except a random recliner, but the door of the video store still says "Family Video," and has the store hours listed.













J. Hawkins Police Department
Vacant downtown municipal building @ 8485 Courthouse Square West, Douglasville, GA 30134

Located about a quarter of a mile from Palace Arcade is the Hawkins Police Department, perfect for morning coffee and contemplation. It's got some construction going on right now, so I'm wondering if they're getting ready for production, and does this give us hope for our friendly neighborhood Hawkins Police Chief?









This post is missing basically all of Downtown Hawkins, because it's mostly located in Jackson, Georgia, which is a bit out of the way from the rest of the locations we visited. I do plan to make a visit to Jackson soon to see some of those locations.


I'm hoping to go back out and visit more of these places over the next couple of months. Fingers crossed to see some production action. And I am thrilled for the Stranger Things tour at Sleepy Hollow, which is a steal for $20 per person. Tickets are limited, so if you can make it to the area during that time and you're an ST fan, I highly recommend participating in the tour. I'll have more information in October about how that goes.

July was a pretty good reading month for me. I got through 7 and a half books (that half went over into August, so it won't show up until next month's round-up). Check out an overview below.



Cujo by Stephen King ★★★★★
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge (2017 prompt - a book from a nonhuman perspective)

Brief synopsis: There's a lot of bad luck going 'round the small town of Castle Rock. There's infidelity, a downturn in business, toxic masculinity, emotional abuse, a monster in the closet. Not to mention it wasn't very long ago a police officer was found guilty of the brutal murder of multiple women and girls in the town. Now there's a different monster in town, one that used to be so innocent. When Very Good Boy Cujo chases a rabbit down a hole, his life changes for the worst, and the town along with it.

Overall thoughts: Just like any Stephen King book, I was really into reading this novel. It was truly terrifying, and though I've seen the movie, I was sincerely shocked by the ending. While most King books are not kid-friendly, this one would be a tough read for anyone with children. Full review here.





Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: Ivy is a private investigator in a shady side of town. Most days she's tailing folks suspected of cheating. It's not glamorous, but it pays the bills. When the headmaster of the local magic school (yeah, that's right - magic school) asks Ivy to come investigate a murder, she doesn't exactly jump at the chance. Yeah, the pay is great, but magic's a bit of a sore spot. The magic gene missed her and her twin just happens to be magic school faculty.

Overall thoughts: This book read like YA written for adults and I loved that! It felt very obvious and predictable, but it was a bit more mysterious than I thought initially. I will say there were too many characters, which was very hard to follow, but also kind of one of the major requirements in all murder mysteries. I'd definitely recommend this one if you're into murder mysteries and magic, with just a touch of romance. Full review here.





Whisper Network by Chandler Baker ★★★★★
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: There are many women who work at Truviv, but this story follows four of them who have each worked there for many years - Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita. When the CEO of the company dies unexpectedly, their boss (Ames) is in talks of getting rolled into the CEO role. But each of these women have a different level of experience with Ames, some of those experiences inappropriate. And when a new female colleague starts getting a little extra attention from him, the women of the office feel some secrets need to be shared before the CEO is a threatening figure to them all.

Overall thoughts: Wow, this book was amazing. I'd heard a lot of positive reviews, but I wasn't expecting how much I enjoyed this novel. It got off to such a slow start, and I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the book very much, but once it got into the story, I was truly hooked. It was such a tough read, but just in terms of the content. This book was absolutely timely as the main plot of the story focuses on the #metoo movement. I didn't particularly like most of the characters, but I did certainly support them and I think that was part of purpose. I recommend this book if the content wouldn't be too triggering. Full review here.





Supermarket by Bobby Hall ★★☆☆☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book written by a musician.

Brief synopsis: The novel follows Flynn, a young man living at home with his mom, recently dumped, and looking for a job. Enter the supermarket, where he acquires a job as a floater and starts to meet a variety of characters who work along beside him. The array of characters is perfect for Flynn because he's writing a book, and basing his characters off his supermarket buddies. But things start to get weird, and somebody just might die.

Overall thoughts: I was entirely disappointed in this book. Bobby Hall is actually the rapper Logic, who is a beautiful lyricist, so I high very high expectations for this book. But the writing was mediocre and almost childish. The story was so unbelievable, and I kept waiting for it to get better - which spoiler, it didn't. This whole novel is basically just a knock-off Fight Club. Full review here.





Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: Rachel is the daughter of well-known and possibly sociopathic author, who she never quite got along with growing up. Unfortunately, her mother was all she had as she had no clue who her father was and her mother kept it a secret she took to the grave. Through a series of searches, Rachel hunts down her father and learns more about herself than perhaps she'd like to know. Nonetheless, she rises through a successful journalism career that comes crashing down after a public breakdown on live news. What follows is a series of twists and turns as Rachel tries to find a semblance of normal in her life.

Overall thoughts: The first half of this book was entirely full of background development and entirely slow and boring. But once I got past the character development pieces, I truly could not put the book down. I had no clue what was going to happen and I really needed to know what was going to happen next. My biggest issue is the book had some unexplained situations and descriptions that weren't touched on again, but didn't make sense. I'd certainly read more from Lehane, but could've definitely appreciated more in way of explanation. Full review here.





The Possession by Michael Rutger ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: Two books that share the same title (2)

Brief synopsis: Christy finds herself in a small-town following a lead on cyber-bullying, but it seems there's something a bit more sinister happening because the girl being cyber-bullied has gone missing. Oddly enough, Christy's ex-husband is Nolan Moore, a supernatural investigator with a not-so-hot YouTube series. With the clever ruse of investigating mysterious walls, he convinces his team to travel to the small California town his ex is also investigating.

Overall thoughts: This follow-up to my 2018 favorite, The Anomaly, is not in the same league. Truly, it almost seems part of a different series. I didn't enjoy the multi-perspective yet omnipresent dialogue, I didn't like Christy very much, and the team wasn't quite traumatized enough from the first book's events.  I expected more from this book, but it was still a haunting, nightmare-inducing story.  I enjoy the way Rutger mixes real-life mysteries and myths with fictional storytelling. I still recommend reading this one, but don't expect the same effect as its predecessor. Full review here.





Lady Killer* by Jeff Richards ★☆☆☆☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: Mitch is a bit of a "ladies' man." Recently divorced and father of two, there's just something about him that is appealing to women. Though he's not looking for anything serious, he begins romancing with two women he'd likely call friends. Soon, a jealous husband gets in the way and things take a turn for the worst.

Overall thoughts: This book, wow. What can I say? It was corny in a way I truly hated. The use of "pecker" was excessive and the sex scenes all consisted of at least three rounds of sex. This book was marketed as a "babysitting co-op leads to murder," but that was such a minor piece of information and literally had no impact on the plot of the story. I really did not enjoy this book at all, and found myself cringing through the majority of it. Full review here.











* denotes book was received free in exchange of an honest review. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own. 

In the true spirit of adulthood, we're hoping to purchase a house soon (but haven't yet, so this is all pre-meditated, wishful thinking). So, I - being the dramatic human that I am - thought maybe we'd go the extra mile with the party planning, right? Maybe be a little extra and create an entire housewarming party invitation kit, complete with invitation, RSVP card, registry information, and directions all inside a fancy little pocket to keep it together.

I checked out the website over at basicinvite.com and explored all the options they have available and let me tell you - there are so many. I decided to choose from the wedding invitation sets and there are over 1000! I chose a couple different options including the new hearts moving announcement and for the full set I went with the flowing ferns wedding invitations, thank you cards, and response cards alongside the floral celebration registry cards and directions cards all enclosed inside the basic invite traditional pocket. Even though these options came from different sets, I was able to customize the colors and fonts to create a consistent look between the different cards.

















While I was sifting through all the options available on Basic Invite, I may have come across a few random options too.




Graduation announcements

I know it's been a few months, but I worked long and hard to earn my master's while working full-time and I'd like everybody to know, okay? Don't judge me. So, I compiled a few of my wedding pictures taken by the wonderful Sarah and popped them into the finally done graduation announcements because HELLO - it took me an extra year but I freaking did it!






Business cards

On my second round of 101 in 1001, I talked about finally ordering some business cards for the blog and social channels, and so this was a perfect opportunity to give a few options a try. I am absolutely loving the clear and frosted options Basic Invite has (including wedding invites!), so I knew I wanted to try out the big intro clear business cards and the big name clear business cards. I opted for one to be totally clear and the other to be frosted.









I'm still deciding between the two. Which one is your favorite?




Wedding invitations

Okay, okay. So I actually got married almost four years ago. And I really liked our wedding invitations, but these forest watercolor seal & send wedding invitations are so cool. They're pre-addressed and include a tear-off RSVP postcard to send back. It's everything you need all in one and I am obsessed. These would've gone perfect with our fall whimsical woodsy wedding. I'm also a huge fan of these fall coasters wedding favors, though I actually really loved the Whitter button pins we had on our big day.









Seriously, Basic Invite has so many options, there's bound to be something you're looking for regardless of the occasion. Everything is fully customizable (as you can see from the fact I made wedding invitation sets into housewarming invitations). You can pick the colors and fonts and move everything around. There are so many different paper options to choose from (I chose different papers for all the different items above). And it's the only site I've found where you can actually order custom samples so you can truly see what your order will look like in your hands before ordering full sets of multiple invitations or whatever.