Here is comes again - another year, another birthday. In standard Gemini fashion, I treat my birthday like a true holiday. I take the day off work and expect to be treated like the most special person in the world. 

Each year, my wishlist gets shorter and shorter. It was hard to figure out what I wanted this year (though I’d love that Province of Canada x Heated Rivalry CANADA fleece jacket, but it’s not even released until June 3, prices aren’t even available yet, and I already know it’s probably $500.)

I did decide on a few things I’m interested in. A few revolve around wellness. 

I’m very much wanting to feel healthier again. When I was pregnant, I felt just so well. I’m hoping to stop vegging on the couch 24/7 when I’m at home. Instead, I’d love some manageable items that work with my very lazy lifestyle. 

• This hula hoop style “infinity hoop” seems really interesting and fun! I also love that it comes in fun colors. (Size XXL-3X)
• This retro-esque thigh and pelvic trainer seems like an exciting option for pelvic health. The impacts of vaginal births aren’t talked about enough, but pelvic strength needs built back up and this seems like the lazy-girl way to rebuild those muscles. And I can laze around on the couch to use it. 
• I used to walk in place in front of tv for extended periods to meet a 10,000 step goal every day. This compact and easy-to-store treadmill seems like a maybe more effective method - and again, cute colors. 

Since becoming a mom, physical books have become much more challenging to read, especially on-the-go or in the dark while the kiddo’s sleeping. I’ve been reading on my phone a lot, but a kindle is better on the eyes and functions more like paper. I love this sage green one!

The most broad wish on this list is more books to add to my collection of first-edition Goosebumps books. I have 19 of the 62 books released between 1992-1997. I'm very particular in wanting the first editions because the newer ones are slightly different sizes, with really ugly covers. You can check this within the first couple of pages of each book. The list of the ones I have (and don't have) can be found here.

For my car, I’ve wanted a cargo cover for my 2019 Prius for such a long time, but just can’t bring myself to buy one myself. It’s practical and functional!

This plisse set is also so pretty - I love any kind of dopamine-enhancing clothes. It’s such a fun way to show off my personality. I tend to wear a XL/1X in stuff like this. 

I love comfy shoes that work for fun and for work - these Crocs are such a fun citrine color, and these samba janes are sneakers but fancier. 

Speaking of citrine, I’m so interested in a tennis bracelet with O’s birthstone. This one is a reasonable price that’s not made of cheap materials.  

As always, I’m always interested in less tangible gifts like experiences, or even gift cards to places I like to shop (The Home Depot, Framebridge). 

Experiences always at the top of my lists:

Spa days for massages or facials

A pedicure

An animal encounter at the Georgia Aquarium

What’s on your birthday list this year?

• a custom name necklace - it could mama/mother/mom/etc or kiddo’s name
• another custom piece like these fun ones from Baublebar
• this custom name ring (see the name necklace for notes)
• fine jewelry stores or even box stores have premade pieces engraved or created with “mom” language and could be a quicker jewelry route 

This is a collaborative post.

 I've been visiting Stranger Things filming locations since 2019, and it's seriously one of my favorite things to do and explore. Below, I've developed a 3-day itinerary if you're in the area and looking to explore. Some of these can be pulled apart if you're around for more than three days, or even condensed more if needed. 

Hopefully this helps you explore and have fun. Keep reading for the full details.

This starts west of Atlanta, but pick a starting location that's closest to you and this should all be pretty circular with approximately a 4-hour drive time. You can break downtown Hawkins into its own day with a stop to Forest Hills Trailer Park, which is about 30 minutes away, if this is too much for one day.

Hawkins Police Department

8485 Courthouse Square W, Douglasville, GA 30134

The location still exists, but looks significantly different after a major remodel a few years ago.

Palace Arcade & Family Video

6501/6503 Church Street, Douglasville, 30134

Just a few blocks away, you'll find both Palace Arcade and Family Video in the same building. Still decorated in the shows color scheme, this building is now heavily in disrepair after being broken into several times. The building stands as an homage to the show with fans from all over having graffitied  and signed the windows. 

Benny’s Burgers

7413 Lee Rd, Lithia Springs, GA 30122

Just a few more miles away is Benny's Burger, a real-life operating diner actually called Tiffany's Kitchen offering traditional American fare. You'll recognize both the interior and exterior from multiple seasons of the show. Stop here for breakfast before you get on with your day - I definitely recommend getting something with a biscuit included. If you stop by for lunch instead, my favorite is a burger with fries. They're open 6 am - 9 pm everyday except Monday.

Hopper’s Cabin & Merrill's Pumpkin Patch

628 Sleepy Hollow Road, Powder Springs, 30127

Hopper's cabin where he lives with El was built on the same property as Merrill's Pumpkin Patch from season 2. Both are on Sleepy Hollow Farm. This is private property where someone actually lives, and the farm itself is seasonal. To see Hopper's cabin, you have to specifically buy tickets for a tour or to complete an escape room in the cabin. This was used for exterior scenes, but the inside is set up to look as much like the interior from the show. Tickets are $20 and up per person depending on whether you're doing just a tour or the game. 

*The cabin location is closest to Benny's Burgers, Palace Arcade, and the other above-listed locations, which is why I've placed it here, but tours typically start closer to 11 am, and the games usually around 1 pm or later. You have to buy your tickets in advance, so you may want to adjust your route depending on what works best for you.

Skull Rock

1238 Boat Rock Rd SW, Atlanta, GA 30331

Skull Rock isn't actually shaped like a skull, but the location will still be familiar to fans of Eddie and season 4. This is actually the Boat Rock Bouldering Area, a nature preserve with hiking trails, and of course, rocks for bouldering. Open 6 am - 9 pm. 

Trick or Treat, Freak house

2545 Piney Wood Lane, East Point, 30344

Mike Wheeler’s house

2530 Piney Wood Ln, East Point, GA 30344

Lucas Sinclair’s house

2550 Piney Wood Ln, East Point, GA 30344

Barb Holland’s house

2980 Piney Wood Dr, East Point, GA 30344

Dustin Henderson’s house

2886 Piney Wood Dr, East Point, GA 30344

It's so fun to me that all of these houses are in the same neighborhood. The first three houses (trick-r-treating house from season 2, Mike's house, and Lucas's house) are all right beside each other, while Barb's house and Dustin's house are a little more spaced out, but all in the same area nonetheless. 

Please don't forget these are private property and people actually live in them. The new owners of the Wheeler House have stated they're fine with folks still driving by and taking pictures but staying off the property. 

Hawkins Town Hall

2757 E Point St, East Point, GA 30344

You'll recognize the City Hall of East Point primarily as Mayor Kline's office space, Hawkins Town Hall. This is the real-life downtown East Point and close to the kids' homes. 

Hawkins Community Pool

2000 Lakewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30315

Season 3 really introduced such fun scenery. I loved seeing Hawkins in the summertime, and the juxtaposition of summer fun and the darkness emanating from the Upside Down. In real life, this is the South Bend Pool in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood of Atlanta (close to the Screen Gems studio where Stranger Things sets were built and filmed - not open to the public). Obviously the hours are seasonal, so consider whether you want to see this place in action, or have the place to yourself.  

Brimborn Steelworks/Mindflayer S3 Lair

2903 RN Martin St, East Point, GA 30344

When I first visited the located of Brimborn Steelworks, where Billy crashes his car and eventually becomes the Mindflayer's Rightside Up lair in season 3, it was locked up and in pretty bad condition. Since then, it's been turned into a brewery and event space, with Billy's car parked right outside. Stop here for lunch and a drink before continuing on your way.

Bradley’s Big Buy

506 Center St, Palmetto, GA 30268

Bradley’s Big Buy is really a Piggly Wiggly in Palmetto, GA - just southwest of Atlanta. While we only see the store in a pivotal season 1 scene, we know the store’s name plays a big part in later seasons too. 

WSQK Station

big field right beside 9375 Hutchesons Ferry Rd, Palmetto, GA 30268

The station was built for the show, but has since been taken down, so there's nothing here but a field, but if you're interested in the location, just know this is where it is. 

The Squawk was inspired by the WTPF radio station in Cary, North Carolina.

Will Byer’s house

149 Coastline Rd, Fayetteville, GA 30214 

Okay, so Will's house is such an exciting setting from the show - just think of all that happened there. On the show, just the exterior of the home was used, but this home is now a rentable Airbnb, and the owners have decorated the interior to resemble the Byer’s house from the show, with other fun little Easter eggs (like the bathroom as the rainbow room, complete with hospital gowns).

If you are hoping to snag the Airbnb, just know that it’s about $2000 night plus, and as of the time I’m writing this, no availability before July. 

Steve Harrington’s house

8253 Carlton Rd, Riverdale, GA 30296

Steve's house is primarily memorable from the pool scene (RIP, Barb), but that's not an accessible space to view as a fan of the show. Again, respect private property and only view this home from the road.

Forest Hills Trailer Park

1478 Kilgore Rd, Griffin, GA 30223

This is the mobile home park where Eddie and Max lived in season 4, but neither of their trailers are still there. Griffin is about 30 minutes away from Jackson, so this is a good day to stop if you're interested. 

Downtown Hawkins

101 E 2nd St, Jackson, GA 30233

You can certainly visit the different locations around Jackson, which serves as Downtown Hawkins, on a limited budget, and the town does not shy away from sharing the major locations from the show, like Melvald's General Store, Radio Shack, Hawkins Public Library (exterior at 98 3rd St, Jackson, GA 30233), or even the alleyway where Steve and Jonathan fight in season 1 (3.295086,-83.967895, behind Bradley’s on the Square), but ultimately, I think heading to Hawkins Headquarters is your best option. They offer tours for $35 per person, which includes a pizza meal. They also have lots of props for photo ops, like the Surfer Boy Pizza van, and Hopper's truck, plus autographed props from the show, arcade games, and total 80s mania. 

Day 2: Northeast Atlanta 

This day focuses on the northeast side of Atlanta. If you're staying anywhere west of, south of, or in midtown Atlanta, Hawkins National Lab is the natural starting place. 

Hawkins National Lab

1256 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

I think we can all agree this is the most pivotal setting from the show and maybe the most recognizable. If you're yearning to see HNL in real life, you've got to get there soon. The building has become quite dilapidated and is being torn down sooner rather than later. But again, and I can't stress this enough - please don't trespass on private property, especially for safety reason.

*Sidenote: If you're a fan of Doom Patrol, Doom Manor is the Briarcliff Mansion, which is right next door on the same property.

Suzie’s house

835 Oakdale Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Okay, so there's some controversy here. Suzie's fancy mountain-backdropped home from season 3 is not the same house we visit in season 4. But Suzie's season 4 house that we get to see all the chaos of (and let's not forget the instant Argyle/Eden connection) is just down the road for Hawkins Lab. 

Barb's, Billy’s, and Eddie’s graves

1025 Silver Hill Rd, Stone Mountain, GA 30087

If you're looking to pay your respects, Barb, Billy, and Eddie are all at the same resting place. I've seen pictures that there are actually some spaces there dedicated to these characters, particularly Eddie with a Hellfire Club shirt left for fans to sign. Roane Hill Cemetery is actually Stone Mountain Cemetery, an actual cemetery, so be sure you're being respectful when visiting this space. 

Max Mayfield’s house

5280 Moore St, Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Different from the mobile home Max lives in with her mom is season 4, the initial house where she lives with Billy is located at this location.

Derek Turnbow's house

1689 Kanawha Dr, Stone Mountain, GA 30087

The Turnbow house hosted some significant scenes in season 5. Luckily it's not too far from other filming locations in the Stone Mountain area.

Hawkins Elementary School

4898 Lavista Rd, Tucker, GA 30084

Hawkins Elementary School is in a different location from Hawkins Middle and Hawkins High, both of which have been demolished, even the ground has been torn away (which is why it's not featured on this post, but more information can be found here if interested). 

Starcourt Mall

2100 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth, GA 30096

Starcourt Mall is actually decrepit mall Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth. The showrunners really took over the entire food court and the space all around it (both floors) for season 3 of the show. I really think it was a missed opportunity to not keep it in the 80s and use it as a tourist location, but who asked me? For now, the mall's interior is inaccessible, and my understanding is it's being converted to public housing. Drive out to this location of your own risk - I don't totally know its current status.

Enzo’s Italian Restaurant

95 S Peachtree St, Norcross, GA 30071 

Enzo's, the elusive, fanciest of restaurants from Stranger Things is actually Dominick's Italian of Norcross. They open at 5 pm most days, and reservations are recommended, but it's totally worth it because the interior from the show is actually the interior in real life. (At Last singer not included).

Oglethorpe University

Keyhole Lot, Lupton Hall, Atlanta, GA 30319

I loved that we got to see Dustin head off to college in the show's epilogue, but what I loved even more was seeing him and Steve still be great friends. While we don't know specifically where Dustin went to school in the show, in real life, he's at Oglethorpe University for the interior and exterior scenes. The Keyhole Lot specifically is where Steve picks him up for an apparent road trip.

The Hawk Theatre (interior)

2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

While you'll find the exterior Hawk shots in Downtown Jackson (see above), the interior scene used for Lucas and Max's epilogue date was filmed in The Tara Theatre (which also hosted one of the finale screenings).

Day 3: Northwest Atlanta

This day takes us about an hour and a half outside of Atlanta, and while it could be tacked on to another day for simplicity's sake, I separated it just because of the distance. 

Hawkins Memorial Hospital

3949 S Cobb Dr SE, Smyrna, GA 30080

While Hawkins General was the hospital in season 1, all the other seasons use Hawkins Memorial, which you'll remember from the mushy Mindflayer fight scenes with Nancy and Jonathan in season 3, and of course, where the Wheeler parents and Max are throughout season 5. This stop makes sense heading from Atlanta to Rome for the Creel House and Pennhurst Mental Asylum, but can easily be added to the day 2 itinerary at the end.

The Creel House
906 E 2nd Ave, Rome, GA 30161

This has definitely become one of the more significant icons from the show, spanning important storylines across seasons 4 and 5. This is actually someone's home, so again, it's most appropriate to visit from the sidewalk. And don't be surprised to find that the playground across the road doesn't exist - that field isn't even there (it's actually in the Serenbe community near where they filmed the WSQK radio station now).

Pennhurst Mental Asylum
2277 Martha Berry Hwy, Mt Berry, GA 30149

For the past decade, I've participated each year in the Popsugar Reading Challenge. I always liked it because it gave me the opportunity to read books already on my shelves but to also try and discover other books by satisfying specific prompts. Usually there are about 50 prompts, and while I almost always read more than 50 books each year, I find it so hard to complete all the PS Reading Challenge prompts. They can sometimes be vague, or I have a hard time finding a book I'm interested in based on the prompts available. 

While I'll still be working towards the PS Reading Challenge in 2026, I am really delighted this year to be completing the Bookish Reading Challenge! Bookish is a small bookstore in Atlanta that focuses on authors "in the margins" - authors who are women, BIPOC, trans, queer. It's an honest must-visit Atlanta-area bookstore, with an absolute joy of an owner. So that's just one of the reasons I'm delighted to participate in this particular challenge.

I'm also excited because it's different than any other challenge I've seen before. In this challenge, 134 books have been sorted into 16 categories, but to complete the challenge, you don't have to read them all. Instead, the objective is to really just find new-to-you books that have been thoughtfully curated about different categories with diverse authors and stories. These aren't all brand new, just released books either, which makes this particularly diverse. Additionally, there are incentives to win. Read at least one book in at least 12 of the 16 categories to win a tote bag, and read at least 24 books from the list (no category requirement) for a t-shirt. It's actually genius, because then these totes and tees become marketing for the store. I. AM. OBSESSED.

One caveat - these do need to be NEW TO YOU books, so I've had to cross-out some books below, which I've already read in the past (here's looking at some favorites like Stars and the Blackness Between Them and The Shining). For books to count towards the challenge, they need to be read in 2026. I do have plans for other categories, and some to figure out along the way. I'll be double-dipping with the 2026 PS Reading Challenge, as well as trying to narrow down my Netgalley books for review. There are others that have just been on my TBR forever that I haven't gotten to, and this will give me that push to read them this year.