Podcast 331 – Dunwoody’s Insider Summer Guide, From the 50th Parade to the World Cup – Mark Galvin

Dunwoody’s Insider Summer Guide, From the 50th Parade to the World Cup – Mark Galvin

Mark Galvin has been with Dunwoody’s tourism and destination marketing for years, and if you want to know what is actually happening in this city before it hits your feed, he is the person to talk to. That's why I love having him on the podcast. This episode of What’s Up Dunwoody is part summer guide, part development update, and part reminder that there is no better time to be living in Dunwoody, Georgia than right now.

High Street Is Expanding Fast, and the Best Is Still Ahead

High Street has been a conversation in Dunwoody for a while now, but Mark says the next chapter is moving faster than most people realize.

Phase two and phase three are in motion. The development is pushing toward Hammond Drive, which matters because visibility from Hammond is what will finally make the people who drive past every day realize something significant is happening in there. Mark pointed out that the team at High Street has done a great job wrapping those fences along Hammond to signal that the space is alive. It is working.

If you have been wondering why High Street has felt quieter than Avalon, Mark has a simple explanation. Avalon built everything all the way out before it became what people think of today. If Avalon had stopped at phase one, it would not be what it is now. High Street is still in that phase.

What is coming next is not a Macy’s-style anchor. High Street is different than Perimeter Mall. We are talking about a high-end retailer, the kind you see at Avalon, plus a hotel that is actively in discussion. The Perimeter area is more cosmopolitan than Alpharetta. We have high-rise buildings. We have density. And as Mark put it, we are at the crossroads of so many parts of Atlanta. Getting here is easier than driving all the way up to Avalon, and eventually the brands will follow the math. I hope so, because Dunwoody needs High Street to succeed!

Perimeter Mall Is Getting Its Biggest Overhaul in Years

The food court at Perimeter Mall is moving, and the new setup is going to change the experience considerably.

The destination is the old Forever 21 space, and what makes this interesting is that the back of that location opens directly to the large parking deck. That creates an outdoor seating option, which transforms a traditional food court visit into something more similar to a food hall. You can pop in from the parking deck, grab lunch or dinner, and head out without walking the entire mall. Mark compared it to how Lenox Mall has its food area tucked into its own corner rather than interrupting the retail floor. That is exactly where Perimeter is headed.

General Manager Nick Nicolosi is the man behind these changes, and Mark speaks positively about what he is doing for the mall overall. The timeline is somewhere between October and January depending on who you talk to, but the goal is to have everything done before the holiday season. For anyone living in Dunwoody or thinking about moving to Dunwoody, the continued investment at Perimeter Mall is part of what keeps this area competitive with Alpharetta, Brookhaven, and Sandy Springs.

A Tea Room Worth Driving Across Atlanta For

If you have not heard about Le Faucheur Tearoom at Park Place yet, you will soon.

Mark spent time at the space and came with some genuine credibility on this particular detail. He started his career in hotel operations, working as a front office manager and eventually an executive housekeeper at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead and a Grand Hyatt in San Francisco. He knows marble because he spent years maintaining it at scale. His assessment of Le Faucheur was direct: they have some of the most beautiful marble he has ever seen, real marble, in that tea room.

Mark says the owner Valerie is doing a great job. Matt has already reached out about bringing her on the podcast. High tea here is not just a drink, it is a full meal experience, the kind of destination that Mark believes people will specifically drive to Dunwoody from other parts of Atlanta to enjoy. Discover Dunwoody has 10 percent off coupons available at their office if you want to try it before word fully spreads. Based on the way Mark described it, that window might not be open very long.

The FIFA World Cup Is Turning Dunwoody Restaurants Into Destination Watch Parties

The FIFA World Cup is coming to Atlanta this summer, and Dunwoody is leaning in harder than you might expect.

Watch parties are being organized at Campus 244, High Street, Ashford Lane, and at the Funwoody restaurants. But the most distinctive angle is what the Argentine Consulate is doing. The consulate is based here in Dunwoody, and they have set up a QR code incentive program at participating local restaurants. Scan the code after dining on an Argentinian-themed dish and you are entered for a chance to win round-trip tickets to Argentina.

The participating restaurants include CT Cantina and Taqueria, Mikata Japanese Cuisine, Eclipse di Luna, McKendrick’s Steakhouse, Louisiana Bistreaux, and the Funwoody restaurants. Mark noted on air, with some amusement, that Argentina is not particularly close. It is further than Europe. But a round-trip flight on someone else’s budget during a World Cup year is a compelling reason to order the empanadas.

Rosemary Watts over at Create Dunwoody is organizing a decorated soccer ball display that will be shown at Campus 244, High Street, Ashford Lane, and other spots around town. Dunwoody Baptist Church is running a World Cup soccer tournament where each team needs to represent a specific country. Rush Union Soccer is involved in the community energy around the tournament as well.

One thing Mark clarified: you can say FIFA World Cup freely. You can host a watch party. FIFA has exclusive sponsorship agreements with specific brands, and if you are a commercial venue broadcasting the games, you cannot display a competing sponsor brand alongside the broadcast. FIFA is actively enforcing those sponsorship deals. For the average Dunwoody resident showing up to a restaurant to watch the game, none of that applies. Just show up and enjoy it.

The 50th Dunwoody 4th of July Parade

Fifty years. Let that land for a moment.

The Dunwoody 4th of July Parade is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and if you have been to this parade even once, you know it is already one of the better community events in the Atlanta area. Fifty years makes it something else entirely.

Discover Dunwoody will have the trolley in the parade, as always. This year, instead of the inflatable dinosaurs that ran out before the second half of the route last year, they are handing out red, white, and blue soccer balls. More of them, so make sure you grab one because this is a special year. And they will be handed out directly to spectators rather than thrown from the moving vehicle.

That last part was something Matt wanted to address for anyone participating in the parade, not just the Discover Dunwoody float. NO THROWING THINGS FROM YOUR FLOAT! It’s very dangerous when kids are running into the street after candy. It sounds obvious until you hear that people had to be removed from last year’s parade by police for not stopping. The rule is simple: walk alongside and hand it out.

EEP Events, run by Jimmy Economos, is producing the festival portion of the day on behalf of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association. They do consistently good work, and the festival keeps growing each year.

If you are planning to come out, arrive early. A 50th anniversary parade is worth it.

What Is on the June Calendar

Between now and July 4th, the calendar is full.

Second Saturdays at Ashford Lane runs on June 13th from 4 to 7pm in the evening. The green at Ashford Lane is a great setup for families, there are lawn games, and the restaurants in that space make it an easy outing. It is a consistent monthly event that keeps building momentum.

Portico at Le Meridien Hotel is hosting a Hennessy Cigar Night on June 21st for Father’s Day. Portico is a solid restaurant, and the hotel has a long history with the What’s Up Dunwoody podcast. Matt and former co-host Justin Dike once put together a What’s Up Dunwoody meetup in the Le Meridien lobby as part of a content collaboration with the hotel, and it turned into one of those nights that is hard to forget. If you’re a dad who smokes cigars, the Father’s Day decision just made itself.

Eclipse di Luna has Paint and Sip is on June 22nd. There is also a Mahjong event with Judy and Grace on June 17th from 5 to 8 p.m. for anyone in the know.

High Street has Social Fridays on June 19th. They keep adding programming to the space throughout the summer, and their website has the full list of what is coming. If you are looking for something to do on a Friday evening in the Perimeter area, it is worth checking before you default to something else.

Stage Door Theatre also just revealed a new mural, provided by the Dunwoody Parks and Recreation department. That wall on the side of the development by the library was plain for a long time. It is not anymore. Discover Dunwoody also recently visited Stage to create content showcasing what they offer, so if you follow them on Instagram you can see exactly what is inside.

Thrillz, Big League Wiffle Ball, and What Is Happening at Assembly Atlanta

This section ventures just outside of Dunwoody, but as Mark would say, what is good for Assembly Atlanta is good for Dunwoody hotels. So here we are.

I got early access to Thrillz Indoor Amusement Park in Doraville and brought my kids out for a visit. The location is near Spaghetti Junction, on the other side of 85 from the Silverbacks Park soccer fields. The easiest way to describe it is an indoor carnival crossed with a Ninja Warrior course, built inside a massive industrial complex. There are trampolines covering close to a quarter of the building, zip lines where you land on airbags, 35-foot slides that launch you into the air, VR, laser tag, and a golf driving range. On the other side of the building there are more more slides, video games, and bounce structures.

I spent about an hour on the trampolines playing basketball. My back reminded me about that decision the following day. My 10 and 14-year-olds had no such regrets. That is the sweet spot age-wise in my opinion, though there are areas designed for younger kids too. If your children are anywhere in that range, Thrillz Atlanta is worth the trip to Doraville.

I also grabbed tickets to Big League Wiffle Ball at Assembly Atlanta. This is a legitimate professional wiffle ball league backed by Gary Vee, Kevin Costner, Tony Robbins, TI, and Julio Jones. The season is playing out at one of the Assembly studios on consecutive Sundays throughout June. My first game is June 14th, and my team is the New York Green Apples because I'm hoping to meet Gary Vaynerchuk. Tickets start around seven dollars. It might be the best value entertainment happening in the Atlanta area this summer.

Justin Campbell, VP of Operations at Assembly Atlanta, sits on the Discover Dunwoody board. That connection matters because the more people Assembly draws, the more people are staying in Perimeter hotels and eating at Dunwoody restaurants.

While you are at Assembly, walk through the public park area. The Pringle is being installed, an outdoor concert and movie venue that will anchor the space. The fountains were built by the same team that designed the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas. The LED screen nearby is the tallest in the country. On a regular afternoon, you might be the only person walking around this park. That will not be true for long. Bring the kids. Go for a picnic. It is stunning and it is completely free.

Call to Action

Mark Galvin and the Discover Dunwoody team are the best resource for staying current on everything happening in the Dunwoody and Perimeter area. Follow Discover Dunwoody on Instagram and you will see the events, openings, and local news before most people hear about it.

For a full events calendar, head to whatsupdunwoody.com/events.

And if you are thinking about buying, selling, or moving in Dunwoody, What’s Up Dunwoody podcast host and REALTOR® Matt Weber knows this area as well as anyone. Reach out anytime.

Show Notes

• Mark Galvin leads the marketing side of Discover Dunwoody, the official tourism and destination marketing organization for Dunwoody, Georgia, and is a former hotel operations professional with experience at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead and Grand Hyatt San Francisco.
• Le Faucheur Tearoom has opened at Park Place in Dunwoody, offering full high tea service with a luxury real marble interior; Discover Dunwoody has 10 percent off coupons available at their office.
• Perimeter Mall is relocating its food court to the former Forever 21 space with outdoor seating planned; General Manager Nick Nicolosi is leading the renovation with a target completion before the 2026 holiday season.
• High Street in the Perimeter area is entering Phase 2 and 3 development, with a hotel and major high-end retail anchor under discussion; the development is expanding toward Hammond Drive.
• The Dunwoody 4th of July Parade celebrates its 50th anniversary this year; Discover Dunwoody will hand out red, white, and blue soccer balls; EEP Events (Jimmy Economos) produces the festival for the Dunwoody Homeowners Association.

What Is What’s Up Dunwoody?

What’s Up Dunwoody is a local media platform created by REALTOR® Matt Weber, focused on living in Dunwoody, moving to Dunwoody, and staying connected to the community. It began as a podcast and has grown into social media content, local guides, and two of the largest Dunwoody-focused Facebook groups where residents share recommendations and stay in the loop. Matt has expanded slightly outside of Dunwoody and now covers the entire top end of the Perimeter through his Top End ATL channels.

Matt is a Dunwoody REALTOR® who helps people navigate buying, selling, and moving in the area. Stay in the loop with local updates, listings, and insights by signing up here: whatsupdunwoody.com/email