🦅👁️ Eagle Eye Digest
The Weekend Eye
🇺🇸 Your Henry County Weekend Guide 🇺🇸
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Happy Memorial Day weekend. It’s a long one for most of us. School’s out. Summer is officially here. A quick heads-up on the weather — Saturday comes in with a 50% chance of storms and highs in the upper 70s, so keep an eye on the radar before you head out. Sunday clears up nicely: mostly sunny and climbing into the low 80s. And Monday? Pure Georgia summer — sunny skies and upper 70s, right on time for the ceremony. Plan around Saturday and the rest of the weekend takes care of itself. There’s R&B royalty at VyStar, blues and soul at Southern Roots, free community fun in the park, and Monday morning, a ceremony worth getting up for. Make it count. 🇺🇸
This Weekend
Weekend Lineup 🦅👁️
Friday, May 22
⭐ Friday Spotlight
Live Music · McDonough
Friday is a milestone in Henry County — 44,000 students close the last chapter of the 2025–2026 school year. By nightfall, the parents are ready to celebrate too. The Highway 54 Band closes out the school year at Southern Roots Tavern with blistering blues, sizzling soul, and road trip rock and roll. It’s the right soundtrack for the official start of summer.
📍 15 Griffin St., McDonough
🕗 8–11 PM
🎟 $6–$72
🔞 21+ after 8PM
McDonough
A free outdoor community day featuring arts and Spades — open to kids and adults. Great way to kick off the holiday weekend before the evening concerts.
Saturday, May 23
⭐ Saturday Spotlight
R&B Concert · Stockbridge
If you grew up on R&B, Saturday night is for you. Stephanie Mills — the voice behind Never Knew Love Like This Before — takes the stage alongside After 7 and Karyn White for an evening of classic hits that will have the whole amphitheater singing. Three legends, one night, right here in Stockbridge. Grab your tickets now — this will sell out.
📍 4650 N Henry Blvd, Stockbridge
🕕 Gates 6PM | Show 8PM
🎟 From $95
McDonough
Atlanta blues, soul, and funk at Southern Roots. Doors open at 6PM — get there early.
Sunday, May 24
⭐ Sunday Spotlight
🇺🇸 Living History · Hampton
Most Henry Countians know the sound of race cars at the speedway. Far fewer realize that some of America’s last flying Vietnam-era Army helicopters — real Hueys and Cobras — are sitting in a hangar just down the road in Hampton. The Army Aviation Heritage Foundation & Flying Museum has been quietly preserving these aircraft since 1997. On the Sunday before Memorial Day, it’s worth a visit. The Huey’s distinctive sound is something Vietnam veterans describe as instantly transporting — decades collapse in an instant. This is living history, and it’s in your backyard.
📍 Hampton, GA (near Atlanta Motor Speedway)
🌐 armyav.org
Memorial Day
🇺🇸 Honor & Remember 🎖️
📍 Veterans Wall of Honor at Heritage Park · 99 Lake Dow Rd, McDonough · Monday, May 25 at 11:00 AM
Henry County honors the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. This annual ceremony at Heritage Park brings the community together to remember those who gave everything. Immediately following at noon — the unveiling of a new sign for the renamed James “Jim” Joyce Veterans Museum, with museum tours available after the event.
Free and open to the public · Henry County Parks & Recreation
Good to Know
🇺🇸 Henry County Government Closures
All County Government offices will be closed Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. The Recycle Center will also be closed Saturday, May 23. Normal operations resume Tuesday, May 26 at 8:00 AM.
Worth the Trip
Memorial Day Escapes 🌊
🎺 Worth the Trip
Free All Weekend · Atlanta
One of Atlanta’s great Memorial Day traditions. The Atlanta Jazz Festival takes over Piedmont Park all weekend with live jazz, food, and open lawn. It’s free, beautiful, and worth every mile of the drive up I-675. Pair it with a park walk and a bite in Midtown.
📍 Piedmont Park, Atlanta
📅 May 23–25
✅ FREE
More Escapes Worth the Drive
Not everyone wants crowds this weekend. Here are four escapes — pick your pace.
Close to Home
McDonough · Fri 9AM–5PM · Sat 10AM–6PM · Sun 1PM–6PM
Flower fields, fresh baked goods, homemade ice cream, and seasonal u-pick. The easiest family-friendly holiday weekend outing close to home. Pair it with a stop on the McDonough Square.
Scenic Countryside Drive
Woodbury, GA · Fri–Sat 9AM–6PM · Sun Noon–6PM
Peach slushies, wine tastings, charcuterie, and rolling backroads that feel nothing like the highway. Warm Springs and Pine Mountain are nearby if you want to make a full day of it.
Full Weekend Getaway
Blue Ridge, GA · Daily 9AM–5PM
Mountain scenery, cabins, wineries, train rides, cider donuts, and a walkable downtown. This isn’t a casual Saturday — it’s a “we’re getting out of town” weekend. Worth every mile.
Water + Beach
Pine Mountain, GA · Opens Memorial Day weekend
White sand beach, swimming lake, paddle boats, and Pine Mountain scenery. This is the closest thing to a beach vacation without leaving Georgia. Opens officially for the season this weekend.
Budget Friendly
Free & Almost Free 🎟️
McDonough
A free outdoor community day featuring arts and Spades — open to kids and adults. Great way to kick off the holiday weekend before the evening concerts.
Atlanta
One of Atlanta’s great Memorial Day traditions. Live jazz on the lawn all weekend — no ticket needed.
McDonough
Honor those who gave everything. The community gathers at the Veterans Wall of Honor followed by the unveiling of the renamed James “Jim” Joyce Veterans Museum at noon.
Live Music
Concerts This Weekend 🎵
McDonough
Blues, soul, and road trip rock to close out the last day of school. Doors open at 6PM.
Stockbridge
Three R&B icons, one night in Henry County. Classic hits from start to finish.
McDonough
Atlanta blues, soul, and funk at Southern Roots. Doors open at 6PM — get there early.
Sweet Treats
Nothing Says Summer Like Ice Cream 🍦
We’re switching it up this weekend. No restaurant rundown — just the quintessential summertime treat and where to find it across Henry County. School’s out, the sun is out, and a cold cone in your hand is all the reason you need. Here’s where to get it.
🍦 Sweet Treat Spotlight · Hampton
Downtown Hampton · Locally Owned
Right in the heart of Downtown Hampton, this locally owned creamery makes everything from scratch — ice cream, cookies, slices of cake, and more. Their banana pudding ice cream placed 3rd nationally in the North American Ice Cream Association’s Flavor of the Year competition. That’s not a chain flex. That’s a neighbor doing something special. This Memorial Day weekend, make the short drive south and treat yourself.
McDonough
Ice cream, chocolates, and candy right on the McDonough Square. Grab a cone, find a bench, and let the long weekend settle in.
Hampton
A locally owned creamery making everything from scratch in Downtown Hampton. Ice cream, cookies, slices of cake, and fresh coffee — and their banana pudding ice cream placed 3rd nationally in the North American Ice Cream Association’s Flavor of the Year competition. Worth the short drive south.
Locust Grove
Right near the Tanger Outlets in Locust Grove. 4.8 stars on Google and a short drive from the rest of the county. A sweet stop worth making on your way in or out of town this holiday weekend.
Stockbridge
Not ice cream — but boba is cold, creamy, and hits just as hard on a warm holiday weekend. Sammy’s is one of Stockbridge’s newest spots, opened earlier this year by owner Sam Beng, who spent six years at Starbucks before going out on his own. His goal: a neighborhood place where the owner knows your name and your order by heart. The menu runs boba tea, coffee, Hong Kong-style bubble waffles, Japanese taiyaki, and snacks. Follow them on Instagram @sammysbac for the latest.
🦅
🇺🇸 Honor the weekend. Enjoy the music. Hold the ones you love a little closer.
Eagle Eye Digest