Good Day Atlanta viewer information: March 19, 2021

Regional climbers rock the "Boat" in South Fulton: 

It’s a warm, sunny afternoon and Cobb County resident Justin Jones is spending some quality time with his 3-year-old daughter. Their activity of choice? Rock climbing.

"I've been rock climbing for going on 14 years now," Jones says. "I started when I was 21, and I said, 'I should have been doing this my whole life! Why did I wait until I was 21?’"

Jones and his daughter spend a lot of time at Boat Rock Preserve in South Fulton; it’s what climbers call a "boulder field" — a place to scale short but challenging rocks with no ropes or harnesses.

"These are really interesting geological features," the climber says. "You don't see really hard granite like this almost anywhere else in the Southeast."

And it’s thanks to climbers that Boat Rock Preserve even exists anymore. Back in the 1990s, developers began buying up the nearby land, demolishing the boulders, and building neighborhoods. So, a group of climbers formed the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, with a mission to buy and maintain the land.

"We purchased the Boat Rock Preserve in early 2000, and we own and maintain this climbing area, as well as six other climbing areas throughout Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama," says coalition executive director Andrea Hassler. "So, we were actually able to preserve these boulders that people can still climb here today."

For the City of South Fulton’s relatively new tourism department, Boat Rock is a true gem, and a place they hope attracts outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.

"You can also come out here and just enjoy yourself on a beautiful day like today. You've got trails you can walk, you can hike, you can just have a nice picnic out with your family," says tourism manager Chantel Francois.

And speaking of family, it’s clear that Justin Jones gets more than just exercise out of the Boat Rock boulders too; for the climber, the granite serves as a foundation upon which to build precious father-daughter memories.

For more information on Boat Rock Preserve (including a map to its location), click here. 

Burgers With Buck check out Apres Diem in Midtown:  

For more than two decades, Apres Diem has been a cool place to eat, socialize, and hang out in Midtown Atlanta.  Described as a relaxed yet sophisticated take on the European style of dining, it’s an international bistro, a perfect place to eat a delicious meal on the patio, have a coffee or espresso, dessert, cocktails, and oh yeah … a great burger (or two).

The Brunch Burger starts with an 8-ounce Angus beef patty. It is topped with an over-easy egg and bacon and served with lettuce, tomato, and pico de gallo, all on a brioche bun. 

Now if 100% Angus beef is not your thing, they are well known for their Turkey Burger.  It is house-ground, grilled, and served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, sage aioli, and sauteed onions. Both the Brunch Burger and the Turkey Burger are served with your choice of a side, but speaking from personal experience, their house-made fries are really good.

For the record, #BurgersWithBuck only had time to taste one during the segment, but in case you’re wondering… consumed every bite of both burgers after the cameras stopped rolling. In our professional opinion, you can’t go wrong with either option.

Let us know what you think, and when you go to Apres Diem, make sure to say hello to Andy.  He’s a very interesting guy.  Also, tell him #BWB sent you.

For more information about Apres Diem including the location, menu, and hours of operation, go to their website. And, as always, if you have a favorite burger that you would like to see featured on Good Day Atlanta, tell me about it on https://www.facebook.com/BuckFOX5 or https://twitter.com/BuckFOX5, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #BurgersWithBuck and/or #BWB.

Youtubers Nastya Artem Mia discuss their YouTube success:

The "Amega" family have created over 250 original episodes on YouTube which have been seen over 5 billion times and have over 20 million YouTube subscribers across their 17 YouTube channels. Click here for more information.

Actors Rebecca Naomi Jones and Patrice Covington talk about "Genius:Aretha":

The Emmy Award-winning anthology series from National Geographic is back for a new season and this time in honor of the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. For more information click here.

Praise 102.5 radio host Veda Howard shares one of her inspirational "Wisdom Nuggets" focused on growth.  For more information on Veda Howard click here.

Pet of the day from the Atlanta Humane Society: For more information on how you can adopt today's pet of the day click here.

Rena Sartain from Pike Nurseries to talk about what is in bloom this Spring. For more information on Pike Nurseries click here.