The second week of November is when NW Metro Atlanta shifts fully into holiday mode, and this week two long-awaited milestones land at once: Woodstock finally opens the trail connection it has been building toward for years, and Marietta's Veterans Day Parade returns to the Square on Saturday. Around them, the restaurant pipeline keeps moving in Kennesaw and Marietta, healthcare expands in Cartersville, and Dallas counts down to its tree lighting.
We track this news every week because a city's restaurants, parks, schools, and public decisions shape both daily life and home values for years. Here is what is happening across Marietta, Acworth, Kennesaw, Woodstock, Canton, Cartersville, and Dallas as Thanksgiving approaches.
Marietta: Veterans Day Parade Saturday, a Bistro Prepares, and a Late-Night Coffee Bar
The Parade Returns to the Square
Marietta's Veterans Day Parade is confirmed for Saturday, November 14, stepping off at 10:40 a.m. from Roswell Street Baptist Church and traveling west along Roswell Street, north on East Park Square past Glover Park, to the intersection of Cherokee Street and Lawrence Street, with the goal of reaching the Square by 11:11 a.m. A ceremony with speakers, a gun salute, and Taps follows in Glover Park shortly before noon. It is co-sponsored by Horace Orr Post 29 American Legion and the City of Marietta, and it is one of the largest Veterans Day observances in metro Atlanta.
A New Bistro on the Square and a Late-Night Coffee Bar
Brasserie Genevieve is preparing to open at 45 West Park Square in the former Asher & Rose space, with an opening expected late 2026 to early 2027. The address previously housed Piastra for a decade, and Asher & Rose filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2026 before a judge approved the sale of its assets in late August. Meanwhile, Two Bells Burgers & Cheesesteaks is preparing to replace Boru Ramen Noodle & Poke Bar at 154 Roswell Street near the Square, keeping the turnover of restaurant spaces that buyers ask us about when they weigh a home near downtown. For night owls, Terminus 72, a rare late-night coffee bar open 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., launched in Marietta in August and has been drawing a steady crowd since.
Tiny Homes, Holiday Lights, and Certified Election Results
Emmanuel's Village, a $3.2 million village of 15 tiny homes on Cobb Parkway to house homeless Marietta City Schools students and their families, has local approval and roughly $1.4 million raised so far. World of Illumination: Rockin' Christmas returns to Six Flags White Water November 13 through January 3, and the Marietta City Schools orchestra celebrates its 10th anniversary with a free community concert November 14 at the Marietta Performing Arts Center. Cobb County certified its election results on November 9, reporting the highest turnout in metro Atlanta for the midterm. One plan that is not moving forward: the proposed Ted's Montana Grill on the Goldstein Gap lot, leaving the cleared lot empty again as the city weighs what belongs there.
Explore More Marietta
Acworth: Veterans Honored, the Turkey Chase Nears, and a Sinkhole Repair
Honoring Service at Cauble Park
Acworth's Veterans Day Ceremony takes place Tuesday, November 11 at 2 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial in Cauble Park, followed by a veterans' reception hosted by 1885 Grill in the downtown Parkside District. City offices close for Veterans Day as well as for Thanksgiving on November 26-27. For active families, the Acworth Turkey Chase 5K/2K returns on Saturday, November 21, and the Historic Downtown Acworth Farmers Market keeps its Saturday morning hours at Logan Farm Park through November 14.
Infrastructure Work Continues
Cobb County posted a November 10 public-review notice for a proposed community development activity in a floodplain at Logan Farm Park, the latest step in the county's ongoing investment around the Acworth Community Center and Parkside District. The Newberry Park Sinkhole Repair project, announced in August with tree removal beginning then, is now scheduled for its full repair this month. And the Due West/Ragsdale Road Multi-Use Trail, which broke ground in early October, continues its utility relocations as it works toward connecting more than 400 households to downtown.
Explore More Acworth
Kennesaw: New Coffee, Holly Days, and a Planned BBQ
New Coffee and Holiday Energy Downtown
Myth & Legend, the Atlanta-area coffee shop known for house-made syrups and fresh-roasted beans, is opening its Kennesaw location this month, adding to a downtown that keeps gaining reasons to visit. The city kicked off its annual Holly Days holiday celebration on November 5, with events running mid-November through the New Year, and held its annual Veterans Luncheon honoring veterans and active-duty military on November 6.
Dining Moves and the Barrett Corridor
City Barbeque is planned for the former LA Fitness site on Barrett Parkway as part of Barrett Corners Phase III, the latest addition to one of the busiest retail corridors in Cobb County. On the dining turnover front, the last Bahama Breeze in Georgia closed August 29 and reopened as a Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen in late September, and Hooters at 2102 Old 41 Highway permanently closed October 7 amid the chain's restructuring.
Schools and Taxes
Cobb County School District opened tuition-based out-of-district enrollment, the "Choose Cobb" program, at 12 schools across four high school clusters at $600 per student per semester, with applications for Spring 2027 open through November 30. The City of Kennesaw also announced its 2026 property tax increase of 4.25 percent for maintenance and operations and 3.70 percent for bond over the rollback millage rate, a number homeowners will see on this year's bills.
Explore More Kennesaw
Woodstock: The Noonday Creek Trail Extension Finally Opens
A Nearly Decade-Long Connection Comes Together
The Noonday Creek Trail Extension officially opens Saturday, November 14. The 1.5-mile segment extends Woodstock's existing trail south from the trailhead near Reformation Brewery and Elm Street Green, passes beneath Highway 92, and ends at Noonday Creek Park on Shallowford Road in Cobb County. It is a project nearly a decade in the making, broken ground in December 2023 with Cherokee County, Cobb County, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and GDOT, and delayed to 2026 by weather and, earlier this year, by trespassers damaging uncured pavement. When it opens, it ties Woodstock and Cherokee County's trail system into Cobb County's network and, eventually, the Silver Comet Trail, a genuinely regional connection for cyclists and runners.
Fire Station 28, the Mill District, and the Holiday Calendar
The city held the grand opening of Fire Station 28 this week, an SPLOST-funded, roughly 11,000-square-foot station with three apparatus bays and a quint truck serving the city's northern corridor. Super Chix was announced in October as expanding into the Woodstock Mill District, the 11-acre Publix-anchored development opening in phases through late 2026 and early 2027. The holiday calendar is filling fast: Holiday Sip + Shop downtown lands November 19, and Holiday Lights of Woodstock at Dixie Speedway runs November 20 through December 31.
Explore More Woodstock
Canton: Tree Lighting Next Week, Kilwins Opens, and JROTC Shines
Holidays at the Square and The Mill
The Downtown Canton Tree Lighting and Drone Show lights up the square on Wednesday, November 18, and Christmas at The Mill follows November 27-28 at The Mill on Etowah. Kilwins, the fudge and hand-paddled ice cream confectionery, has added its Canton location at The Mill, joining the riverfront district's growing dessert scene, and the Makers Market returns to The Mill on November 14. Note for visitors: the Heritage Park parking lot closure that started November 2 is expected to last four to six weeks.
JROTC and Energy News
Cherokee County's JROTC programs earned national recognition on November 6: Etowah High School's A/F JROTC took top national titles at the Raider National Championships, and Cherokee High School's program ranked at a new high. Georgia Power also opened the McGrau Ford battery storage facility on November 6, adding grid capacity to the region. On the schools side, the district's Ed-SPLOST renewal and $425 million bond question passed on the November 3 ballot, funding facilities work including the renovation that will reopen Canton Elementary School in August 2028.
Explore More Canton
Cartersville: New Neurosurgery Care and a Record-Setting Football Season
AdventHealth Expands Specialty Care
AdventHealth opened its Medical Group Neurosurgery and Neurointervention clinic in Cartersville on November 8 at Medical Drive, announced November 11, bringing advanced neuroscience care closer to Bartow County families who previously traveled to metro Atlanta for it. It is part of a steady expansion of specialty healthcare along the I-75 corridor, a factor relocating families increasingly weigh when choosing a county.
A Historic Football Season and Cheer Honors
Cartersville High's football team became the first Georgia team to score 48 or more points in each of its first 10 games, averaging 54.2 points per game and entering the GHSA Class 5A playoffs ranked No. 1. The competition cheer team won Region 7-5A and the Georgia Sectional on November 7. The Christmas Village holiday market ran November 6-7 at the Clarence Brown Conference Center, and the Cartersville Middle School renovation is expected to take its next step at the Board of Education's November meeting, when the board selects its construction-manager candidate. The new Recreation Center at 640 North Tennessee Street is open for its first full season, and Splashville, the new water park, is still targeting opening later this year.
Explore More Cartersville
Dallas: Tree Lighting Next Week, a Record Graduation Rate, and New Downtown Dining
The Holiday Season Begins Downtown
The 7th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting takes over downtown Dallas on Saturday, November 21 with live Christmas music, a countdown, and fireworks, and Girls Night Out + Pink Friday leads into it on November 20. The Dallas Mistletoe Market holiday market runs November 14 at 141 East Memorial Drive. Downtown dining keeps growing: Farm Dogs Grill & Tap opened at 214 Main Street in September, taking over the former Dallas Grill space under new ownership, and Melt Yard, the restaurant, bar, and retro arcade, is expected to open its second location at 300 West Memorial Drive in a former 1940s car dealership.
Schools and Community Input
Paulding County School District reported a record-high 92.41 percent average graduation rate for the Class of 2026, with all five high schools above 90 percent, and earned the GSBA 2026 Exemplary Governance Team recognition for a seventh consecutive year. The district's Strategic Planning Community Conversation is set for Monday, November 16 at P.B. Ritch Middle School, and Thanksgiving break runs November 23-27 for county schools. The Union Park groundbreaking, the new multi-use park adjacent to Scoggins Middle School with pavilions, trails, streams, and community gardens, continues the county's parks build-out.
Explore More Dallas
Why This Matters for Buyers and Sellers
A trail opening after nearly a decade tells you a community invests in the long game. A coffee shop choosing downtown Kennesaw tells you the pedestrian core is working. A hospital adding neurosurgery in Cartersville tells you healthcare is following the population. Those signals matter for your resale value and for your day-to-day happiness.
That is why we track these stories every week and verify every detail before we publish. Our clients rely on us to know the numbers and the nuance, what is under construction and what is opening next month. If you are thinking about a change, we would love to sit down and share what we are seeing in the community that fits your life.
Have a great day.