Barbie Beach, it's really neat!

As Ken and I were driving from Newnan to Senoia for our first Woodbury afternoon, we passed a strange display on Highway 16. I noticed it as we were coming up to it...it was obvious that there was some sort of display in someone’s yard, so I made sure to look to see if I could figure out what it was.

When we got close to it and I got a good look, I started laughing. “It says it’s Barbie Beach!” There seemed to be some sort of large diorama going on with a sandy patch and many Barbie dolls. We resolved to take a closer look on the way back, as well as get pictures.

As luck would have it, that was one of the roads we took on our Walking Dead locations tour, and our guide, Dan, mentioned it as we got close. He said that this woman has been doing Barbie Beach for about 15 years now, and she changes the theme every so often. When we were there, the theme was “Barbie Beach Airshow,” with Barbies and Kens sitting on bleachers watching toy planes strung on wires, and I think there might even have been a couple of Barbies in a hot air balloon basket.

There was also a section called Mort’s Bar, where it looked like all the Barbies and Kens were having a good time, some sort of lagoon with a mermaid Barbie, and I’m not sure what Ken and Ken are doing in the one picture, but they sure look happy! It looks like anything goes on Barbie Beach, because clothing seems to be optional.

I have no idea why this woman started doing this, but I thank her, and she is a woman after my own heart. (I also saw peace signs posted in the yard, so I’m guessing she’s sort of “Bohemian,” hanging out in the Georgia countryside. Believe it or not, there is a pretty vibrant art community in rural areas of Georgia!) It is this sort of random and bizarre thing that you find along the way that makes life more fun, in my book. And it’s another good reason to do road trips, because you never know what you are going to come across.

I’m a big fan of random, installation-type art, and this is how I view this. Yes, this is art to me. It is creative, and fun, and I’ve been grinning about it since we first saw it this past Sunday. Ms. Barbie Beach, whoever you are, thank you for bringing a smile to my face.

Of course, it made me think of this fun Go-Go’s song!