You can now walk through the The Golden Girls Kitchen at Pullman Yards

“Immersive experience” is generally overused, at least according to my inbox. But I was intrigued when Bucket Listers, a national experience company and booking platform, notified me that its The Golden Girls Kitchen was coming to Pullman Yards February 20 through May 10.

I, like many, grew up with the show on in the background of everyday life. I watched it in real time until it ended in 1992, and in syndication thereafter on Lifetime. It was a comfort show, but I’m by no means a superfan.

However, there seem to be many superfans in Atlanta—part of a driving reason for Bucket Listers to come here, according to Keely O’Neal, Bucket Listers’ senior project manager. She says Atlanta was one of the most requested cities for the experience and that the city’s pre-sale tickets, which went on sale February 5, have been the strongest of any city so far.  “It’s fan-driven,” she says. “People here are really in love with the show.”

Despite being a somewhat fairweather fan, my curiosity was piqued. So I attended a preview earlier this week to get the lay of the land. Guests book 90-minute-long reservations, starting at $25 per person. Each reservation ticket gets $5 towards merch, in addition to a welcome cocktail.

Photograph by Lauren Finney Harden

Upon approaching the building, I let out a laugh. The four women—Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia—hang on the exterior in larger-than-life window clings. It set my expectations for the experience: over the top, campy, and pure fun.

Photograph courtesy of Bucket Listers

Photograph courtesy of Bucket Listers

Photograph by Lauren Finney Harden

Photograph by Lauren Finney Harden

There are three main rooms, each with a meticulously re-created portion of the set: the living room, Blanche’s bedroom, and the kitchen. There’s even a faux lanai off the kitchen, complete with an ’80s grill. A “The Rusty Anchor” neon sign, a nod to Blanche’s favorite watering hole, hangs above the bar. Everything has been designed for fans to interact with the tableau (and take pictures and tag the experience, of course).

I was tickled at the historically accurate tablecloths and white faux rattan chairs, and the attention to detail, such as a rotary phone prop in the living room. There’s even an area on the way out featuring exclusive, licensed merchandise for those dying to have a Golden Girls lunchbox or succulent planter in the shape of Dorothy’s head.

Photograph by Lauren Finney Harden

Photograph courtesy of Bucket Listers

Food is à la carte, ranging from $9 to $28. There are savory choices on the menu, such as Sophia’s cavatappi Bolognese, but the focus is on desserts, such as a cheesecake flight and chocolate Genurken-Flurgen cake, both nods to the show. There are 14 drink choices on the menu, such as “The Dorothy” (vodka, Prosecco, Campari, and soda) and the “Southern Belle Libation (Rum, Angostura bitters, and a Luxardo cherry).

Photograph by Lauren Finney Harden

Photograph courtesy of Bucket Listers

To mix it up, the experience also offers Shady Pines Tea Time on Wednesdays and Thursdays ($38 for 90 minutes, one tea, a cheesecake flight, and a $5 merchandise credit) and Drag Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays ($45 per person for 90 minutes, one entree, and a $5 merchandise credit).

The food menu is limited, but I doubt anyone is really there for the food anyway. The Golden Girls Kitchen is meant to be a way for people to connect with the show and with each other. By that measure, I think it’ll be successful, even for us non-superfans. I found myself getting swept up in the kitschiness of it all, and I could easily see how 90 minutes would pass quickly, especially if you were with friends—and isn’t that what the show was all about anyway?

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