Norcross's White Squirrel Hunt Was Built to Keep Moving
Norcross now has 12 bronze white squirrels around the city, up from five in May. The commission behind them didn't design the hunt to be finished. A 13th squirrel is due in mid-December and will change locations every few months. Seven more are planned for Pinnacle Park in East Norcross by the end of April 2027.
If you found all five squirrels this summer and put the map away, your route has more than doubled since then, and it will keep growing.
The Norcross Public Arts Commission launched the hunt in May. A ribbon-cutting at Norcross Gallery & Studios on May 14 included revealing the name of the gallery's squirrel, Vincent. WSB-TV later described the launch as five squirrels. In September, WSB-TV reported that six more were nearly ready and that the commission was asking the public to vote on their names until September 28. When the commission updated city council on October 5, Rough Draft Atlanta reported that seven new sculptures had been installed around the historic downtown, for 12 in all.
One of the new squirrels got its name from staff at the Norcross branch of the Gwinnett County Library System. They chose Bilbo, after the hero of Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
The sculptures come from Cherrylion Studios, an Atlanta studio, and sculptor Marty Dawe also worked on the project. Each squirrel has a white patina, and the artists let some of the bronze show through underneath to add shadow and depth. Every pose was chosen for its spot, so some squirrels sit on wall tops and others perch on ledges or stand in landscaped corners.
The city hasn't published one roster that matches all 12 names to all 12 spots. Combining the May clue card with the September announcement gives you this much:
| Squirrel | Location | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Vincent | Norcross Gallery & Studios, Carlyle Street | May launch |
| Lily | Fountain at Lillian Webb Park | May launch |
| Betty | Betty Mauldin Park, historic downtown | May launch |
| Sage | Discovery Garden Park | May launch |
| JJ | Thrasher Park | May launch |
| Newer squirrels | Women's Library, Johnson Dean Forest Preserve, Lionheart Theatre, the South End, Veterans Memorial Park | Fall additions |
The city credits a private donation with making Vincent possible. North Atlanta Star reports that the project's first major contribution was a $1,500 gift from Anne Hall, former director of Norcross Gallery & Studios, toward a sculpture at the gallery's Carlyle Street location. The photos in North Atlanta Star's October 7 coverage show squirrels on a stone ledge above a lawn, on a wall next to a bench, and on a round base at a busy street corner. Those spots are a reminder that the newest squirrels reach past the blocks around the Thrasher Street storefronts.
The printed Art Hunt card includes a map. North Atlanta Star lists these pickup spots:
The Public Safety building is a new stop on that list. The 42,252-square-foot building at Buford Highway and Stevens Road had its ribbon-cutting on September 1 and opened to the public on September 14. In May, Rough Draft described a digital scavenger hunt as something still in development. None of the coverage confirms an app or a prize for finishing, so for now the paper card is the way to play.
The mascot came from a vote. During Art Splash in 2024, the commission asked residents to pick from several options, including bees, frogs and birds. Commission chair Liz Simpson told North Atlanta Star how that went:
"Nothing resonated with the citizens like the white squirrels."
The real squirrels are leucistic Eastern gray squirrels. Leucism reduces their pigment, but they aren't albino. The city says they were first officially recorded in Thrasher Park in 2016. Local lore has them arriving much earlier, by train, back when Norcross was a resort town. WSB-TV reported that the live squirrels show up especially often near City Hall and Heritage Park.
The hunt took a while to arrive. The idea came up in 2022, while the city was writing its Arts & Culture Master Plan. That plan was adopted in 2023, and the hunt became a top commission priority in 2024. JJ's spot in Thrasher Park, where the white squirrels were first recorded, links the sculptures back to the animals that inspired them.
The last squirrel in the first phase is the clearest sign that the hunt isn't meant to stay fixed. North Atlanta Star calls it Leuci, a nod to leucism. Rough Draft's council coverage spells the name Lucy.
Leuci stands on a train case full of small gifts, a nod to the story about squirrels arriving by rail. The sculpture is built for temporary but secure installations. Norcross Public Works plans to move it every few months among four planned "whistle stops," and more stops could be added in 2027.
Leuci was delayed on its way from a Utah foundry to Atlanta for finishing work, and the commission now expects it in mid-December. That's about two months away, and possibly in time for the holidays. When the city announced the hunt in May, it asked people to share clues when they spot the traveling squirrel. Because Leuci moves, one copy of the map will never show everything.
Phase two goes past downtown. The commission is planning seven more squirrels along the arboretum art walk at Pinnacle Park in East Norcross. Each one will tell the story of a different tree species and how it was used as medicine in the past.
The money is coming from several sources. On October 5, the city accepted a $9,600 Gwinnett Creativity Fund Placemaking Grant, paid in two $4,800 installments. The second payment depends on the city filing a final report and getting it approved. The grant will be combined with commission funds and private gifts. The commission started fundraising at Art Splash in 2025 and has raised about $10,000 so far.
Installation is expected by the end of April 2027, when spring should make the arboretum a good place to walk. Once phase two is done, the hunt will cover about 20 squirrels across two parts of the city, with one of them changing location every few months.
Several of this month's downtown events are close to squirrel sites. The city's October lineup includes these dates:
Showtimes for Lawless Spirits differ between city listings, so check with Lionheart Theatre before you go. The city's Spirits of the Season event lineup has details for each event. The car show and the Halloween afternoon both start in daylight, so they're a good time to stop by Betty and Lily downtown. The two Thrasher Park evenings put you right next to JJ.
Hunting for squirrels is a good way to learn Norcross block by block, from the Carlyle Street gallery to the South End and, by next spring, Pinnacle Park. If you'd like to talk with someone who knows the area that well, in English or in Spanish, Laura Delgado and LD Realty Group would be happy to hear from you. Let's Connect.
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