Atlanta
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Atlanta is Georgia’s largest city and the state’s capital. It has diverse music heritage, amazing Southern Hospitality, is the birthplace of Coca-Cola, and embodies important pieces of American history. There’s lots to do, eat, and see in The Big Peach year-round.
Travel tip #1: Atlanta has over 65 streets with a variation of the word “peachtree” in their names—Peachtree Avenue and Peachtree Plaza, for example. It’s easy to get confused about which street to turn on with such similar street names in the city! Yet, there are very few peach trees in Atlanta as peach trees are not native to the area.
Places of Interest
Jackson Street Bridge: The view of Downtown Atlanta’s skyline is one of the best in the city. It’s the perfect spot for photo ops on a nice day or to watch the sunset with a friend. The location was popular among locals, but was made famous by a scene filmed in “The Walking Dead.”
Krog Street Tunnel: A pretty cool street art and graffiti space which serves as a community landmark. The Krog Street Tunnel links the Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown, and Inman Park neighborhoods. You’ll find locals, artists, cyclists, and tourists going through the tunnel itself, but take time to look at the tunnel walls—they’re always changing.
The BeltLine: The Atlanta BeltLine is a former railway corridor around the center of the city. It’s been under development for many years with a recent project to revitalize the massive space into functional places. There are several parts of the BeltLine that have art, shops, and restaurants built along the street or nearby.
Centennial Park: Centennial Olympic Park is located in the center of the downtown district. This 22-acre space serves as Georgia’s legacy as host of the 1996 Summer Olympic games. Festivals and events are held here throughout the year.
Piedmont Park: Comparable to New York City’s Central Park, Piedmont Park spans over 180 acres of open space with walking trails, tennis courts, water features, and playgrounds. Home to concerts, summer markets, and more, this park is a wonderful place to take a break from the city streets.
Martin Luther King, Junior National Historical Park: This area is comprised of several buildings and spaces which includes the King Center, Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood home, the original Ebenezer Baptist Church (where Dr. King was baptized and both his father and he were pastors), curated museum spaces, his resting site, and more.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights: Located in Downtown Atlanta near Centennial Park, this amazing museum space explores civil and human rights through interactive, collaborative, and educational exhibits. Learn about the American Civil Rights Movement and the contemporary fight for rights around the world—it’ll leave you feeling empowered and inspired to do more in the fight for justice.
World of Coca-Cola: Atlanta is the birthplace of Coca Cola and there’s an entire museum dedicated to this iconic beverage. The museum is filled with Coca Cola merchandise, advertisements, and memorabilia, and includes a huge tasting room that features Coke product from different continents.
The Sun Dial: If you’re looking for a classy experience with fantastic views, The Sun Dial is your place. It consists of a restaurant, cocktail lounge, and observatory level with 360-degree views over 720-feet above the ground. If you stay at The Westin access to the lounge is free, but others have to pay a small fee to go up.
Travel tip #2: Atlanta also has outdoor activities, like hiking Stone Mountain and biking the BeltLine. I visited in the middle of winter, so there weren’t too many outdoor options available. However, the warmer months are great times to indulge in nature.
Food
Chrome Yellow Trading Co.: A hip industrial coffee space that also functions as a meeting place and merchandise shop. Chrome Yellow makes tasty drinks and serves small bites. The perfect spot to hit up after spending time at the MLK, Jr. National Historical Park.
Just Add Honey Tea Company: If you’re a tea-lover, you have to stop by this cute cafe for a cup or two of their tea. Choose from a variety of loose-leaf teas or combine a couple for the perfect cup. The staff are incredibly patient, kind, and helpful. Also, check-out their “parTEA” options for different celebration events.
Cafe Lucia: There are several locations throughout the city, but I visited the Downtown location with its brick interior and high ceilings. Their coffee is good and so are their breakfast sandwiches. A nice, quick spot to start your weekday.
The Varsity: The Varsity is the world’s largest drive-in and they serve more Coca-Cola here by volume than anywhere else in the world. It’s located in Downtown Atlanta and is usually filled with people, especially at peak meal times. They’re famous for their chili dogs and Frosted Orange beverage.
Mary Mac’s Tea Room: This restaurant opened in 1945, serving up the same delicious Southern food as they do now. It is the last of sixteen tea rooms that once dotted this part of Atlanta in the 1940s! If it’s your first visit to Mary Mac’s, be sure to ask for your complimentary cup of Pot Likker with cracklin’ cornbread. Everything here is mouthwatering, so come hungry.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken: Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches and fried chicken are the name the game here. The chicken is so, so juicy and some of the best fried chicken I’ve eaten! I ordered the “hot” level, but could have gone hotter. The hottest, “Shut the Cluck Up,” registers at over 1 million heat units on the Scoville scale—it’s four times hotter than a habanero pepper.
Busy Bee Cafe: Busy Bee is one of the best restaurants for Southern Soul Food in Atlanta. At Busy Bee, they focus on authentic Southern Cooking from scratch and bring passion, soul, and a dedication into their meals. I loved the cozy and home-y vibe here, as well as the amazing food.
Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall: This is the first outdoor-oriented bar and restaurant along the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail. Ladybird offers elevated campfire cuisine for dinner, lunch, and weekend brunch. They focus on sharable dishes that rotate based on locality and season. Their also known for their cocktails.
Sweet Stack Creamery: Located in the Auburn Historic District, this dessert bar churns out ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and more. Their fun flavor combinations—praline, Cookie Monster, and vegan options—remind me of Afters Ice Cream in California! What I really liked was their friendly service.
Krog Street Market: The original home to Atlanta Stove Works was renovated and redesigned into Krog Street Market, an innovative food hall, dining space, and retail area near off of the BeltLine. There’s lots of food vendors and seating so everyone can find something to enjoy.
Ponce City Market: The historic Sears, Roebuck & Co. building in Atlanta has been transformed into the Ponce City Market. Similar to Krog Street, the classic structure was reinvented into a vibrant community space which houses the Central Food Hall, a variety of shops, flats, and offices. I really liked this place and could have spent hours eating and shopping here.
Travel tip #3: Typical Georgian cuisine includes foods ranging from seafood to grits, chicken and dumplings to Brunswick stew, as well as fried chicken and cornbread—all can be found in Atlanta. Pecans, peaches, and peanuts are also common favorites. Don’t be afraid to try the food, but be prepared to space out your meals as they can get quite heavy!
Transportation & Accommodation
Walking and driving are the easiest ways to get around Atlanta, as most places of interest are near the city center. Ride share services like Uber and Lyft are easily accessible throughout Atlanta. The drivers were all very kind and friendly, as well. If landing at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (the busiest airport in the world!) you can hail a taxi, use a ride share service, or take the MARTA train into the city. Downtown is approximately 20 minutes while Midtown is about 25 minutes away by train with a one-way ticket costing only $2.50 USD.
If you prefer public transportation while traveling, MARTA is an easy way to get to some of Atlanta’s popular spots and neighborhoods. The Breeze Card makes getting on and off the train simple, as you just tap your card. You can load your card with however many trips or days you need at the train stations. Follow this link for train and bus line schedules.
Booking.com is a great website to use to search for and book accommodation throughout the Atlanta area. While in Atlanta, I stayed in the heart of downtown at the Sheraton Downtown Atlanta. The hotel was nice with excellent hospitality, but I would opt to stay in an Airbnb next time for more of a local-type experience in a cute Southern-style home. For those who do not prefer hotels and want something unique or even less expensive, I definitely recommend Airbnb.
Travel tip #4: While most of Atlanta’s tourist areas are safe, avoid walking late at night in the Downtown area. Although it is busy during business hours, the streets can get pretty empty once its dark. Similarly, do some research on which areas of the city are safer than others to ensure you’re smart about where you are and when.
Climate
Atlanta experiences all four seasons with especially hot, humid summers. Hot weather starts in late May and ends in September, while colder temperatures run from November to early March. July is the hottest month and January is the coldest. Although summer is peak travel time for tourists, the muggy air and high temperatures make it difficult to enjoy outdoor activities and simply be outside in general. Spring and autumn are relatively short, but come with nice weather. They are the best times of year to visit Atlanta for warm, mild weather: early May to mid-June as well as from mid-September to late October.
