I plan on visiting Atlanta later this year to see a few sites I want to see: World of Coca-Cola, College Football Hall of Fame, Martin Luther King historical site and maybe a few other places. What would people knowledgeable on Atlanta recommend?
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Any advice for visiting Atlanta? (Also my first trip on my own)
- Thread starter HomokHarcos
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World of Coca-Cola, the Aquarium. I hate driving in Atlanta so much so I'd recommend an uber/lyft situation. The underground mall used to be cool but in all honesty I haven't been to Atlanta in 6 years.
ALSO! I can't remember the name of it but I went to a fun "barcade" there as well. I know that's not helpful but maybe Yelp/Google can give you some good results.
ALSO! I can't remember the name of it but I went to a fun "barcade" there as well. I know that's not helpful but maybe Yelp/Google can give you some good results.
Do you have a car, or access to one? It's a hard city to walk and take public transport in. Atlanta is really spread out. There's also the Beltline, old railroad tracks converted to a walking path.
I know aquariums are kinda lame on average, but the Georgia Aquarium is actually really stellar. You can probably get a combo ticket with the World of Coke if you look around.
You might also consider looking into a CNN tour if that's your jam.
Restaurants: Antico for pizza (a must). Max Lager's for steak, Nan (a little pricey) for thai food.
You might also consider looking into a CNN tour if that's your jam.
Restaurants: Antico for pizza (a must). Max Lager's for steak, Nan (a little pricey) for thai food.
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I plan on flying to Atlanta, so I will probably be using public transport.
Yeah, echoing what others said. All the downtown stuff is pretty accessible by walking or train (Aquarium, King Center, World of Coke, etc.) but anything further out is tough. Like I love the Atlanta History Center but I have no idea how to get there on a bus.
Downtown, if you're staying there, is pretty dead on weekends and nights. It's mostly offices. There's a good strip of bars on Edgewood Avenue right near there though, and that's where the barcade Joystick is.
Enjoy the Beverly at the World of Coke! It's the best soda.
If you like beer, check out Scofflaw Brewing and Monday Night's Garage facility. Or the Porter Beer Bar in Little 5 Points. I don't really go into the city a whole lot and I have a kid, so my perspective on what to do probably won't match your own (which is why I hesitate to recommend the Aquarium, which is pretty great if you're into that sort of thing). You could go see Stone Mountain too. Sure, the carving honors a bunch of losers, but the park itself is pretty cool.
If you like beer, check out Scofflaw Brewing and Monday Night's Garage facility. Or the Porter Beer Bar in Little 5 Points. I don't really go into the city a whole lot and I have a kid, so my perspective on what to do probably won't match your own (which is why I hesitate to recommend the Aquarium, which is pretty great if you're into that sort of thing). You could go see Stone Mountain too. Sure, the carving honors a bunch of losers, but the park itself is pretty cool.
YES!
That was it. Such a simple name but I couldn't recall it at all.
The Civil Rights Museum is right next to the aquarium and Coke Factory, and I would argue that it's better than both of those things. Highly recommended. Those three things are adjacent to the Olympic Park, which itself is adjacent to the CNN Center and College Football Hall of Fame.
Ponce City Market is an old Sears building that's been converted into a massive food hall with shops. It's got a lot of good food, and it's connected to the Beltline, which is a 22 mile walking/biking trail that circles the perimeter of the city.
If you're looking for restaurant recommendations, I've got a whole list of suggestions for you too, depending on what your cuisine preference is.
Ponce City Market is an old Sears building that's been converted into a massive food hall with shops. It's got a lot of good food, and it's connected to the Beltline, which is a 22 mile walking/biking trail that circles the perimeter of the city.
If you're looking for restaurant recommendations, I've got a whole list of suggestions for you too, depending on what your cuisine preference is.
I basically live in Atlanta part time... every week, Tuesday-Thursday for work... I've slowly been exploring random places.
Inman Park is nice, along with the Beltline for a solid walk. Good bars and restaurants along it in certain places too. Decatur has a decent strip of bars, including an A+ tiki bar called SOS Tiki Bar, new one opened Midtown called Tiki Tango that is fun enough.
You can get around on subway pretty easily - I use it a lot to get back and forth, but you'll definitely need Uber to supplement.
Inman Park is nice, along with the Beltline for a solid walk. Good bars and restaurants along it in certain places too. Decatur has a decent strip of bars, including an A+ tiki bar called SOS Tiki Bar, new one opened Midtown called Tiki Tango that is fun enough.
You can get around on subway pretty easily - I use it a lot to get back and forth, but you'll definitely need Uber to supplement.
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You have an avy for the best Persona game, so we should get along great.
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I'd like to check out the Center for Civil Rights, too. I'm not a picky eater (I'll eat pretty much anything) but I love sandwiches like clubs, subs and tacos so I'll take any recommendations.
I went last summer and thought the Georgia Aquarium was mind-blowing. They got FOUR fucking whale sharks in there, the tank is absolutely massive (I think it's the biggest in the world, maybe some Sheik in Dubai has a personal one bigger by now). I could have sat there for hours watching those things.
I also liked Zoo Atlanta. Tucked away in a park surrounded by residential neighborhood. It was really well laid out and flowed nicely. They have pandas and a great gorilla exhibit that gets you really close without any visible barriers.
I also liked Zoo Atlanta. Tucked away in a park surrounded by residential neighborhood. It was really well laid out and flowed nicely. They have pandas and a great gorilla exhibit that gets you really close without any visible barriers.
For tacos:
-El Rey Del Taco
-Tacos La Villa (although this is out in the burbs)
-El Taco Veloz
People should really know what the Clermont Lounge is before going haha.
Don't waste your time and money at either Waffle House or Varsity, no matter what anyone here says. Total garbage food.
My girlfriend and I really enjoyed Oakland Cemetery. It's a Victorian-era cemetery that the city has turned into a park. It's beautiful, with lots of interesting graves and stories. It's also free to walk around, but it's worth paying to take a tour if one's available. They even have brewfests and stuff out there. There's a few notable people buried (Margaret Mitchell and Bobby Jones are two that I can think of right now) and lots of weird graves and mausoleums. There's a seafood place called Six Feet Under across the street which I've heard good things about.
For some other free stuff, you can just drive around and see some murals. There's a lot of good street art in Atlanta. Krog Street Tunnel is especially impressive.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is worth browsing for an hour or so. They have a pretty nice Jim Henson museum with lots of his puppets, sketches, and stuff on display. The "World of Puppetry" half of the museum is pretty bare bones and lifeless, but they have a couple of interesting pieces in there. They do puppet shows daily, but I haven't seen one yet. Supposedly their Halloween show is really good, but I think most of their other programming is very young children-oriented.
The botanical gardens are nice, but pretty pricey. The site says $21.95 for a ticket, but I could have swore that it was more when I went. Either way, it's probably the nicest garden I've been to.
Zoo Atlanta is a pretty solid zoo. They have pandas, and the gorilla and elephant enclosures give you a pretty good chance to see some up close.
For food:
The Vortex is sort of the go-to tourist restaurant. They have ludicrously oversized burgers with crazy toppings. Good luck finishing one. The one in Little Five Points is the famous one--with the giant skull for a door. The one in midtown has a comedy club attached to it called the Laughing Skull Lounge. My friends and I tend to agree that Grindhouse Burgers is actually a better restaurant overall, and there are several locations around the city; but The Vortex is worth going to for gimmick value alone. The owners also have a pretty good Americanized Mexican restaurant called The Bone Garden Cantina. If you go, get their elote. It's a tiny place, and very popular, so expect to have to wait around before getting a seat. It's also in the middle of nowhere, in this weird industrial park.
Just outside of Oakland Cemetery, there's a southwestern-style restaurant called Agave. I ate their once and had a dish of scallops over grits with collard greens. I don't know if that's really "southwestern" but, hey.... It was pretty good.
There are a couple of hipstery marketplaces with a lot of good, but expensive food. Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market are two big ones. You can Google them to see what restaurants are currently installed.
If you're into craft beer, Little Five Points has a bar called The Porter which has a very impressive selection. Something like 50 taps, and a huge bottle selection, including stuff that hasn't been made in years. They also have food, but I've never tried it. Also, Atlanta has a few pretty solid breweries. I'd recommend Orpheus, since they're the most unique (sour-oriented though).
For some other free stuff, you can just drive around and see some murals. There's a lot of good street art in Atlanta. Krog Street Tunnel is especially impressive.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is worth browsing for an hour or so. They have a pretty nice Jim Henson museum with lots of his puppets, sketches, and stuff on display. The "World of Puppetry" half of the museum is pretty bare bones and lifeless, but they have a couple of interesting pieces in there. They do puppet shows daily, but I haven't seen one yet. Supposedly their Halloween show is really good, but I think most of their other programming is very young children-oriented.
The botanical gardens are nice, but pretty pricey. The site says $21.95 for a ticket, but I could have swore that it was more when I went. Either way, it's probably the nicest garden I've been to.
Zoo Atlanta is a pretty solid zoo. They have pandas, and the gorilla and elephant enclosures give you a pretty good chance to see some up close.
For food:
The Vortex is sort of the go-to tourist restaurant. They have ludicrously oversized burgers with crazy toppings. Good luck finishing one. The one in Little Five Points is the famous one--with the giant skull for a door. The one in midtown has a comedy club attached to it called the Laughing Skull Lounge. My friends and I tend to agree that Grindhouse Burgers is actually a better restaurant overall, and there are several locations around the city; but The Vortex is worth going to for gimmick value alone. The owners also have a pretty good Americanized Mexican restaurant called The Bone Garden Cantina. If you go, get their elote. It's a tiny place, and very popular, so expect to have to wait around before getting a seat. It's also in the middle of nowhere, in this weird industrial park.
Just outside of Oakland Cemetery, there's a southwestern-style restaurant called Agave. I ate their once and had a dish of scallops over grits with collard greens. I don't know if that's really "southwestern" but, hey.... It was pretty good.
There are a couple of hipstery marketplaces with a lot of good, but expensive food. Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market are two big ones. You can Google them to see what restaurants are currently installed.
If you're into craft beer, Little Five Points has a bar called The Porter which has a very impressive selection. Something like 50 taps, and a huge bottle selection, including stuff that hasn't been made in years. They also have food, but I've never tried it. Also, Atlanta has a few pretty solid breweries. I'd recommend Orpheus, since they're the most unique (sour-oriented though).
Food (some personal favorites):
Go to Publix and get a sub
Zaxbys
Mary Macs
Sam's BBQ on Johnson's Ferry Road
Vortex (get there early)
Buttermilk Kitchen (get there early, it can be a long wait otherwise)
Entertainment:
Aquarium
Joystick
Battle & Brew (restaurant + video game bar)
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Walk around Little Five Points
Fernbank
Zoo Atlanta
Six Flags (if you like amusement parks)
Tour Oakland Cemetary
Suntrust Park for a Braves game (if you're going during baseball season)
Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a Falcons or United game
You don't want to drive between the hours of 6am-9am, 12pm-1pm, 3:30pm-7pm. It's better on the weekends, but be aware of the non-stop construction on the interstates, and plan alternate routes.
Take MARTA wherever you can do so.
Go to Publix and get a sub
Zaxbys
Mary Macs
Sam's BBQ on Johnson's Ferry Road
Vortex (get there early)
Buttermilk Kitchen (get there early, it can be a long wait otherwise)
Entertainment:
Aquarium
Joystick
Battle & Brew (restaurant + video game bar)
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Walk around Little Five Points
Fernbank
Zoo Atlanta
Six Flags (if you like amusement parks)
Tour Oakland Cemetary
Suntrust Park for a Braves game (if you're going during baseball season)
Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a Falcons or United game
You don't want to drive between the hours of 6am-9am, 12pm-1pm, 3:30pm-7pm. It's better on the weekends, but be aware of the non-stop construction on the interstates, and plan alternate routes.
Take MARTA wherever you can do so.
Here's a fun little combo I sometimes head to Atlanta to enjoy. (You'd need an Uber trip or something though.) Take a beer tour/taste testing at Red Brick Brewery. When you're finished walk over to Hankook Taqueria for Korean Tacos. The place looks like a little hole in the wall, but don't let that fool ya.
I've driven into Atlanta quite a few times just to do that little combo with friends.
I've driven into Atlanta quite a few times just to do that little combo with friends.
Great entries from those above. I'm always a sucker for the Aquarium myself, and United games are something to behold, especially if you go during the third ring 70k sell outs.
Probably too far out of the way for this trip, but a hidden gem would be the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
Probably too far out of the way for this trip, but a hidden gem would be the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
OP
OP
My girlfriend and I really enjoyed Oakland Cemetery. It's a Victorian-era cemetery that the city has turned into a park. It's beautiful, with lots of interesting graves and stories. It's also free to walk around, but it's worth paying to take a tour if one's available. They even have brewfests and stuff out there. There's a few notable people buried (Margaret Mitchell and Bobby Jones are two that I can think of right now) and lots of weird graves and mausoleums. There's a seafood place called Six Feet Under across the street which I've heard good things about.
For some other free stuff, you can just drive around and see some murals. There's a lot of good street art in Atlanta. Krog Street Tunnel is especially impressive.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is worth browsing for an hour or so. They have a pretty nice Jim Henson museum with lots of his puppets, sketches, and stuff on display. The "World of Puppetry" half of the museum is pretty bare bones and lifeless, but they have a couple of interesting pieces in there. They do puppet shows daily, but I haven't seen one yet. Supposedly their Halloween show is really good, but I think most of their other programming is very young children-oriented.
The botanical gardens are nice, but pretty pricey. The site says $21.95 for a ticket, but I could have swore that it was more when I went. Either way, it's probably the nicest garden I've been to.
Zoo Atlanta is a pretty solid zoo. They have pandas, and the gorilla and elephant enclosures give you a pretty good chance to see some up close.
For food:
The Vortex is sort of the go-to tourist restaurant. They have ludicrously oversized burgers with crazy toppings. Good luck finishing one. The one in Little Five Points is the famous one--with the giant skull for a door. The one in midtown has a comedy club attached to it called the Laughing Skull Lounge. My friends and I tend to agree that Grindhouse Burgers is actually a better restaurant overall, and there are several locations around the city; but The Vortex is worth going to for gimmick value alone. The owners also have a pretty good Americanized Mexican restaurant called The Bone Garden Cantina. If you go, get their elote. It's a tiny place, and very popular, so expect to have to wait around before getting a seat. It's also in the middle of nowhere, in this weird industrial park.
Just outside of Oakland Cemetery, there's a southwestern-style restaurant called Agave. I ate their once and had a dish of scallops over grits with collard greens. I don't know if that's really "southwestern" but, hey.... It was pretty good.
There are a couple of hipstery marketplaces with a lot of good, but expensive food. Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market are two big ones. You can Google them to see what restaurants are currently installed.
If you're into craft beer, Little Five Points has a bar called The Porter which has a very impressive selection. Something like 50 taps, and a huge bottle selection, including stuff that hasn't been made in years. They also have food, but I've never tried it. Also, Atlanta has a few pretty solid breweries. I'd recommend Orpheus, since they're the most unique (sour-oriented though).
The Botanical Garden looks really nice.
That video game-themed bar has me intrigued. I'll check out that Vortex restaurant.
I like Supermercado Chicago but those are good too (never been to the second one. El Trompo is the best in my area - Alpharetta John's Creek)
OP
OP
Unfortunately I think the MLS season will be over when I visit (probably November) and there's no Atlanta Thrashers anymore!Great entries from those above. I'm always a sucker for the Aquarium myself, and United games are something to behold, especially if you go during the third ring 70k sell outs.
Probably too far out of the way for this trip, but a hidden gem would be the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
WOAH that place in the second picture looks amazing!
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Nah. Taqueria Tsunami is the better of those type of places IMO.
If you're looking for burgers at some point, my favorite in the city is probably Yeah Burger, but there's a lot of good ones to find.
The day I moved to Atlanta was the day they announced the Thrashers departure. I remain rather salty about it.
Yeah the BAPS interior is beautiful. I only found that place because I lived nearby and barely saw it peaking over the trees on the way to the grocery. Hell of a stumble.
That is the field where we used to go when I was a kid in the 80's. It was a half mile through the woods from my childhood home.Great entries from those above. I'm always a sucker for the Aquarium myself, and United games are something to behold, especially if you go during the third ring 70k sell outs.
Probably too far out of the way for this trip, but a hidden gem would be the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
I notice you said "later this year." I don't know if you have a fixed date, but Dragon Con is on Labor Day weekend, and, at the very least, makes for good people watching.
Heard good things about El Trompo. Never been, but may need to change that
Posting so I find the suggestions again. Might be relevant to me later this year/beginning of next year.
Don't bother going to the CFB HOF. It's ridiculously boring. The CNN tower and coke world are pretty boring too but not quite as bad.
Among the things not listed in this thread; you absolutely have to go see an improv show at Dad's Garage. It's easily some of the most fun you'll have in the whole state.
Among the things not listed in this thread; you absolutely have to go see an improv show at Dad's Garage. It's easily some of the most fun you'll have in the whole state.
Depending on how much time you have (and if you have a car), I'd recommend driving a couple hours to go to Ruby Falls in Chattanooga Falls.
I went to Atlanta for a friend's wedding a little over a year ago and after a day and a half of adventuring in Atlanta, I wanted a change of view. Later in the day of one of the days I went to Lake Lanier, very pretty. And the next day, I went to Chattanooga. A really beautiful, waterfront town and Ruby Falls is atop Lookout Mountain which you can supposedly see like 3 other states? Idk, it was foggy as hell and I couldn't see much, but Ruby Falls was well worth the drive there.
I went to Atlanta for a friend's wedding a little over a year ago and after a day and a half of adventuring in Atlanta, I wanted a change of view. Later in the day of one of the days I went to Lake Lanier, very pretty. And the next day, I went to Chattanooga. A really beautiful, waterfront town and Ruby Falls is atop Lookout Mountain which you can supposedly see like 3 other states? Idk, it was foggy as hell and I couldn't see much, but Ruby Falls was well worth the drive there.
I went last May and all the touristy stuff looked horrendously boring to me. Definitely can't say I care enough about soda to drop $20+ on the world of coke. Downtown area was also surprisingly dead, even though I was there the same time as some comic convention (I think). That being said, you literally must try Cook Out if you haven't already
This isn't exclusive to Atlanta btw. I'm in LA and I live about 15 minutes from one of these too
Probably too far out of the way for this trip, but a hidden gem would be the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.
This isn't exclusive to Atlanta btw. I'm in LA and I live about 15 minutes from one of these too