Atlanta!
Decatur Square
Stay a while! There is tons to do in Decatur Square. Visit Victory Sandwich, the location of our first date & try the frozen whiskey coke. Eat ice cream at Jeni's and at Butter & Cream to help us settle the debate on which is better. Shop at Little House of Stories for a book for your journey home. Join us at Brick Store Pub (just named a top 10 Beer Bar in the Country by USA Today) at the Beer Garden outside or the Belgian section upstairs. ~~Travel: Walk~~
Decatur Location: Eddie's Attic
Small concert venue with listening room- we added the lineup for the weekend if you're interested in a Thursday/Friday/Sunday show. This weekend: Angie Aparo Canon Tyler and Hunter Blalock & Tim Moore Clay Cook Sarah Potenza Canyon Ladies Travel: Walk Cost: $10- $20 for a show, free to get into the bar
Decatur Square Clue Town
Pick up a "clue town" book at Homegrown Decatur and complete a Decatur themed scavenger hunt. Link below. ~~Travel: Walk~~ ~~Cost: $18~~
Hiking!
If you get here a little early or are driving, you may have a chance to stop at one of our favorite trails on the way in or out. Here are a few Boots & Misty approved recommendations: Sawnee Mountain Tallulah Gorge Sliding Rock Trail Cloudland Canyon Family Friendly: Arabia Mountain, Sweetwater Creek - both close to the city If you have so much time for some reason or are coming from the west: Providence Canyon State Park is one of the most beautiful places and we would highly recommend! ~~Travel: Pretty much have to drive for this one~~
Atlanta Jazz Festival at Piedmont Park
Atlanta Jazz Festival is regarded as one of the largest FREE jazz festivals in the country. An annual celebration of the music, culture and art of jazz begins in April and culminates each Memorial Day weekend, with an outdoor festival featuring jazz artists from all over the world. The mission of the Atlanta Jazz Festival is to expose and entertain a diverse audience of Jazz aficionados, young Jazz enthusiasts and aspiring musicians to the rich heritage and variety of Jazz as an authentic form of American music. ~~Cost: Free~~ ~~Travel: MARTA- hop on a westbound train from Decatur station and get off at the Midtown stop~~
Atlanta: Oakland Cemetery
Oakland Cemetery, a 48-acre public park, is the final resting place for more than 70,000 souls and one of the city’s oldest public parks. Established in 1850 with just six acres near downtown Atlanta, it’s grown over the years and now includes miles of walking trails spread among the headstones, decorative sculptures, and mausoleums. Some of the most popular graves here include golfer Bobby Jones (co-founder of the Masters Tournament and the first golfer to win golf’s Grand Slam), and Maynard Jackson (Atlanta’s first first African-American mayor, and namesake of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ). Boots and Nora used to live in the neighborhood across the street, so spent many walks here! While you are here, stop by one of Mike's favorite restaurant Six Feet Under for some delicious rooftop crab. ~~Cost: Free~~ ~~Travel: MARTA to King Memorial ~~
Atlanta: Sweet Auburn Curb Market
Best food hall in Atlanta! Rich in history and in food, the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, or Municipal Market has been recently ranked by USA Today as the 16th Best food market around the world, but we know it’s #1. It is well-known as the largest soul food market in the world and includes many international options. Check out the History here: https://sites.gsu.edu/historyofourstreets/2015/11/06/the-sweet-auburn-curb-market/ You may want to combine a stop here with a visit to the MLK Jr. Historic Site. See more on that below. ~~Cost: Free entrance~~ ~~Travel: MARTA to Georgia State station and short walk past Grady Hospital~~
Atlanta: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
Hear MLK's story, visit the home of his birth, and where he played as a child. Walk in his footsteps, and visit the church where he moved hearts and minds. Marvel at how he was an instrument for social change. ~~Cost: Free ~~ ~~Travel: Unfortunately, the park is not close to a MARTA stop. It covers a fairly good sized neighborhood, so recommend uber and comfortable walking shoes. More below ~~ Patty's Travel Tip: Your best bet is early in the day uber for sure. Start out at the Visitor Center where you will be able to pick up maps, as well as the latest information on the park. If you plan a stop at Sweet Auburn for a late lunch, you can walk over to the Georgia State MARTA stop from there, or uber back to Decatur as long as you make sure to avoid rush hour!
Atlanta: Sports!
The Braves are on a travel weekend, but if you’re interested in staying an extra day or two, they are back in town against the Nationals on Monday. Atlanta United plays Saturday night but we think you may have something to do that night already... (:
Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail
What started as an idea for a Georgia Tech graduate thesis has become one of Atlanta’s best-loved outdoor attractions. Atlanta was once called “Terminus” because of the railroads that converged in the city before the Civil War, and this project repurposes the historic 22-mile railway loop around the downtown area into a multi-use paved path lined with native plants and art installations. While only the Northside Trail, Westside Trail, Eastside Trail, and West End Trail are fully complete, the other sections are hike-able. When it’s finished (estimates say 2030) it will connect 45 in-town neighborhoods, include 33 miles of multi-use trails and 2,000 acres of parks, and become one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States. It is dotted with breweries, public art, and beautiful parks. ~~Cost: Free~~ ~~Travel: Accessible via a few MARTA stops, or uber/drive and park, at a brewery and walk. Eastside Trail & Beltline map below.
Atlatna: National Center for Civil and Human Rights
This downtown attraction, opened in 2014, celebrates the American Civil Rights Movement and the global Human Rights Movement. The airy, modern building was designed to inspire positive action with lofty architectural elements like a clear glass front and two bold, curved walls. Conceived by design firms HOK and Perkins+Will, the architects in charge said they were inspired by Washington, D.C.’s National Mall, Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Inside, the museum includes three levels of galleries and event halls: A walk through the exhibit on American Civil Rights starts in the 1950s, illustrating the impact of Jim Crow laws and legalized racism on America. It explores communities' fights for equality, and raises questions about the systems Americans have yet to challenge. ~~Cost: $16 - $20 each~~ ~~Travel: Though accessible via the MARTA blue line, this museum is about a mile from the closest station, so may be worth it to uber or drive. Up to you!~~
Midtown Atlanta
Bars, Brunch and lots more! ~~Travel: MARTA- hop on a westbound train from Decatur station and get off at the Midtown stop ~~
Your DeKalb Farmers Market
Way cooler than it sounds. Our vast selection of exotic and ethnic fruit and vegetables brings the world together. Breads, cakes, cookies and pastries are made fresh on site each day. Find more than 400 different varieties of cheeses from Switzerland to Uruguay, organic dairy products and fresh cage free eggs, as well as a plentiful selection of soy-based dairy alternatives. The Pastry Shoppe includes fresh vegetable and fruit juices, fruit smoothies, fresh roasted coffees from around the world and freshly made tea. Eat at our restaurant and enjoy freshly prepared foods with heavy emphasis on fresh vegetables. Daily specials included baked or fried fish, meat, chicken stews and many vegetarian dishes. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ~~Travel: 10 minute Drive/Uber from the hotel~~ ~~Cost: Free ~~ **Bring cash or debit card to buy food (:
Buford highway: Food, Karaoke and more
If “Atlanta is the cultural capital of the New South," as Marian Liou, founder of We Love BuHi, is fond of saying, then "Buford Highway is its multicultural heart.” Along this bustling street, you’ll find every manner of international cuisine, including Vietnamese, Peruvian, Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, Cuban, and Mexican. If you find yourself craving something else from an equally far-flung part of the world, just take a drive; Bangladeshi at Panahar, some of Atlanta's best sushi at Sushi Hayakawa, and Korean at Sokongdong Tofu House are all within striking distance. Rent a karaoke room for a group at Let's Go Karaoke like we did here or just explore! Linked below is a directory of some of the food and entertainment options. ~~Cost: Variable~~ ~~Travel: Car or uber required for this one, unfortunately~~
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Piedmont Park, it’s easy to see why this 30-acre oasis in the heart of Midtown welcomes more than half a million visitors each year. In addition to being a serene place for a stroll, ABG leads a number of nationally recognized conservation efforts, including the Orchid Conservation Institute, the Conservation Greenhouse for endangered plants, and a program to save rare frogs, so there’s an educational element here too. Buy tickets ahead of time! This is in the same park as the Atlanta Jazz Festival happening this weekend so advance tickets may sell out early. ~~Cost: Free for kids under 3, $25-$30 for adults~~ ~~Travel: MARTA- hop on a westbound train from Decatur station and get off at the Midtown stop ~~
Atlanta History Center
One of Atlanta's best museums, the Atlanta History Center was originally founded in 1926 by a group of Atlantans dedicated to preserving their city's history. The Center, as we know it today, came to fruition in the 1990s as a way of highlighting the political and cultural history of Atlanta and the surrounding region. Unsurprisingly, there's an impressive collection of Civil War art and artifacts here (including Cyclorama: The Big Picture, a painting that measures 49-feet tall by 371-feet long), along with written commentary on the Native American history of Georgia and lighter, more pop-culture-adjacent topics like Folk Art. The 33-acre campus of historic homes, exhibitions, and archives is unto itself a treat, especially the epic Swan House, former home to one of the wealthiest families in Georgia. ~~Cost: $10-$24 per person~~ ~~Travel: Drive/Uber~~
High Museum of Art
The High is one of the biggest and best museums in the Southeast, the kind of place Yayoi Kusama might bring her Infinity Mirrors, alongside a permanent collection of some 17,000 works. The campus stands out in Midtown, Atlanta's arts district, with buildings by bold-faced names like Renzo Piano and Richard Meier. Inside, you'll find a bit of everything: photography; decorative arts; classic European and American works; photographs by Dawoud Bey. It's a day well spent. You won’t want to miss the newest collection, given to the museum in 2019. The Doris and Shouky Shaheen Collection, displayed in a gallery named in the couple’s honor, includes works from legendary artists such as Eugène Boudin, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Amedeo Modigliani, and Henri Matisse. There are often traveling collections to check out as well! ~~Cost: $18.50~~ ~~Travel: MARTA to Arts Station~~