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Atlanta

It’s been called Terminus and Marthasville, but we now know it as Atlanta. It was burned to the ground during the Civil War but notoriously rose from the ashes like the “resurgens” that has become the city’s motto. Atlanta was an important city during the Civil Rights Movement and the site of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The music scene here slowly developed and has become home to hip-hop and rap record labels like So So Def Recordings, and it has now grown to include all genres. Today Atlanta is headquarters to countless companies including Delta, Coca Cola, Turner Broadcasting, and Equifax.

ATLANTA - AUGUST 5: Children play at Centennial Olympic Park August 5, 2014 in Atlanta, GA. The park commemorates the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Photo By f11photo/shutterstock

Overview

When’s the best time to go to Atlanta?

Atlanta is known for humid summers and mild winters, so fall and spring are the best times to visit. During both seasons, there are plenty of events and music festivals around town.

How to get around Atlanta

From Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, you can take the Red or Gold MARTA train lines into the center of town. Alternatively, you can take a taxi for around $30.

If you’ll be taking public transportation, purchase a Breeze card, a reusable card that you can add money to. But public transportation leaves a lot to be desired, so it’s likely you’ll need a car unless you plan on staying within a certain neighborhood. Parts of the city are very walkable, but use caution at crosswalks. Atlanta isn’t the most cab-friendly city, so if you’ll be taking taxis, look up a few cab numbers before you leave or download the Uber app for free on your smartphone.

Can’t miss things to do in Atlanta

Head over to the Starlight Six Drive-In for one of the few remaining drive-in movie experiences. Bring some snacks and a few friends.

Food and drink to try in Atlanta

Atlanta may not have its own signature dish, but the city excels in award-winning Southern restaurants. The city’s chefs have received countless awards and recognition over the last few years.

Culture in Atlanta

Buckhead once was art gallery central, and while some art remains, it’s been largely replaced by bars, restaurants, and boutiques. It is, however, still a good place to catch a live music act. For more culture, visit the High Museum of Art, with one of the best collections in the southeast. See a play at the Alliance Theatre. Or attend a performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Also, try to catch an open-mike night to see who the “next big thing” might be in the city’s music industry.

Springtime is the season of festivals, but the most popular is the Dogwood Festival, which draws food and arts vendors to Piedmont Park. The Peachtree Road Race is the city’s largest event, with thousands of runners participating every Fourth of July. And food is the main event at the Taste of Atlanta and the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival.

Local travel tips for Atlanta

Explore more than just downtown. While there is plenty to see ITP (“Inside the Perimeter”), check out unique neighborhoods and experiences outside the perimeter, like the Buford Highway, Decatur, and historic Marietta. But don’t get on any major roadway between 3:30 and 7 pm unless you want to be sitting in your car.

Guide Editor

Caroline Eubanks is a freelance writer with a focus on travel, particularly in the Southern United States.

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RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN YOUR TRIP
Skyline Park
Located atop the former Sears building, Ponce City Market’s Skyline Park is a nod to the amusement park that once stood nearby. Take the elevator to the roof for the best views of the city, which you can enjoy while racing down the Skyline Slide, playing a round of mini golf, or hanging in the beer garden. During the winter months, the park even transforms its private event space into a winter wonderland, complete with an ice skating rink, seasonal treats, and festive decor.
April 20, 2021 04:57 PM
 · 
Caroline Eubanks
Gunshow
After helming Woodfire Grill, starring on Top Chef, and writing his first cookbook (which was nominated for a James Beard Award), chef Kevin Gillespie opened Gunshow in 2013. He named the spot after a Sunday tradition with his father but created an entirely unique concept for the menu, combining elements of Chinese dim sum and Brazilian churrascaria. Here, diners pair small plates like Japanese bacon-and-shrimp pancakes, Caribbean red snapper crudo, and Southern-style banana pudding with quirky cocktails, made with ingredients like asparagus vodka and shishito syrup. Popular with locals, Gunshow is also a favorite of celebrities, so make a reservation to avoid waiting.
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Staplehouse
Named 2016’s best new restaurant in America by Bon Appétit, Staplehouse is still Atlanta’s hardest reservation to score. Husband-and-wife team Ryan and Jen Hidinger dreamed up the restaurant after a series of successful supper clubs, which they hosted in their own home. Before they could open, however, Ryan was diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder cancer. Atlanta’s restaurant community rallied around the couple, raising money for Ryan’s treatments and eventually founding the Giving Kitchen charity. Eventually, the Hidingers leased a space and brought in Ryan’s sister Kara and her boyfriend, Ryan Smith, to run the restaurant. Ryan passed away in 2014 but his legacy lives on at Staplehouse, where Jen now serves as the business manager. While Ryan’s story is at the heart of the restaurant—a portion of the proceeds goes toward his charity—it’s Smith’s seasonally inspired menu that has kept Staplehouse on top.
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Mary Mac’s Tea Room
If you ask anyone who’s visited Atlanta for restaurant recommendations, they’ll almost certainly suggest Mary Mac’s Tea Room. While the spot is a favorite of tourists—and celebrities, for that matter—it’s also a classic American eatery that locals frequent for special occasions. The space itself is sprawling, covering dozens of rooms and feeling much like a teahouse—although the only tea you’ll be drinking here is sweet and cold. The menu has remained relatively unchanged since Mary Mac’s opened in 1945 and includes hearty portions of fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, and Georgia peach cobbler. Go with a group, order several items to share, and don’t be alarmed when goodwill ambassador Jo Carter comes by your table to rub your shoulders. It’s all part of the experience here.
April 20, 2021 04:55 PM
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Twelve Midtown
With soaring 10-foot ceilings and sprawling 700- to 1,200-square-foot configurations, the one- and two-bedroom accommodations at Twelve Midtown are more like modern apartments than hotel rooms. Each features a contemporary neutral-hued color scheme and comes with a full kitchen outfitted with stainless-steel appliances, plus separate dining and living rooms to encourage living like a local. But a few hotel perks made the cut, including a Starbucks in the lobby, a seasonal rooftop pool, and a full-service, 24-hour concierge desk to help you make the most of your visit—this is vacation, after all. There’s also an all-day restaurant serving classic Italian fare, including pizzas, pastas, and vegetable-forward antipasto.
April 20, 2021 04:11 PM
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The Georgian Terrace
There are few more storied lodgings in Atlanta—perhaps the South in general—than the Georgian Terrace. Opened in 1911, the grand dame hotel has hosted the likes of Calvin Coolidge, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Walt Disney and was the site of the premiere of Gone with the Wind in 1939. Though the landmark Beaux-Arts building’s opulent crystal chandeliers, marble columns, and detailed molding recall a bygone era, modern appointments bring the property into the present: Recently renovated rooms are outfitted with pillow-top mattresses, eco-friendly toiletries, and free Wi-Fi. While the neighborhood has plenty to offer, you could feasibly never leave the grounds. A rooftop pool provides cool comfort from the city’s oppressive heat, and guests can choose between an elegant New Southern restaurant and speakeasy-style lounge come dinnertime.
April 20, 2021 04:11 PM
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The Inn at Serenbe
Located just 25 minutes southwest of Atlanta’s international airport, the Inn at Serenbe feels like a world away. Spread across 40 acres, the bucolic retreat makes the most of its natural surroundings with an organic farm, a croquet lawn, and a serene stone labyrinth, plus two swimming pools, miles of forested trails, and three restaurants that incorporate farm-grown produce. Individually decorated guest rooms in the property’s three houses and three cottages display local art and heirlooms, as well as cozy amenities like Jacuzzi tubs, fireplaces, and cushioned window seats ideal for curling up with a book—that is, if you can manage to find the time between horseback riding excursions, hayrides, farm tours, and spa services. In the evenings, a bonfire provides just enough romantic light to help you make picture-perfect s’mores.
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Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta
Southern charm and Asian aesthetics meld seamlessly at the Mandarin Oriental, located on 15 floors of a high-rise building in the tony boutique-filled Buckhead neighborhood. Beyond a striking marble lobby, the 127 rooms feel like home—albeit a luxurious one—thanks to interiors by renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern. Plush carpets, large working desks, velvet-upholstered armchairs, and high definition LED televisions join bathrooms finished in black-and-white marble, with twin vanities, sunken tubs, and Atelier Cologne bath products. Whether you want to swim laps in the 60-foot swimming pool or simply unwind in the private English garden, the hotel is like a cocoon from the outside world; guests of the spa are welcomed with seasonal tea and an o-shibori, a Japanese steamed towel, before indulging in their massages and facials. But should you need to leave the bubble, the shops in Lenox Square are walking distance from the hotel, and free car service is available to take you within a two-mile radius.
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The St. Regis Atlanta
If your dream vacation involves the ultimate in luxury, the St. Regis should be at the top of your list. The 151 rooms feature hand-crafted chandeliers, original artwork, and macassar ebony furnishings, as well as Italian marble bathrooms that have soaking tubs and TVs hidden in the mirror. But the real draw is the service: All guests have access to the butler desk, which can fulfill requests both big and small, from unpacking your suitcase to delivering the morning newspaper, and designated pool chamberlains mist guests with Evian and deliver frozen-fruit skewers and coconut water at the 40,000-square-foot Pool Piazza, complete with red-striped chaises and waterside bar. While the promise of massages in the Remède Spa and afternoon tea in the English-style Astor Court make it hard to leave the resort-like premises, the hotel’s location a five-minute walk from the Buckhead shopping complex may sway you. And if you need help hauling your spoils to your room, remember there’s a butler waiting just around the corner.
April 20, 2021 04:11 PM
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Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
Modern luxury meets southern hospitality at the Four Seasons Hotel, where the emphasis on service means no detail is too small. Have your loafers born the brunt of marathon city tours? The hotel provides free overnight shoe shines. Want to impress the little ones? Family-friendly touches such as a mini check-in desk, kid-sized robes, and sponge letters arranged around the bathtub to spell out children’s names won’t disappoint. No one would fault you for hunkering down in your plush neutral-hued room, which couples a marble bathroom, complete with deep soaking tub, separate shower, and C.O. Bigelow products, with sweeping views of Midtown, plus one sweet feature: chocolate-chip cookie delivery before bedtime. But there’s plenty of motivation to venture out, including a spa with an interactive aroma bar, a moody gray lounge inspired by beloved Wes Anderson character Margot Tennenbaum, and Park 75, a seasonal restaurant that utilizes ingredients pulled straight from the hotel’s terrace garden.
April 20, 2021 04:11 PM
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Lara Takenaga
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