Atlanta Vacations Tips Thread

[Double L]

If I visit Atlanta, what should my priorities be to visit? What sites are best for somebody looking for city focused attractions? What is the best hotel to stay at? What are the best ways to save money and make my vacation cost-efficient? What are the most popular attractions? Have you showed anybody a tour of Atlanta? What did they like the most and what would you show people who visited here?

[Julien]

A MUST tourist stop is Centennial Olympic Park. There is several attractions and here are a few off the top of my head:

Georgia Aquarium
World Of Coca Cola
College Football Hall of Fame
CNN HQ
National Center for Civil and Human Rights museum
SkyView Atlanta 20-story high Ferris wheel

[cabasse]

for the less touristy stuff, other than O4W/PCM, i'd say:
- ponce city market and the beltline east side trail
- piedmont park (easy walking distance from PCM)
- auburn/edgewood
- downtown decatur
- buckhead village

and maybe finish up around howell mill/14th. antico pizza is nearby which is some of the most authentic neopolitan pizza anywhere.

[Tuckerman]

To really answer your question one would need to know something about what you like to see in cities. Over the past 30+ years we have had many houseguests from the US and many from overseas. What to show them depends a lot on what they are interested in. If you are from Houston I might presume you would like to see things that are not so common in Houston. For example, Houston has, IMO, more and better art museums, so you might not be interested in ours – unless you art an art lover – in which case you probably would enjoy the High Museum and the Michael Carlos museum. Of course the Ga Aquarium is pretty unique and is probably a must. Also, for an overview of the city and its history, the History Center is excellent. And obviously, there is a rich history of the civil rights movement if interested. Hotels are all over and depend on taste and budget. Probably midtown hotels are best and there is a wide variety.

[Labtec]

Back in October, I had a friend visit Atlanta. Day 1: went to Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia Aquarium, and World of Coke. Took Marta to Buckhead, ate at Maggiano's, and walked to Buckhead village. Day 2: went to Piedmont Park, walked down the east beltline to Ponce City Market (ate ramen and went to the roof) then walked down to Krog Street market (ate pizza and jeni's ice cream), then walked to Krog Street Tunnel and nearby wall, seeing all the graffiti/urban art. Day 3: went to Stone Mountain, hiked up and down, then hit up some Korean spots in Duluth and Suwanee. The other days went random places around Midtown and Downtown like Intermezzo and Momonoki.

[Double L]

I currently plan to spend two full days in Atlanta. We plan to spend the first morning visiting the Martin Luther King historic site, then do as we feel around Downtown and Midtown. Then, the second day, we will visit Olympic Centennial Park with a City Pass, then explore Downtown/Midtown with our remaining time. I want to see Atlantas urban neighborhoods and learn what they are like and I want to see the hip side of Atlanta. I saw some videos of Downtown/Midtown on YouTube that looked really cool.

[testarossa50]

On the first day from the MLK area, you should head east to the Eastside trail (all walkable) and then head north along the Beltline. That’s the more happening area these days, and you can make your way up to Piedmont Park/Midtown on your own time.

[Nanosolar]

Oakland Cemetery
Carter Center
Atlanta History Center
Downtown Decatur
Sweet Auburn Market
Beltline East Side Trail
Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Day trip to Little White House

[Street Advocate]

Rent a Lime ebike and ride the the east side trail on the morning before it gets too busy! Ride some side streets and just check out the homes, too, like in Virginia Highland and Inman Park.

Visit EAV & Castleberry Hill if you prefer places less “stale”. Howell Mill & Buckhead Village District if you prefer posh. Seek out commercial districts in the single family neighborhoods if you want more local/chill.

[atlwarrior]

Great cluster of hotels in downtown, midtown, and Buckhead. All are near Marta stations, in case you need to take the train to and from the airport.

[PHX31]

I have no idea where to post this question, but just figured this thread would be the closest or best bet...

My wife and I (and two boys 7 and 5) are taking a trip to Savannah and then Hilton Head, SC for 9 days in late June. Does anyone have any highlights or things to do; or conversely, things/areas to avoid in Savannah?

Also, does anyone know of any quick day trips (~1 to 2 hours from Hilton Head) within South Carolina? I feel like we can easily figure out "touristy" or "beachy" things to do, but I really want to find an off-the-beaten-path area to check out. I'm talking like a small town that maybe has a mom-and-pop restaurant or watering hole to check out. Even some sort of novelty or road-side attraction like "the worlds largest porch swing" or something would be fun for us.

I've been to Atlanta and Athens briefly about 13 years ago, but I've basically never been anywhere in the southeastern US. I know nearly nothing about it.

thanks

[PhunkyPho]

It's not SC but you have to eat here: https://www.thecrabshack.com

[lux]

Originally Posted by PHX31

I have no idea where to post this question, but just figured this thread would be the closest or best bet...

My wife and I (and two boys 7 and 5) are taking a trip to Savannah and then Hilton Head, SC for 9 days in late June. Does anyone have any highlights or things to do; or conversely, things/areas to avoid in Savannah?

Also, does anyone know of any quick day trips (~1 to 2 hours from Hilton Head) within South Carolina? I feel like we can easily figure out "touristy" or "beachy" things to do, but I really want to find an off-the-beaten-path area to check out. I'm talking like a small town that maybe has a mom-and-pop restaurant or watering hole to check out. Even some sort of novelty or road-side attraction like "the worlds largest porch swing" or something would be fun for us.

I've been to Atlanta and Athens briefly about 13 years ago, but I've basically never been anywhere in the southeastern US. I know nearly nothing about it.

thanks

Hey, I don't know much about Savannah, but I do know a lot about the Hilton Head area. I have gone down there my entire life and this would be my recommendation for a day trip that is less than an hour from Hilton Head:

• from Hilton Head, drive to Beaufort, SC
• Spend some time walking on the beautiful side streets and eat lunch on Bay street. You could schedule a tour of the history there if you're into that.
• From Beaufort, drive down to Hunting Island and on the way there, consider stopping at Barefoot Bubba's on St Helena. Slightly gimmicky as it is, I loved, loved it when I was 5-7 years old.
• And they have free ice cream, but last I checked was pre-inflation spike so YMMV
• then, spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Hunting Island and chilling on the beautiful beach there. It's a state park and is stunning. It also has a boardwalk that extends far into the marsh, and a historic lighthouse you can walk up.
• Try to catch the sunset on the marsh as you are leaving. Maybe grab dinner in Beaufort on the way out.

In my book, that's a perfect day! If you look on a map, all these places are on the same road, and as the day progresses you just make your way down that road.

[PHX31]

/\ Thank you for the suggestions, my wife just told me she heard about Beaufort from someone at her work yesterday as well...

Hunting Island with the boardwalk on the marsh and lighthouse sounds great and exactly the type of things I want to check out.

Thanks again