Next up in our travel recaps, I’m taking a look at some of our favorite experiences from a recent trip to give you a list of some of the best Things To See & Do in Atlanta, GA. Keep reading and take a look at what he did during our time down South.
TAKE A STROLL THROUGH PIEDMONT PARK PARK
It’s always a good idea to see any city’s major park and Piedmont Park is Atlanta’s most visited green space. The park features multiple running and biking trails surrounding large fields, sports facilities and the lovely Lake Clara Meer. You can soak in the scenery, visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden or check out the Green Market. We took advantage of the park’s view of the Midtown skyline for a cute photo op.
DRINK A COKE
For the uninitiated, Atlanta is the home to the Coca-Cola headquarters. Subsequently, one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions is the World of Coke museum which is…well pretty self explanatory. The popularity of this place is sort of baffling to me. Are people that interested in Coke that they are willing to pay $16 to walk through a giant commercial? I don’t know, but to each his own I suppose. We did visit the gift shop while we were in town which had more Coke branded products than I could have ever imagined (literally… you can buy Coca-cola underwear, dog collars and even nail polish.) But even if the museum isn’t up your alley, you might as well grab a glass bottle Coke because you know the old saying “When in Atlanta…”
VISIT CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK
What another park? Yes another park, don’t question me! Centennial Olympic Park makes the short list of Atlanta sights thanks to it’s cool history. Previously populated with run down buildings and vacant lots, the park was actually constructed to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. Today you can check out a few neat tribute statues and see the city up high via the SkyView Ferris Wheel (which is okay but not a must in my opinion.) In the summer, the park really livens up with a ring of fountains for kids to cool off and a long list of music festivals and other events.
SEA GAZE AT THE AQUARIUM
Arguably Atlanta’s biggest tourist attraction is their giant ass aquarium. The Georgia Aquarium is the second largest aquarium in the world, only surpassed by the Marine Life Park which opened in Singapore in 2012. If seeing the fishies is your kinda thing then Atlanta is the place to go. I’ve been really slacking on returning to the Baltimore Aquarium for some time now so it was great to check out one of the biggest aquariums in the world while I was on vacation.
GET YOUR DRINK ON IN LITTLE 5 POINTS
Atlanta’s real draw is the food and drink scene. I’ll have a more detailed post about the great food & drink spots up soon but for the purpose of this list, I’ll recommend one of the best drinking neighborhoods we visited in Atlanta: Little 5 Points. L5P is Atlanta’s boho, hipster area with a lot of funky bars and trendy small shops. The Porter Beer Bar was my favorite stop – a narrow spot with ample seating that is home to over 800 beers and ciders! There is something for everyone in your party.
CHECK OUT PONCE MARKET IN THE OLD 4TH WARD
Another great Atlanta neighborhood (and they honestly have so many) is the Old 4th Ward which is home the the impressive Ponce City Market. Make sure you read my full write up of the market and see why you need to add it to your bucket list ASAP!
Have you ever been to Atlanta?
Make sure to comment with your own recommendations!
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27 Comments
This looks so fun! I have only been to the Atlanta airport haha. I hope to spend a weekend there sometime soon!
My biggest piece of advice for Atlanta is to pace yourself! There is a lot of great food there but I think it might all be designed to give you a heart attack. Crazy good food and too much of it!
What a fun trip. I’ve always wanted to visit Atlanta and it looks like there are a lot of different things to do!
Yeah I enjoyed the restaurant and nightlife scene the most but it seems like a city that always has some great events circulating around.
I’ve only been there once and it was years ago. That’s so interesting about Coke! Not sure that I would pay for admission, but a trip to the gift shop is a definite must. Hey, I’ve been to a banana museum. Coke sounds slightly better 😉. I look forward to reading the food/drink post next.
Hahah I don’t know… I do love me some bananas.
Thanks for reading, hopefully I’ll have my next ATL post out pronto.
Havent been to the states before but hopefully some day I will and atl will be on my list.
Definitely! Make sure you arrive hungry!
Coke was definitely the best. They have drinks from all over the world and the best coke I have ever had in the back of the tasting room.
I’ll take your word for it 😉
Fun read. When i first saw “drink a coke” on the list, i was like…eh?! took 20 secs to make the connection with atlanta ;-P
So the question remains (as emma above said) – does the coke really taste better in Atlanta?
I wouldn’t necessarily say it tastes better – but I suppose it’s a novelty of the city. Bottle coke is definitely the best though.
Well I definitely would be interested in checking out Centennial Olympic Park – big fan of the olympics, so to see the place built for the 100-year anniversary of the modern games would have worth seeing. I suppose having a Coca Cola is the quintessential experience too. Even if you can actually get them almost anywhere in the world, having one at the home of coke is a novel experience I’m sure 🙂
I think the Olympic Park would be great to visit during the summer – lots of festivals and fountains.
And yeah, the coke is just a novelty!
Atlanta sounds nice! I’m in the US for a couple of months so maybe I should take a trip to Atlanta… Thanks for sharing this!
I would definitely consider it! Lots of great food too
Atlanta sure quite a lot on offer. It is really intriguing that the Coke Museum attracts large crowds. Well the Coke company sure would be happy. The iconic brand name is possibly the magic wand that draws the crowds.I would love to stroll in the serene parks and visit the aquarium.
Yeah, I was surprised too. I just didn’t know the brand had so much of a draw.
This looks like a great local twist to visiting Atlanta. I heard their Aquarium is fantastic. This is great advice for my next chance to visit!
Glad you found some useful info. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve never been to Atlanta, but it sounds great! The Coke Museum sounded cool until you mentioned the entrance fee…no thanks. But I really want to get the aquarium! I’d die to snorkel with the whale sharks!!
The aquarium is a little pricey but if it’s your main tourist destination (as it was ours) it’s not too bad.
The same with Ashley-The Traveling Gals, I have only been to Atlanta airport. I have not been to Atlanta yet, but heard many beautiful place about this city. I will definitely try the coke while I am going there, Which flavor you recommend except the regular and diet ones?
Honestly, I’m just a regular coke kinda gal. I don’t really drink soda so when I do, the regular is sweet enough!
Looks really cool! World of coke must be pretty amazing to experience, love your photo of the aquarium!
Thanks! Glad you checked out the post.
It’s been awhile since I have been to Atlanta but it’s not that far from me. Pinning this!