A Weekend Guide To Atlanta, Georgia

Shop My Outfit:

A couple of weekends ago, Jake and I did a last minute road trip to Atlanta, Georgia. I had been to the Atlanta area many times, since my cousins grew up outside of Atlanta. I also went to a beautiful wedding in Atlanta a few years ago. Jake, on the other hand, had never been to Atlanta, so with it only being 2 hours away from Birmingham, it was a must for us. Atlanta has always been a place I love to visit and this trip definitely did not disappoint. There is so much to do and see in Atlanta, so I know we will be back soon.

Where To Stay: We stayed at an Airbnb in Buckhead, GA. Buckhead is just outside of downtown Atlanta and is a gorgeous upscale area. We decided to do an Airbnb instead of a hotel since it’s so much cheaper. We knew we wouldn’t be in our room much, so it was worth it. I thought saying in Buckhead was the perfect location because you’re just a short drive to downtown, which is where we spent the majority of our time.

Must-Do Activities:

Atlanta Botanical Garden’s “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights”: We almost didn’t go to this, but we are so glad we did. It is a bit pricy, but it’s worth every penny.  The whole botanical gardens were covered in gorgeous Christmas lights and there was so much to see. We saw everything from a poinsettia wall to a light show to toy train villages. Everything was done so well and I highly recommend it. We definitely felt like we got our money’s worth; there was so much to see. We easily spent a couple of hours there.  This is the perfect after dinner activity for a couple. They sold adult beverages and s’mores, which was amazing. The spiked hot chocolate was my favorite because it was a little chilly that night.

Ponce City Market: Another must do activity is visiting Ponce City Market. The market features everything from retail shops to a food hall to a roof top to a mini Christmas tree farm out front. This recent post here was shot at the tree farm. I highly recommend a trip to the roof top. We went on Sunday mid-afternoon and didn’t have a reservation. I would recommend getting a reservation for a Saturday though; it is a very popular place it appears. On the way up to the roof, the elevator operator shared the story of the building. It was an old Sears warehouse that had stood vacant for years. The creator of Ponce Market had a vision in a dream to restore the old warehouse and create it into such a unique spot. The roof top has a bar, restaurant, carnival style games, and a putt-putt course. Jake and I spent most of Sunday afternoon there and had a blast. You also get the most beautiful view of the Atlanta skyline in the background. That’s where these photos were taken. Next time we go to Atlanta we plan to spend all day there, starting with the food hall, then shopping, and then ending the night with a cocktail on the roof top.

Georgia Aquarium: I haven’t been to an aquarium in years. The Georgia Aquarium did not disappoint. Growing up, I was fascinated by animals. My mom still tells the story of me telling her that I wanted to be a (in my little kid voice) “lady ani-full doctor.” If you go to the aquarium you MUST see the dolphin show. I don’t recommend sitting in the first 10 rows unless you want to be soaked by the splashing dolphins! The aquarium is huge and had every sea creature you could think of. Although it was a bit pricy, it was worth it.

College Football Hall of Fame: Although this was not personally my favorite activity of the trip, Jake loved it. There is a football field where you can throw the football through the target or kick it through a full-size goalpost, and of course a giant wall with 4 enormous TVs that were showing games. We went there on a Saturday and so of course Jake had to hang out and watch the games for a while.

Where To Eat:

Barcelona Wine Bar: We first visited Barcelona in Nashville. When I heard they had one in Atlanta, we knew it was a must. This is a tapa style restaurant and is excellent. I highly recommend building your own wine flight, too.

Superica: This was also another recommendation that we were given and it was excellent. It is a Tex-Mex style restaurant and it blew us away. We went for brunch and both enjoyed the chilaquiles. Next time we’re in Atlanta we would love to eat there for dinner.

Yebo Ski Haus: This restaurant fuses South African flavors with American cuisine. In the winter it is called Yebo Ski Haus, while in the summer it is called Yebo Beach Haus. In addition to changing their name bi-yearly for the seasons, they also change their menu accordingly. This is another recommendation that we received and it was excellent. Their menu is very unique and, though Jake was hesitant to try it, we both ended up loving it. Our favorite part was the fondue. Jake had never had fondue and was very impressed.

Sun In My Belly: When doing research for our trip, I saw that this restaurant was recommended by Southern Living. I knew that meant it must be good, so we tried it. Be prepared to wait, but it’s so worth it. Jake and I both had the pimento cheese BLT with a fried egg added. It was absolutely excellent and a must do in Atlanta.

Tips:

City Pass: If you plan to visit several museums and places like the zoo/aquarium, strongly consider getting a City Pass. Many of the local attractions are included on the city pass and it can save you money. Sadly, the botanical gardens are not on the city pass.

Activities To Skip:

World of Coca Cola Museum: Jake and I were both very unimpressed with the Coke Museum. It was really crowded and cheesy in my opinion. Next time we go back to Atlanta, even if we have kids with us when we go, we will skip this. You did get to try Cokes from around the world, which was cool. Other than that, it was a waste of time.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History: Jake really wanted to visit Fernbank when he heard they had a dinosaur museum in Atlanta. The museum mostly features replicas of dinosaurs instead of real skeletons (skeletons made out of plaster casts of real dinosaur bones instead of the bones themselves), which was a disappointment. It was not worth it in our options.

Atlanta is the perfect weekend trip! There are so many things to do and it’s such a fun city. We plan to visit a lot since we’re so close. They have amazing shopping, which we didn’t really have time for. That will be something we do next time!

Follow: