Atlanta, GA

5+1 Tips and Tricks for a Weekend Vacay in Atlanta, GA

My very dear friends introduced my husband and I to a great comedian. In hearing about his 2017 tour, we were scouring the web for tickets. We found close seats for the least price in Atlanta, GA. We decided to bite the bullet, make a weekend of it during Presidents day weekend, and explore Atlanta. We drove from Miami to Atlanta and stayed with gracious hosts that were my friend's cousins. We had an amazing experience and I wanted to share some of the neat things you can do if you visit Atlanta for a couple of days. 

1. Top Golf: A mix of hanging out at the bar, lounging out on their outdoor deck eating and drinking, followed by hitting the golf balls as far as you can into circular targets for points along with eating and drinking. Atlanta is just one of the city’s where TopGolf is located, but if you have one near you, it’s a great experience for families with kids, friends for a night out, or a cool, different type of date. Be ready for long lines to obtain your player cards, but if you have someone in the group willing to get your cards, head over to the bar and have a drink while you wait. Closest one for my

Miami friends: Tampa.

2. BarTaco:  Talk about amazing tacos! It didn’t have to be Taco Tuesday for me to love the food and ambience at this trendy taco spot. $2.50 - $3.50 per taco for the deliciousness was more than favorable. I personally loved the pork belly taco. Hearing “fried oyster taco” may seem unappealing but was recommended by the waitress, and I was glad and surprised  that it actually was so yummy. The spicy chorizo was also a big hit, followed by churros with chocolate sauce to end the dinner with a sweet delight. For my Miami friends, the closest ones are in Orlando and Tampa.

3. Ponce City Market: Once known as the Sears building has been repurposed to a hipster food market with a bunch of shops, offices, apartments, and restaurants. I can appreciate a cool hipster scene from time to time, so if you want to take a stroll through an indoor marketplace, here’s the spot. One thing that I didn’t do, but would do next time, is to go to the top of the building (tickets for purchase needed to go into the large elevator) and see the view of the Atlanta skyline from the top.

4. The Beltline: Make sure you have your sneakers on for this one. From the Ponce City Market, you can walk along the beltline trail following an old railway system. It’s a 1.6 mile walk to Krog City Market. So if you park at one, remember you have to walk it back for a total of 3.2 mile walk in total. But if you stop to eat at the Krog City Market, you get a break in the middle of the walk, and honestly, the sites and art along the walk make it seamless. In February, the weather is great, the beltline was buzzing with walkers, families, bike riders, roller skaters, and dogs, and the scenery was very similar to the wall art of Wynwood. No doubt, you will see gentrification at its best with beautiful apartment complexes and luxury homes along the way.

5. Krog City Market: Once you’ve walked 1.6 miles from Ponce City Market and you’ve arrived at Krog city market, be sure to order a philly cheesesteak in Fed’s Meat and Bread. I ate the shrine shroom cheese steak, and my taste buds exploded with excitement. I was already pretty full since I had a dessert right before, but the half cheese steak was worth the fullness I felt after. The seasonings were so flavorful that I must relay the message that was given to me that this has got to be one of the best cheesesteaks ever. In a press release, it was claimed that Fred’s cheesesteak was better than any you’ll find in Philadelphia.  Now, I cannot compare since I’ve never had a cheesesteak in Philly, but Fred’s has outdone any that I’ve ever tried.

5+1 Cobb Energy Theater: For those in Miami who can compare, the Cobb Energy Theater was another Adrienne Arsht Center. It was grandiose, elegant, and sophisticated. I loved that we were going to see Sebastian Maniscalco. He is one of my favorite comedians. I’ve watched his specials on netflix and we were going to see his tour on his most recent special on showtime, “Why would you do that.” He was hilarious as usual, but I must admit, as a Miami native listening to a northerner comedian, I was all but rolling on the floor, as contrary to the southerners in the audience who didn’t take to kindly to his jokes regarding golfers and country clubs. I, on the other hand, was laughing and eating up every second of it, but Maniscalco changed the direction based on the majority, and I think I would have liked to be surrounded by a more open-minded lively crowd at his West Palm or Orlando show. He did this seamlessly, however, that joke was short lived and it didn’t help that the average age of the audience had to be around 70 years old. It was hard to find something to do in the area after the show ended at 10:30 pm. We did end up at Tilted Kilt, which was a great end to a great night. And no, Home Depot is not something to do after LOL (for those who attended the show)

I would love to hear about what you did on your trip in Atlanta! Please comment below and please subscribe to this blog for this and many other travel/experience tips and tricks!