Green Spaces, Museums, and a Diverse Dining Scene

More of Our Favorite Atlanta Hotels

One of the greatest treasures of a city known for its greenery, this 30-acre collection of display gardens, woodlands, orchids, and endangered tropical and desert plants, is a year-round destination. Seasonal displays like Alice’s Wonderland play host to adults-only nighttime social events, while daytime demonstrations cater to all ages. (atlantabg.org).

A few decades ago, Atlanta’s Beltline was simply miles of retired rail lines. Today, it’s a 22-mile path flanked by outdoor exhibits, commissioned street art, eye-catching sculptures, connected parks, restaurants, food halls, and shops. Walk the Main Loop and Eastside Trails to experience urban development history in the making (completion is projected for 2030).

Book the Beltline Food, Street Art, and History Walking Tour via GetYourGuide

The Battery Atlanta is a whole leisure district built around Truist Stadium, where the Atlanta Braves play. Located on the city’s infamous circular border, The Perimeter, it’s a popular gathering spot for Atlantans from either side of I-285 whether there’s a game or not. A well-marked mile-and-a-half loop circles the area as part of the Cumberland Trails collection (cumberlandtrails.org), but it’s easy to while away an afternoon shopping or strolling.

Book the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park Guided Tour via GetYourGuide

Photography courtesy of Garden & Gun Club

There are plenty of places to eat and snack at The Battery, but this restaurant and cocktail bar by its titular publication is a lifestyle experience. Regional ingredients such as Carolina Gold rice, and distinctly Southern dishes like truffled deviled eggs with fried oyster and shrimp and grits complement a long list of bourbon, rye, and Tennessee whiskey available by the pour.

Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.

Catch a ride ten minutes north to Marietta Square, a blocks-long literal square built around Glover Park, its bandstand, and fountain. An antiques mall, modern food hall, boutiques, and multiple breweries and locally owned restaurants flourish around the well-preserved theater, old train depot, and historic antebellum homes.

For a deeper dive, there’s the eclectic Marietta History Center at Kennesaw House on the rail tracks (mariettahistory.org). Within are exhibits on local Native American culture, gold mining, life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a civil war military gallery.

Next up is a self-guided M2R TrailFest Arts Tour, which spans two miles of the Mountain to River Trail and surrounding public spaces (m2rtrailfest.com). It’s easiest to start with the murals that color downtown Marietta and continue to a fence gallery, bridge installations, and soon, a sculpture series. You might end at The Third Door, with a M2R Trailfest mural painted behind a rough stage, a mini camper and camper bar parked on the patio before it, and clever craft cocktails served from the bar (thethirddoor.net).

Photography courtesy of Spring

No decision paralysis at this tiny stunner. Minimal selections by chef Brian So and sommelier Daniel Crawford are guided by local farmers and artisans, resulting in no more than three entrée options at a time and five starters at most. Only the season’s finest ingredients make it to the menu, such as wild Belon oysters, foie gras as a parfait with strawberry vinegar gelee, or garganelli with garlic cream, fava beans, and morels.

This 1935-era movie theater was lovingly restored with the addition of a speakeasy-style piano bar and cocktail lounge that has made it a campy retro favorite. Expect movie showings, concerts, and the less expected like entertainment competitions (earlsmithstrand.org).

Grab a coffee and pastry from Little Tart Bakeshop in Grant Park (littletartatl.com) and cross the street to Atlanta’s oldest public park, which also happens to be a cemetery. Its 48 acres feature gorgeous gardens and ancient trees, beneath which sculptures and architecture are displayed. Runners, dog walkers, and picnickers find peace among the passed and present denizens, while families embark on official scavenger hunts. Check the Oakland Cemetery events schedule for markets, drinking history tours, and more (oaklandcemetery.com).

Part of the Woodruff Arts Center in the arts district of Midtown Atlanta, the stunning High Museum of Art is the largest for visual art in the Southeast, with over 20,000 works are on regular display. Browse the schedule for art classes, mindfulness workshops, sensory-friendly events, and jazz evenings; tickets allow same-day re-entry (high.org).

Center for Puppetry Arts honors icons of our childhood, from Sesame Street to Doctor Seuss to Muppets, but proves that puppets aren’t just for kids. In operation since 1978, it remains one of the most unique attractions in the city, offering shows for children and adults (like Xperimental Puppetry Theater), workshops (storytelling techniques and directing for film), and special exhibitions, such as one about Jim Henson (puppet.org).

Every aspect of design is cause for celebration at the Museum of Design Atlanta, created in 1989 to honor creative thought that impacts the world we live in. Architecture, graphic design, textile arts, typography, musical instruments, have all been focal points. Even the design of pasta—a theme anyone can get behind—was a past feature (museumofdesign.org).

Photography courtesy of Auburn Angel

Once a barbecue joint in MLK’s stomping grounds, this posh, jewel-toned dining room tells the story of where this community has been and where it’s going, as does the menu. For lunch, there are lump crab beignets with corn succotash emulsion, a chicken taco set with braised jerk birria, and a loaded Ceasar Tower that turns the traditional dressing on its head with hits of tangy citrus and onion.

Join tourists from the world over who come to walk in the civil rights leader’s footsteps, from the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he co-pastored to the firehouse that changed his life and other buildings in the Sweet Auburn district. With free visitor center and park admission, exhibits, and a self-guided tour, this experience is a must (nps.gov/malu).

Hosting the Olympic Games in 1996 spurred Atlanta to revitalize its downtown district, and the resulting Centennial Olympic Park celebrates with every spray of water at the Fountain of Rings (gwcca.org). This 22-acre greenspace is relaxing to stroll and even better during Family Fun Days, holiday celebrations, and concerts. Plus, true to its name, the All Children’s Playground is designed with wheelchair-friendly swings, a multisensory roller slide, skid-resistant rubber surfaces, and more inclusive features.

Walk a few minutes further and you’ll reach a playground for marine life – the Georgia Aquarium, America’s largest. Seven enormous galleries at reveal life underwater, from whale sharks and beluga whales to otters and swamp gators, as well as the wonders of coastal birds (georgiaaquarium.org).