Atlanta, Georgia: What To Do, Eat, & See

Jenn's Atlanta Trip
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Jenn: Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. I am Jenn, joined as always by my partner in podcasting, Meggan. How are you today, Meggan?

Meggan: I am good. It did get dark around four, I felt like, today and that was, that was sad. Um, but, but other than that, I mean, things are moving along, you know, mostly fine.

Jenn: Yay! So, I was really excited to visit Atlanta at the end of October. So that is what we're talking about today. It was a new city for me to visit. I had never been to Atlanta before, and I was meeting a dear friend for the first time in person. Although we had been long distance friends for like eight years. But, uh, yeah, so that was, it was like very interesting

Meggan: You love a long distance friend.

Jenn: I know. This was like a really different trip for me, uh, besides meeting someone who I had never met in person before. I traveled without my husband, which is different. Um, usually he's along for the ride. And I had a lot more down time than I usually plan on trips, but we still did plenty of fun things and I am excited to share those with you.

Meggan: I'm excited to hear it because I have never been to Atlanta personally. , so I'm very interested to hear your thoughts and so let's start at the beginning. So talk to us about sort of getting there once you're there. How did you get around that kind of thing? Transportation?

Jenn: Yeah, so as you may or may not know, Atlanta is the hub of Delta Airlines and it has over a thousand flights a day to 225 domestic and international, uh, destinations and the Delta hub is the world's largest airline hub. And that's just the Delta flights, those thousand flights a day. So the Atlanta airport is a very busy airport.

I did find it pretty easy to navigate. However, I did have a friend literally pick me up and then drop me off. So that helps because she knows how to navigate it. Um, sadly, uh, Halifax is not one of those destinations that has a direct flight to Atlanta. So, on the way down, I flew Halifax, Montreal, Atlanta.

On the way home, I flew Atlanta, Toronto. Halifax. I wish I could say that my experience was uneventful, but it wasn't.

Meggan: And no one loves to say that when it comes to the travel part.

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah. So I stayed at the Alt Hotel at the Halifax airport. I had one of the first flights of the day out to Toronto. I think my flight time was like 5. 50. So, you know, I'm up pretty early. Luckily, the Alt Hotel is connected to the Halifax airport. It's super convenient. I loved that. Um, so I got there like really quite early, but I was selected for secondary screening.

So they literally took every single thing out of both my carry on bag and my personal item and sent everything through the x ray machine again. And it all took about like 40 to 45 minutes I had to go pat down, like it was stressful a little bit, um, you know, I knew that I hadn't done anything wrong, so there's no reason that it should turn into something else, but, uh, you know, it obviously took a lot of time and I was hungry because I was waiting to go through security to go get breakfast.

So that, but luckily I had plenty of time before my flight. So it wasn't like a huge deal. So I landed in Montreal. I went through security and customs again. Nexus definitely saved me from waiting in a super long line, although I had plenty of time to kill. I think I had like a two hour, um, maybe three hour layover.

So I had lots of time, but, um, it was nice not to spend it standing in line.

Meggan: No, definitely. I could see that. Um, excellent. So, besides the secondary screening, everything went smoothly. Besides that, lots of time on either side, which is good.

Um,

Jenn: I wanted to say like getting around Atlanta, I guess. I, my friend drove me around. Atlanta is a pretty big city and. I've been in plenty of big cities. The traffic in Atlanta was, um, bad. It was crazy. And I don't know, uh, my friend did say that she thought that, um, Kamala Harris was in Atlanta right around, I don't know if she was actually there while I was there, but like, she was either coming in or just going out maybe.

Uh, so there was like some street closures. It was a little bit. Busy, but she, the whole time I was there, she was like, it's not usually this bad, but like, the traffic was really bad.

Meggan: yeah.

Jenn: yeah. I didn't, so they do have public transportation. Um, we didn't take it at all. We did take, um, an Uber once. My friend kind of said that like, not that many people took the public, take the public transportation. And that she wouldn't necessarily feel safe on it. Um, depending on where she was going so something to keep in mind that's you know, I didn't try it But that is from a local.

Meggan: Yep. No, definitely. I mean, yeah. Like, do your research with what areas you're intending to travel to and maybe the best way or the safest way to get there, for sure. That's it. It's a good tip, honestly, for any big city, really.

Um, where did you stay? What can you tell us about that? I know you're visiting a friend, but sort of walk us through that.

Jenn: Yeah Yeah, so I did stay at her house. So I did not Stay at any hotels when I was there um, I did want to give you like a little bit of a recommendation if You are going of some areas just to stay in. So of course it depends on what you want to do. I would personally stay in Midtown. There's a lot to do in that area.

And it's like pretty walkable depending on where you are. Downtown's another option, of course, of your primary goal, I would say, is heading to like the aquarium and like the world of Coca Cola, which we'll talk about in a little bit. But downtown's a little bit on the sketchier side, I think. So, um, yeah, I think Midtown would be, uh, my first choice.

Meggan: I love that. Well, thank you. Now, I know if there's anybody who loves a foot tour, a walking around and seeing some stuff tour, if it involves, Ghosts or cemeteries, you're our girl.

Um, so I would love to hear, some things that you did or maybe just things in general, like in terms of attractions to see, tours to take, that kind of thing.

Jenn: Yeah. So one of the only things that I booked in advance was the Grant Park Food and Cemetery Tour. And I would say this was like, besides getting to like, meet and physically touch my friend, this was hands down my favorite experience in Atlanta and might be one like in the top five of my favorite things I've ever done on a trip.

It is. It combines my two favorite things, which is local food and learning about the city slash cemetery tours.

Meggan: It really scratches my morbid curiosity about the town I'm visiting.

Jenn: Yes. And you might be wondering, Jenn, Why haven't you tried a food tour sooner? Because I actually haven't. This is my first one. So, my husband has food allergies, and I eat like a 75 percent vegetarian diet. I don't eat any red meat or fish at all. So, tours, food tours that can accommodate, especially life threatening food allergies, are not always easy to find so, uh unexpected atlanta puts on the grant park food and cemetery tour And on their website, I could see what menu items were included. They had this little like spoilers in case you want to be surprised. You cannot look at that section Um, but it told you what was included and including the vegetarian options in case that's what you wanted And that like put my mind at ease and made me, like, really excited.

Um, I'm one of those people who looks at a menu before I go to a restaurant, like, days in advance and gets excited about what I'm gonna order, so knowing what's gonna be on the food tour, um, just, like, helps get me excited for it. And then when I was booking the tickets, I could put in If there was any food allergies or like just request the vegetarian option.

So it was really, um, easy. The tour itself is like two and a half to three hours. We met at the first restaurant in Grant Park where we got kind of an introductory, uh, setting the stage history lesson to both Atlanta and the Grant Park neighborhood. And then the first food stop is called Six Feet Under, which is a locally owned seafood restaurant.

It's, of course, Six Feet Under is kind of a joke because the cemetery is across the street. So, yes, so if you don't want to know the food, if you don't want spoilers because you're booking your own Grant Park food tour, you're going to have to fast forward because I'm going to talk about the food that I'm having.

Meggan: I'm

Jenn: Um, at that, at six feet under, I had asparagus and grits, uh, fried okra and a charred corn salad. It was all really great. My pal, who is not vegetarian, had shrimp and grits, fried catfish, and the fried okra as well. The portions were so big that I was worried about being too full. I was like, how am I going to eat at more places?

Meggan: tour. How will I do it?

Jenn: So, uh, so we did the first stop and then we walked around and then into the Oakland Cemetery, which is across the street where our guide gave us like an hour ish tour through the cemetery. She shared Atlanta history and pointed out some notable graves. So next we headed to fire pit pizza tavern It was created by Leslie Cohen who won Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen in 2015 We had a cocktail and I do not remember what was in it.

It was good, though That was included Um, the vegetarian option was parmesan bites Which was basically like fried pizza dough rolled in parmesan cheese and then some fried brussels sprouts. They were both delicious. My friend had steak pizza and pork belly toast. The only, like, downside here is I wish I would have gotten a vegetarian pizza option.

Um, I was a little sad.

I wanted

Meggan: It is a pizza spot.

Jenn: Yeah, I wanted the pizza. The parmesan bites were delicious. But I was, like, craving pizza because I was looking at other people eating pizza, you know? Uh, and then we did a bit more walking and history and then we finished at the Little Tart Bake Shop, which is a French ish bakery where we got an apple cheddar turnover and a whole wheat chocolate chip cookie.

They gave us both of those things in to go bags so we didn't have to eat them right there. At the other two restaurants, we went in and like sat down and were served. This bakery they just, uh, the tour guide went in. And got everything and brought it out to us because it's a pretty small little spot Um, I wish I had that turnover right now.

It was so

Meggan: I love it when you have food and you think about it later.

Jenn: Oh, I know like I could eat that apple cheddar turnover right now, so This whole experience was $80 a person. It runs on Saturdays and Sundays. It starts at 11 a. m. You do have to buy the tickets in advance. The tour size is capped at 14 people. I think we probably had I'm gonna say 10 to 12. I don't think we had Um, 14.

Our guide, Courtney, is really, really great. I, like, 100 percent would recommend this if you're going to Atlanta. Unexpected Atlanta has other tours as well that I would definitely like to check out next time I visit because I am sure that I'll be back. They actually have, like, a biscuit making class, which I think would be really fun.

Like, it's like a food tour and a biscuit making class, so.

Meggan: Oh, well, there you go. We love a biscuit. All right, what else? I don't know what's going to top your food tour, but what else do you

Jenn: Yeah, I mean, I really started with the best, but the next thing is called, uh, Tiny Doors ATL. So you may notice these adorable tiny doors painted on buildings when you visit. There's currently over 30 tiny doors. We only saw a few, um, but I feel like you could definitely make a whole day out of like a scavenger hunt of looking for these doors, which I think would be really fun. They started in 2014 and they're all in areas that are free to the public and wheelchair accessible, which is lovely. There are a few doors that are considered side quests that are like inside of businesses, but you could see the kind of core numbered doors, um, for free and, uh, and wheelchair accessible.

So they have an interactive and printable map on their website, which I'll link in the, in the show notes, but perhaps next visit, I can cross more of them off my list. They were very fun.

Meggan: That sounds adorable.

Jenn: Yeah. So the next thing is Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market and the Beltline. They're all three different spots, but we did them kind of in one afternoon trip.

So, we started at Ponce City Market, which is a converted former Sears catalog factory. R. I. P. The Sears Wishbook. I know!

Meggan: makes me so sad and nostalgic.

Jenn: I

Meggan: Oh, I think I just shed a tear.

Jenn: really wish I had a Sears Wishbook right now. So, um, it's now a mall and food hall. So, the rooftop, called The Roof, You know, they named it quite well. It was sadly closed for a private event when I was there So I didn't get to experience it, but it does feature skyline park It has like coney island style games mini golf a few rides There's some restaurant and of course you get amazing views of the city up there I'm, yeah, I was really bummed that it was closed.

We just didn't um plan Very well. , it does cost fifteen dollars per adult to Go up to the roof. You can buy the tickets I think right there before you go up You don't have to do anything in advance. We shopped the mall a bit and then we connected to The Beltline. So, the Beltline is a 22 mile or 35 kilometer, uh, for us Canadians, multi use trail on a former railway corridor.

So, honestly, things like the Beltline are what I, like, really love about cities. As we were walking it, I was like, this is just so nice, like, such a nice space. And there was plenty of people around, like lots of people going for a walk and enjoying the green spaces. We saw some like, really cool street art, including one of the tiny doors.

And we took the, uh, Beltline and walked to the Krog Street Market, which is a food hall, and it has, oh my gosh, so many options. Definitely Go there when you're hungry Yes, there's so much to try they have both Um food booth type stalls where you take it and go and then also kind of like sit down Restaurant type areas as well And then we walked back to our car At the ponce city market via the belt line again, you know, it really it took us You know, an afternoon, you could make it as long or as short as you wanted.

Both of the, um, markets are, they're not huge, huge. There's definitely plenty of food and shopping to choose from, but, um, you're not going to be there for eight hours unless you're really going

through it.

Meggan: Spending a long time there. So what else do you have?

Jenn: Yeah, so next up, um, actually after we did the, uh, beltline and the markets, we headed to the downtown area to see the Centennial Olympic Park. So Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics and the park was used for like sponsor exhibits and medal presentations during the games. But today you can kind of just walk around and enjoy the green space.

You can cool down in the Fountain of Rings splash pad.

I think that was closed when we were there. And then obviously you have to take a photo with the Olympic rings.

Meggan: You must.

Jenn: Yeah. Um, across the street from the Olympic Park is also the, I cannot remember what it is called right now, but like the giant Ferris wheel that you can go up and get views of the city.

We did not

Meggan: Atlanta Eye, sort of?

Jenn: Yeah. I like the Atlanta Eye. What is that called? Let's look.

Meggan: Let's Google in real time.

Jenn: Yeah. No, I don't need an eye doctor in Atlanta. Atlanta.

Meggan: That's probably not going to work.

Jenn: Sky view, Atlanta.

Meggan: There you go. Naturally,

Jenn: Um last step I want to talk about museums, there are of course lots of museums in atlanta I did not visit any which is Very weird for me on

Meggan: it's a Meggan move.

Jenn: I know I know so one of them I really did want to go to is the center for puppetry arts. It's basically like a muppet museum It was on our list.

We just did not get around to doing it. So That's definitely on the list for next time. There's also the national center for civil and human rights There's a delta flight museum And the College Football Hall of Fame, and of course, Atlanta is known for being the home of Coca Cola. I did not visit, but Meggan is going to tell you about it anyway.

Meggan: Indeed. So yes, it's literally called world of Coca Cola. It's a very big deal. , it is located at 121 Baker Street Northwest in Atlanta. can be reached in a variety of ways by car, public transportation, and Atlanta Streetcar. They advertise on their site the location of the parking garage, you'll know where to go to find that, and they also have electric car charging., It seems imperative to check the website for hours of the current attractions depending on the time of year you are visiting and ticket sales for the next day and two hours before the closing of the previous day. So you really need to plan for world of Coca Cola. So General Admission Tickets gets you access to all of World of Coca Cola's exhibits. Films and experiences through a self guided experience. So the ticket range for adults is 21 to 26 dollars. No idea why there's a range in terms of a price, but there you have it. I don't know if it's tall, short, I don't know what the stipulation is. , you can also purchase guided tour tickets for 45 dollars. So if that's your thing, you'd prefer to have sort of really the inside scoop, I would go that route. During your visit, you will have the opportunity to have your picture taken with the Coca Cola Polar Bear. You'll get to do a tasting, there's a scent challenge, different photo opportunities, a gift shop, of course, a cafe, and a new exhibit called the Beverage Lab, and more. So there is definitely lots to do there. Honestly, to me, it sounds like You know, sort of like a three hour venture.

Jenn: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I think I had no interest in going, which is why we didn't really go. But I think, you know, on my next trip, because I'm sure I'll be back to visit my friend, but I might actually do it just because, I mean, that is where Coca Cola started, so

Meggan: Sure, I'm a diet Pepsi girl, so it really does not interest me. I do love a Coke Zero. I'll take one, don't get me wrong. But it's, it's not my first choice. Now, the next two popular attractions, uh, aren't necessarily places we would visit. However, due to their popularity, and we are talking about the city of Atlanta, things to do there, we are including them just as an FYI, in case you wish to visit.

And this is a no judgment zone. We definitely just want to be able to talk about them. So you know, the first one is the Georgia aquarium. It's also located on Baker street. Lots happened in there, uh, 225 Baker street Northwest to be exact is the Georgia aquarium and their site States that they are a nonprofit committed to inspiring awareness and preservation of our ocean and aquatic animals worldwide. Um, it is recommended to check their site for open hours and buy tickets in advance. Children under two are free. Otherwise, the prices are a bit hefty. , if you book in advance and pick a date or time, uh, or off peak time, tickets start at 39. 99. And if you want to just show up whenever like a wild person, , general admission, is 64. 99. American dollars.

Jenn: wow.

Meggan: I know, it seems like a hefty price tag, and like, what is up with like, the dynamic ticket pricing and not just like, setting a price?

Anyway, I don't understand. Um, and then general parking is also 25. So if you're a big family, I mean, hopefully your kids are under two. I don't know. Um, and at the aquarium they have a variety of featured species and exhibits. There's a restaurant and also a gift shop as well. So plan accordingly there. Um, and the other spot is the Zoo Atlanta. It is located in Grant Park off of Cherokee Avenue Southeast. There are over 1, 500 animals including rhinos, sloths, gorillas, and pandas to name a few. The idea of seeing a sloth could get me to maybe to the entry gate, but anyway. , admission for the zoo. So ticket prices vary, again, depending on the date, um, and they range between $20 and $29. So, you know, one of those prices. Um, military members are free, which happens to be the case for a lot of things in the U. S., which I think is brilliant. And children under three and college students get a discount. There are lots of add ons when you buy your ticket online for trails and rides and theme cups. All the things. And if you live in the area, you can buy an annual membership, which honestly kind of sounds like the best deal, which starts at $129. But I guess that's only if you're going to go for a few times. And they have a cafe, a kid's play area. You can feed the giraffes. Again, that that scratches an itch for me. It sounds lovely. And wildlife preservation talks that you can also attend, which I think, of course, are very important as well.

Jenn: you mentioned the parking, uh, at the aquarium and it reminded me to talk about the parking situation because parking is not easy to find in, uh, our, my experience there. And , it's a lot of paid parking and you do typically have to pay, um, on your phone with an app. So like scanning a QR code in the parking area. And, and paying on your phone that way, so I would just make sure, especially if you're visiting from another country, that you have data on your phone, or a way to access this platform in order to pay for parking, because they, A, take it seriously, like you will get ticketed, and B, yeah, it's everywhere, honestly, like we had to pay for parking almost everywhere we went,

Meggan: Well, that's a great point and probably why there's a premium charge for parking as well at the attractions because they know you have nowhere else to go. Exactly, exactly.

Jenn: Keep that in mind

Meggan: All right, cool. No, very good tip. Um, I know we've already talked a bit of food, but I would love to hear a little bit more about some good things to eat.

Jenn: Yeah, so I I would first I would definitely recommend all of the places from the food tour. Even if you don't take the food tour Um, especially little tart bake shop that gets quite busy. Although we were there like saturday morning So or saturday afternoon, I guess so, you know prime time and six feet under like my Food was really good.

I'm sure the pizza is good At, uh,

Meggan: But we're not, we're not bitter though.

Jenn: but here are a few other spots that I visited and enjoyed. So the first one is the Select ATL. It's a bit of a drive away from the other things I mentioned. It's in Sandy Springs, which is kind of like the north of Atlanta. It was apparently inspired by Paris's famed Le Select which was a 1920s brasserie known for being the meeting place of artists and literary figures. The decor here was stunning. It was absolutely beautiful. We sat in the bar area like, so Instagramable. Uh, they had some live music as well, which was really lovely. All of the food I ordered, which was a Caesar salad, acorn squash risotto and the sticky toffee pudding. It was all amazing. I swear my mouth is water just thinking about that risotto And um sticky toffee pudding is my favorite dessert, which it's not often on menus So I was very excited to order that And in my opinion like honestly worth the drive to sandy springs. It did have free parking too. So just

Meggan: Check, check, check.

Jenn: Yes, uh, the next spot is Rreal Tacos, but it's R R E A L. I'm not sure why. Um, we went to the Midtown location, but they have a bunch of locations around Atlanta. They serve authentic Mexican street food. When I was there, so I was there, The weekend before Halloween, everything was like super decorated for Halloween. All of the servers were in costumes, which was like really fun. The drinks were like top notch, super delicious, and the tacos were really good, too. So, definitely recommend if you're having a Mexican food craving when you were there. The next spot is Polatin Row at Ashford Lane, and if you're in need of yet another food hall, I know I've mentioned a few. This is a great spot. They have, um, a variety of different food vendors and all different types of cuisines. And lastly we had brunch at Snooze, which does have locations all over the U. S. It's, it's a chain, but I still think it's worth mentioning. I mean you can get a pancake flight, so.

Meggan: I did not know that was a thing until right now. Take

Jenn: I mean, definitely,

Meggan: me to snooze.

Jenn: right?

So overall, I would just say like, this was a really good trip, and the purpose was to spend time with my friend, and this included getting to spend an entire day doing practically nothing together. We binged Nobody Wants Us on Netflix and we watched The Witcher and we just laid on the couch and spent time together.

But it was, like, really fun to visit a new city and be shown around by a local. And also, but she had never done a few of the things that we were doing, so that was kind of funny as well. It also marked the first time that I stayed in a hotel by myself. Which was, I know, at like 34 years old, I had never done that, so,

Meggan: Oh, you're so grown now.

Jenn: I know, such a grown up.

Meggan: I have loved hearing all of this and I want to put you on the spot and we are going to take out the food tour because you've already mentioned that that was your favorite thing. So you mentioned overall though, of course, a really great trip. What part sort of stands out for you the most or surprised you the most?

You know, was it the new experiences like staying in the hotel room alone, traveling to the U. S. alone? Your airport experience, secondary, um, something cool you did while in Atlanta, sort of what Would you say surprised you the most or stands out for you the most?

Jenn: Yeah, I don't know if it surprised me, but like a really good reminder that I am capable of like figuring things out on my own when I was doing the travel part on my own. Like I said, I usually travel with my husband or, or with a friend, but usually Ryan. And so it is nice to just kind of remind myself that like I am capable of, of navigating like stressful situations on my own.

And then, I mean. The The real highlight of the trip was getting to be with my friend and uh, and spend time with her So yeah, and and the food tour that you made me cut them.

You made me

Meggan: right. I really love that. Like, I, I think it's so important to do things on our own, especially if you're so used to doing things all the time, as we both are with someone else with us. But it's really good to know that you're Still a super capable, independent person who, who can do stuff. And I think I didn't expect you to say that.

And I think that's a brilliant answer. So

Jenn: Yeah, yeah,

I think you know we've been talking a little bit on the podcast about like solo travel and And I have never been interested in solo travel and I feel like i'm starting to like warm up to the idea of like a solo group travel experience might be really cool for me. So we'll see if that happens, but yeah.

Spread

Meggan: your little wings. Well, that is it for this week's episode. Be sure to stay in touch with us on social media. I'm sure Jenn will be sharing some photos from her trip, so you can check out her travels. There, um, you can also stay in touch with us on social media anytime, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at Travel Mug Podcast.

You can visit our website at travelmugpodcast. com to check out more insider info and episode info. If you'd like what we're doing here, be sure to buy us a coffee. The link is in the show notes or leave us a review. So, until next time, as always, safe travels, and bye!