This summer I am thinking of taking the family to Atlanta. I was there for a month once for some training, but my outside of my actual classes, I really only partied. My memory of the city is almost 20 years old and foggy from drink.
So, going with the fam! I do have a great respect for just how huge the city is. It is almost a collection of cities.
We want to do the standard things: CNN, the zoo, see the Braves, aquarium, Coca Cola, Six Flags… (and open to suggestions if you have more).
Where would be a good part of town to look for a hotel? I’d like to stay somewhere downtown.
Try Midtown.
That allows you to access everything and yet not be in a crowded and ugly part of town.
BTW, born in ATL.
The aquarium is marvelous.
The Coca-Cola museum is nice.
Six Flags is out west of the city. About 30 minutes on a good day.
I hope you have fun.
ETA: And yes, it almost like LA, a collection of cities.
You might like Stone Mountain.
If you were last here 20 years ago - and partied a lot, it was probably in Buckhead. Buckhead is no longer what you remember of it. It used to be wall-to-wall bars and non-stop partying. It’s now being gradually turned into an upscale shopping and residential district. The other common party area is Virginia Highlands / 5 Points. These areas are pretty much the way they were - neighborhood pubs, nice restaurants, wooded streets, etc.
The things you list are all (except 6 Flags) in or very close to downtown/midtown. So staying in that area would probably make the most sense. In fact, you wouldn’t need a car to move around and see these things. However, many of the other area attractions (6 Flags, Stone Mountain) would likely require a car.
I’m not sure how old your kids are - so that could change plans as well. But some things to consider might include:
a show at the Fox theater
the Fernbank museum of natural history
the MLK Jr. Center
the Carter Center
Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield (you’d need a car to get there though)
the Cyclorama (historic recreation of the Battle of Atlanta)
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Also - I feel obligated to mention Underground Atlanta, since many tourists ask about it. It’s basically just an indoor/outdoor shopping mall. I don’t get the appeal - but many feel obligated to add it to their list.
I loved the Virginia Highlands area, and I definitely second/third/fourth the suggestion for staying in Midtown.
If you are staying in a Marriott be forewarned there are two almost across from each other and one is a lot better than the other. Or you may prefer fancier digs…
ETA: I was about to argue about Buckhead because I remember partying there, like, just yesterday! If yesterday means 11 years ago. Which I remember because I have a 10 year old son.
My brother and I had to drive from Virginia to Louisiana a few years ago. I told him we just HAD to stay in Buckhead because it was so epic when I partied there. So we pulled into town about 6pm and there was nowhere to eat. :(. Everything pretty much closed up.
Definitely going to hit the MLK Center.
The Fox Theater has nothing listed yet for July.
I’d prefer the hotels to have a decent outdoor pool. It is vacation after all and we need to unwind sometime. I can see this tip is going to be go go go already!
Thanks for your help, all of you! Probably going in July.
Yes. You can take MARTA from midtown to the Underground station, and then it’s a fairly easy walk from there. Or a short cab ride from midtown. Either way - it’s close.
I can’t help with hotels, since I’ve never really stayed downtown.
Yeah, it’s kinda sad. The [Ray Lewis murder case](Mamie Gummer) was sort of the beginning of the end for the Buckhead bar district. After that, the Buckhead Coalition made up its collective mind to shut down the bars and convert the neighborhood to high end boutiques. :rolleyes:
The party scene is more dispersed now. But you don’t care about that, I suppose, since you are planning a family trip. Midtown’s probably a good area to stay, but I don’t know if you’ll find an outdoor pool among the high rises.
Decatur is not as central to the activities you have in mind, but it is a good walking area with shops and restaurants. You might find an outdoor pool there. Not sure. If you stay there, make sure the hotel is in the heart of Decatur. (The “Decatur” address covers a lot of geography, not all of it nice.)
Turner Field is not located in a great neighborhood, so I wouldn’t focus on trying to be within walking distance of the stadium.
Are you driving into town, or flying? If driving, from which direction?
Minor but important correction. That should be Little 5 Points. “5 points” is the downtown business district, near Underground Atlanta, with a 5 Points MARTA station. That is distinct from Little 5 Points which is a kind of bohemian district with shops, bars, and restaurants.
Speaking of bohemian, if your family is tolerant of bohemian culture and if your kids have never seen a drive-in movie, you might try the Starlite 6 Drive-In. Pack a picnic meal, bring some camp chairs. It’s a fun summer activity for the locals in these parts.
I live in Decatur, and there are a chunk of good restaurants around the downtown Decatur area (and the area I live in, Oakhurst, as well). The only hotel in the downtown Decatur area is currently being renovated into http://www.courtyarddecatur.com/ - it’s in a really good location, but no outdoor pool, from what I can tell.
Midtown/close to GaTech might be good as well - it’s convenient to MARTA if you don’t want to drive everywhere as well.
I work downtown and I’m not sure I can think of any hotels with outdoor pools that I’m aware of near me - but they could be rooftop in an atrium. If you’ll have a car with you, you might look at non-in the city accommodations (the Stone Mountain area - either nearby, or one of the hotels that’s part of the park, depending on your budget - might be a nice way to go and give you a place to relax.
I’ve always had good getting really nice rooms in Atlanta way cheaper than rack rate on Priceline.
Downtown and Midtown have lots of nice hotels, they’re convenient to most of the attractions, and save for during a couple of major events you can usually priceline rooms for under $100, BUT they ALL charge for parking and most charge for wifi (sometimes ridiculous rates- $19.95 per day one place I stayed) and they charge for pretty much anything else they can think to add on top of your room rate.
When I went there for DragonCon (when you don’t even think about trying to get a room downtown for under $300 per night) I got a Marriott Courtyard near the airport for about $75 on priceline. Nice room, indoor/outdoor pool, free parking and wifi, and a complimentary shuttle to the airport every fifteen minutes where you can catch the MARTA train to go downtown with far less frustration than driving and way cheaper than parking.
My husband and I stayed at the Days Inn almost beside the Aquarium & World of Coke and it was great. We collect Hard Rock Cafe’s and the Atlanta one was just a stroll up the street away. We had a blast at Six Flags. I’d recommend that Days Inn, we had no issues there.
