Aww, don’t scare folks away, ducati. Best I can tell, that was an anomaly more than a part of any kind of trend. I’ve been going to the Starlight for years and having a blast, with no safety issues.
There are so many good restaurants in Atlanta, I don’t know where to begin. Might help if you tell us whether you prefer fancy dining, casual cool, or what, and whether there are any particular types of food that interest you.
Preferences… Hmmm… I used to love Buckhead Brewery when they had one in Tallahassee but of course they’re all gone now. Game is good, steaks and burgers… probably ought a have one night at a nice romantic place w/ a view or al fresco or something… I suppose if we’re gonna do the ATL we should have at least one good rib-stickin’ Southern meal (I’m in Miami where, sadly, with a few minor exceptions Southern cuisine is relegated to the occasional outlying Cracker Barrel.)
Well the famous Southern eatery is Mary Mac’s Tea Room (http://www.marymacs.com/) on Ponce in Midtown. However, I find BBQ to be more “Southern” ;). I’m partial to Community Q (http://www.communityqbbq.com/) in Decatur though Fox Bros (http://www.foxbrosbbq.com/) is tasty as well.
You, sir, are correct. The real name is the Majestic, but my circle has always referred to it as the Plaza Diner because it’s located in the old Plaza shopping center. I can remember when the now defunct Plaza Drugs was the only 24 hour pharmacy in metro Atlanta. My dad had to make a Christmas Eve midnight run there to save mom from a Super Glue disaster.
I’d skip the World of Coke. It felt like I had paid to see a big coke advertisement. And it’s really geared toward kids, IMO.
I was looking forward to seeing old Coke stuff (I have an old Coke machine, and a newspaper rack, and some collectible coke bottles), but that’s all in the first room, it’s not much, and everything else is a waste. I remember a ‘4-d’ movie (one of those ones where they spit in your face, have rats run under your feet, poke you in the back, etc.) where we learned that the secret of coke’s taste is in our hearts or some crap. A room of Coke commercials on an endless loop. An exhibit or movie on the new Coke fiasco. A dumb exhibit where you pretend you’re a spy in order to see the safe where the Coke formula is hidden. And then a Coke tasting room with maybe a hundred worldwide soda flavors, and a gift shop.
I liked the Cyclorama, already mentioned.
The best burgers in town, for my money, are at the Vortex Bar and Grill. There are two locations: one on Peachtree Street in Midtown, and one in Little 5 Points.
For Southern food, I say avoid Mary Mac’s. It has skated on reputation for a long time, and I don’t think it’s very good. Tourist trap, basically.
Instead, I’d try The Colonnade. Check the hours. I think they only serve lunch on weekends. The fried chicken is awesome, and the desserts are incredible.
I concur. These are the best two barbecue places in town, in my opinion. I’d give the edge to Fox Bros.
Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and DaddyD’z for BBQ. And for a strip club like none other, The Clermont Lounge.
I live with in blocks of The Clermont Lounge and The Majestic. So if you like PM me and we’ll see if we can hit them together.
Don’t forget the Georgia Aquarium.
I second Fat Matt’s! Heard about it when I asked this very question on the Dope. Fine bbq!
A Braves game is a must!
I live across the road for five years.
For this, how about Two Urban Licks?
Or perhaps one of the Rathbun restaurants?
Or for a more casual experience, maybe hit Six Feet Under, which overlooks historic Oakland Cemetery (hence the name). Its rooftop deck has a nice skyline view. (So ask for a rooftop table. You may have to wait a bit, depending on what time you hit the place.)
Atlanta also has lots of great breakfast places: The Silver Skillet, West Egg Cafe, Ria’s Bluebird Cafe, The Flying Biscuit, Java Jive, Thumbs Up Cafe, Sun In My Belly, The Original Pancake House, Radial (and probably a bunch more I am missing).
I also wish the original Mellow Mushroom hadn’t closed in Sandy Springs, or I’d send you there in a heartbeat for a pie!
Although there is a newer one not far down the street that is great, it’s just not quite like the original. 
Seconding The Flying Biscuit and Sun in my Belly… They’re very very yummy!
Too bad it seems you’re just going to miss the current High exhibit on Diego Rivera and Fridga Kahlo. But even without it, the museum is awesome. Do check the basement floors, as I think those contain more important pieces than all the European and European-inspired artwork in the upper floors. I think my dad and I got more out of the visit in that floor than in the rest.
Word.
I’d suggest the Little 5 Points one though, much better atmosphere.
There have been a few good burger places opening up recently around town (Farm Burger in Decatur being one), but no one compares to the Vortex.
In further defense/advocacy of Starlight Drive-In, I suggest a reading of the yelp reviews.
I was a child in the 70s, when that part of town was okay. We’d go to the zoo on school trips. Then in the 80s, Monroe Drive, Boulevard, MLK Drive, you didn’t really want to go there. Or through there. But I haven’t been since then, except once on the way to the Fox, and it still didn’t look too great to be passing through. That was almost 10 years ago though. I’ll risk it for the Masquerade occasionally.
And to the OP, if you go to the Colonnade, bring cash. They don’t take credit cards.
My dad’s aunt and uncle lived on Moreland Avenue from about 1935 until 1981, just a month after I moved to Atlanta. As a kid visiting them, I was oblivious to the location; I just knew it was near the zoo.
As I would visit the zoo, then take my kids there, I always drove by their house, and was glad they weren’t here to see the crime and decay that had taken over.
I know there is some gentrification going on, but I wouldn’t live there.