Atlanta

A few recommendations for places to visit if you're ever in the area.

Coffee

• Chrome Yellow
• Brash
• Opo
• Radio Roasters
• Dancing Goats (decent chain)

Fun, Arts, Museums

• Fernbank Museum
• Carlos Museum
• National Center for Civil and Human Rights
• High Museum of Art
• Center for Puppetry Arts
• Joystick Gamebar
• Museum of Design
• Atlanta Contemporary
• Starlight Drive-in Movie Theatre
• The Earl (small venue music shows)

Shops

• Criminal Records (music, comics)
• The Junkman's Daughter
• Rag o Rama
• Ponce City Market

Parks and Outside

• Piedmont Park
• Atlanta Belt Line (walking, biking)
• Atlanta Botanical Gardens
• Westside Park

General Notes

I'd argue that, unfortunately, Atlanta is not well setup for visitors. It's really spread out and car-centric. The metro is limited to north/south and east/west lines. The biggest boost to the city in years was the addition of the Beltline, which is similar to New York City's HighLine, as it's a walking trail built over old train tracks. Year after year, the beltline is getting closer to completion (completely encircling the entire metro area).

Unlike some cities, downtown is probably one of the weakest areas currently. If you travel eastward, there are pockets of neighborhoods with some interesting areas including Old Fourth Ward, Little Five Points (not to be confused with Five Points downtown), East Atlanta Village (EAV), Decatur. If you travel northward, once you're past the arts district in Midtown, you'll quickly get into Buckhead and the suburban commerce sprawl - avoid! If you travel westward, you'll find some high end restaurants and shops in some pockets, and the newly refreshed Westside Park is a nice alternative to the main Piedmont Park. If you travel southward, you'll find the new Summerhill district and a few sporadic areas of interest, but it's mostly neighborhoods.