A little over two and a half hours after we left Travelers Rest, South Carolina, we pulled into our airbnb in Midtown Atlanta. This spacious studio had off street parking and was in an incredible location- just minutes from Piedmont Park.
Little Five Points
After getting settled in, we hopped back in the car and headed to the Little Five Points neighborhood. I’d heard Little Five Points described as an eccentric, alternative, and hip neighborhood and was excited to see this side of Atlanta.
One of the most popular stores in Little Five Points is Junkman’s Daughter so we decided to start there. We were able to snag the last spot in the lot in front of Junkman’s Daughter and headed inside. Junkman’s Daughter is full of fun and quirky clothing, accessories, and home decor. My favorite thing was probably the take out container purses- so cute and unique. This store was a pure pleasure to look around.
Right beside the Junkman’s Daughter is the very popular burger joint, the Vortex. My only regret is that we didn’t get to try a burger from The Vortex on our trip. I had it on my list of things I wanted to do but since we had been in the car for a while we brought my dog Meeko along with us to walk around Little Five Points and the Vortex in this location didn’t seem to be dog friendly. Next time I am in Atlanta, I will definitely be giving it a try.
We walked around the neighborhood for a while window shopping and looking for street art. There were a few cool murals but I honestly was expecting more based on what I had read online. This area was super busy and not very conducive to walking with a big dog so we didn’t stay too long. I’d recommend heading to this area to grab something to eat as there were lots of really great looking restaurants.
Piedmont Park
After leaving Little Five Points we went for a walk in Piedmont Park which was only a few minutes walk from our Airbnb. While this is an absolutely beautiful park it is especially charming at sunset. Exhausted from all of the walking, we decided to order delivery and chose to try calzones from Fellini's Pizza. They were a little bready but still super tasty.
Beltline
The next morning we got out early as there was lots of rain headed our way that afternoon. First things first, we walked as far as our feet would take us on the 22 mile Beltline. Our feet told us it was time for a break well before our heart wanted the experience to be over. As we headed back to the airbnb I had food on the brain.
Ponce City Market
I figured I would head to Ponce City Market and grab something to eat from the many restaurants there. I parked in the garage and headed to the machine to pay. The first machine was broken so I set off to find a second one only to discover that this one was broken as well. I ended up having to download the parking app on my phone and set up my vehicle and credit card information. With parking finally taken care of, I headed inside. I originally planned to eat at Pancake Social but quickly changed my mind and selected Botiwalla after reading about their paneer tikka roll. This dish was loaded with flavor and the wrap was a beautifully prepared piece of naan bread.
After lunch I headed around to look at stores. My favorite was Citizen Supply because they featured lots of local artisans. I’ve been looking for a new spoon rest and found the perfect one here. They also sell clothing, jewelry, candles, and other home decor.
I left Ponce City Market to find the rain had set in hard. It was a Monday so unfortunately many of the museums were closed so I snuggled up in the comfy bed at our airbnb and read. When hunger crept up again, I ventured back out.
Krog Street Market
This time to another popular market in Atlanta, Krog Street Market to try Gu's Dumplings. I thought I ordered veggie dumplings but had accidentally ordered pork when I put my order in online. They were so nice about this even though it was my mistake and remade the dumplings for me. Gu’s dumplings really hit the spot on a rainy and cold day as they had a good bit of spice to them.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
With a warm belly, I headed to the Atlanta Botanical Garden to see their holiday light display. Event parking was $10 but I left a little early and was easily able to find parking within a few minutes walk to the park. I purchased tickets online about a week in advance and the only time slots they had available were 9 and 9:30 pm. This was much later than I wanted to attend the event since the event ended at 10 pm and I didn’t want to feel rushed. Thankfully, I learned that you could upgrade your ticket for an additional $10 and chose the time that you arrived. I thought this was worth the $10 and went at around 7 pm instead.
The lights throughout the garden were completely spectacular. I was most dazzled by the rainbow trees, the orchid and poinsettia exhibit, and the canopy of lights where the string LED lights are timed to music. It’s hard not to get totally entranced in the magic of it all.
I was back and warm in bed before my original ticket time and very happy about it!
Thumbs Up Diner
On our last morning in Atlanta, I was craving some breakfast food so I went to Thumbs Up Diner. This place was absolutely amazing. I got eggs, a piece of french toast, and cheese grits. The slice of french toast was massive and I could only finish half. The cheese grits were absolutely divine! If you go here, you have to try their cheese grits.
Midtown Neighborhood Walk
After fueling up, I went back to the airbnb and snagged Meeko. We then went for a wonder around the midtown neighborhood. This is one of my favorite things to do when visiting a place. Walking around with no real plan or path, just taking in your surroundings. All of the houses seemed really lovely and I could easily see myself living in this area and being quite happy.
High Museum of Art
The time had come for my last stop in Atlanta, High Museum of Art. I had heard lots of good things about this museum and was looking forward to checking it out. I wasn’t sure I’d get the chance to after learning they were closed on Mondays because that was when I originally planned to visit. My airbnb hosts were incredibly gracious and allowed me a late checkout so that I could go on Tuesday before leaving town instead. I arrived as soon as they opened and since I was a little short on time, I parked in the parking garage. When I went inside to buy a ticket I heard the clerk ask the person in front of me if they had brought in their parking ticket for validation. They hadn’t and I think the clerk said it was alright but the rest of the conversation was out of earshot from me. I also hadn’t brought my parking ticket with me for validation but the clerk didn’t ask me about my parking ticket when I got to the counter and I forgot to ask about whether I needed it to be validated.
I walked through the various exhibits taking it all in. It wasn’t my favorite art museum I have ever visited but there were some interesting pieces. The KAWS Print exhibit was definitely a stand out for me.
Having seen all of the exhibits at the museum I went to leave the parking garage and found that parking for the few hours I was inside the museum cost me $16! I was totally blown away by this amount. I definitely don’t think that this museum was worth the $17 admission plus $16 for parking. If you go, I would check to see whether parking should be validated with your admission or find parking elsewhere.
Just like that, it was a wrap on my two days in Atlanta. I didn’t spend much time in the downtown area of Atlanta this trip as this is the main area I’ve explored on previous trips. If this is your first time to Atlanta and you’re looking for something more to do, I’d recommend the Coca Cola Museum. It’s been a while since I visited but I remember the thrill vividly of being able to try how different Coca Cola tastes around the world.