What can I say about Atlanta that hasn’t been said? From above, it’s a city nestled inside a forest, on the ground it’s a hive of activity with standout skyscrapers dotted amongst the urban jungle.

Home to amazing Southern food, vibrant markets and enormous stadiums, Atlanta laid out the welcome mat for me with glorious weather, architectural delights and charming people.

This was my first visit to this much talked about city, having missed it ten years ago during The USA 50/50 Challenge due to time and geographical constraints. I was very lucky to stay in an ideal location downtown, within walking distance to Centennial Olympic Park and Pemberton Place. These two public spaces are bordered by and hold many of the main tourist attractions: College Football Hall of Fame, Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca Cola and National Center for Civil and Human Rights, all of which and more I visited.

I particularly enjoyed walking through the Fairlie-Poplar* central business district, as this is where I found the best collection of late 19th/early 20th century civic buildings, including the Healey Building and the Elbert P Tuttle Court of Appeals. Walking through Midtown (see below) also presented some lovely finds, including the “Fabulous” Fox Theater built in 1929, during the hey-day of the glamorous picture house, and the vast Georgian Terrace Hotel.

One sunny evening, I decided to walk from my hotel to a restaurant meeting in Midtown because it took me along the famous Peachtree Streetˆ. Pretty early in, my new shoes started to aggravate my feet, so I took them off and walked for fifty minutes and 3.7 km (2.5 miles) barefoot – stopping frequently to take photos of many architectural delights found in Midtown. I’m surprised and pleased to say that the street was so clean, I incurred no damage at all!

Atlanta is a delightful destination with much to say for itself and I barely scratched the surface. I enjoyed my visit and will happily return when the opportunity arises.

*For more about the Fairlie-Poplar district read Historical Concepts article.

ˆTo read more about why Peachtree Street is famous, please read Discover Atlanta’s article.

Experience

Consume

Purchase

Rest

This guide details all of the things The Packed Bag experienced. Please visit Discover Atlanta for more.