Weekend Atlanta Trip (Decatur, Druid Hills, Stone Mountain: spring break, rental, hotels)

[ritebrained]

Haven't been to the A in a while, but now would like to plan a brief (2-3 day) trip to the city.

Can you name some of the must-see places and must-do activities?

Arts? Dining? Museums? (non-mall) Shopping? People watching?

What would be the best area to stay in, hotel-wise?

[nature's message]

Shopping: You'll find a lot of stores in Midtown. Atlantic Station, along Peachtree Street, etc. Also, Little Five Points and Decatur are a must see. There are all sorts of cute boutiques in those areas. Downtown has some shops to (Not many as Midtown, and certainly not Buckhead). Most of the stores in Buckhead are in malls. Nice stores, but still, it's in a mall.

Arts: You'll find a lot of the arts of Atlanta in Midtown.

Museums/others activities: I'd recommend the High Museum of Art, Atlanta Cyclorama, Swan House, Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Piedmont Park, Centennial Olympic Park, and Stone Mountain.


What are your price range for hotels??

[goozer]

I think the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is one of the best attractions that Atlanta has to offer. It is located adjacent to Piedmont Park and it is well worth the visit. I'm not a huge fan of the acquarium (I much prefer the acquarium in Chattanooga two hours north), but it is a staple of Atlanta tourist sites. The zoo is also very nice and a manageable size so that you can cover it in a few hours.

If you are looking for some active recreation, you could hike to the top of Stone Mountain, explore some trails (or kayak) along the Chattahoochie River, or rent a bike and ride on the Silver Comet Trail (bike rental place is at Mile 2).

For boutique shopping, I recommend Virginia Highlands, but the shopping areas are spread into three or four clusters along a two mile stretch of Highland Avenue, so bring your car.

[TakeAhike]

I'm not certain 'what kind' of hotel/motel you seek or where you actually want to 'Be' but:

At Executive Park/N. Druid Hills/NE ATL--- you would have several choices of accomodations--Homestead Inn, Marriott motel and more. Safe area, moderate prices. Loehman's plaza is next door--Starbucks, Panera and several small restaurants--Moe's/Southwestern, Chinese and MacDonalds across the street.
MARTA accessible, many buses run along Briarcliff Rd, regularly--they will take you to Lindbergh and from there you are 3-5 minutes from downtown/midtown. If you are planning to use a car this is also a convenient spot.

hth

[crux]

Stay at the Glenn near cent'l park, CT tower, and CNN. Then you can just walk through park to reach several attractions. Coke tour is dull, the zoo really looks sad if you visited others.

Id maybe hit the aquarium, cnn tour, the High (has the Louve, tut, and terra cotta army) on day one, and then consider stone mountain's snow scene to go tube'in. Check for shows at Fox theater when you come. Are you coming with kids, alone, what age group activities are you expecting? clubs, museums, something else?

For food maybe Plaka's where you can have a great Greek dinner and watch the belly dancer(s). Get the Family dinner if you have 4+ ppl with you.

[FromCLTtoATL]

Before I moved here, I used to get excellent deals on nice places in Midtown with Priceline.com.

I often stayed in a three- or four-star hotel for $60 or less. This was several years ago. I don't know if that type of pricing is still realistic. Maybe in the down economy is still is.

[J2rescue]

Cirque du soleil is in town (Kooza (http://http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/kooza/tickets/atlanta.htm - broken link))
King Tut exhibit at the Civic Center (King Tut)
China's Terra Cotta Army at the High (High Museum)

As far as dining, it would help to break it down to a more specific type of dining experience you're looking for.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by FromCLTtoATL

Before I moved here, I used to get excellent deals on nice places in Midtown with Priceline.com.

I often stayed in a three- or four-star hotel for $60 or less. This was several years ago. I don't know if that type of pricing is still realistic. Maybe in the down economy is still is.

I think Priceline is still doing all kind of 'deals'/discounts. Just takes a few minutes to see what might be available. I would also assume the hotels/motels are eager for tourists and the prices should be good--deeper discounts until ??early/mid March--the approach of the peak season --anytime prior to Easter/Spring Break?

Lots of conventions are generally scheduled in the next few months.