Atlanta 3rd least favorite vacation destination (Decatur, Stone Mountain: homes, to live, gardens)

[afonega1]

I think Atlanta is a tourist city for people who want something in this region that has to do with Atlanta or historical points that deal with the city .That does not mean it is Paris,NYC,or even Philly in those regards but it does have something to offer to certain groups of people with interest that are prominent in Atlanta.For example Gone With the Wind is not my cup of tea but it may be interesting to many.Same with CoCa-Cola.Martin Luther King,Stone Mountain,Jimmy Carter Center,Aquarium,etc.

That said people do like to vacation here.250mile radius is much to small for the Atlanta area tourist.People frequent here as far as Louisiana,Mississippi, Tennessee, and even a lot from Florida.Yes it may be more regional,but it is a huge region with not many other cities like Atlanta.

[jlgrimes11]

I think the survey is skewed.

I think Atlanta is a very big attraction to a lot of Midwesterners. There are many people from St. Louis, Chicago, and Detroit who migrate to Atlanta. It has better weather and a rather close location to the Midwest compared to other Southern cities (only a 8 hour drive from STL).

I'm from St. Louis and I always have friends coming down for the weekend about every month.

Atlanta does have its share of history, notably the King Center, Morehouse College and what not. From a historical perpective those are major attractions to Blacks.

Also the nightlife in Atlanta is way better for the most part compared to St. Louis. Atlanta has way more booming night clubs than St. Louis. Other Midwesterners for the most part tell me they like Atlanta's nightlife better. Buckhead on Saturday nights back several years ago used to blow my mind. I never seen anything like that in a Midwestern city. And there were many cultures of people (mostly young adults though) black, white, asian, hispanic.


I think Atlanta shoots itself in the foot sometimes by getting rid of things like the Freaknik or Buckhead on Saturday nights. I thought Buckhead had huge potential, if they just made a few tweaks here or there.


That said I think for Midwestern Blacks (what I am), Atlanta is on the top of the list for most.

I'm sure it is not like a trip to Paris or Hong Kong but I think it one booming mid size city and big metro area and a place somebody should visit at least once in their life.

[City Fanatic]

This is more or less the regional influential pull from the region. The highlighted yellow areas represent the locations where you're likely to find a lot of people who come to Atlanta to take in a Braves game, go to Six Flags, etc.

Most of North Carlolina (generally all of Western North Carolina, Charlotte, up I-85 to Greensboro, but not far east enough to encompass the Raleigh-Durham area, which tends to be in the regional pull of Washington D.C.)

All of South Carolina

All of Georgia

All of Alabama

All of Tennessee, with the exception of far western Tennessee near Memphis, which tends to be under the regional pull of St. Louis moreso than Atlanta.

All of Mississippi, with the exception of the area near Memphis, which is slightly more favored to St. Louis than Atlanta.

SE Louisiana north of Lake Ponchatrain: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and Alexandria have more pull from Houston, and Northern Louisiana (Shreveport, Monroe) has more pull from Dallas/Ft. Worth

Northern Florida, north of Orlando and Tampa. Orlando and Tampa tend to have enough in their own right to be a pull for the immediate central Florida area. S. Florida has more of a pull from Miami.

S. Central and parts of SE Kentucky. The rest of the state feels more connection and pull to Cincinnati or St. Louis, granted Louisville has the most pull, if we're talking about midsized cities.

Virginia: Really only the area near Bristol has any slight pull toward Atlanta.

[grindin]

Originally Posted by joe2000

Yesterday they said 3 million people are moving here by 2040, must not be too bad...lol

I think Atlanta is the most hated on city in America...lol

I think Dallas, Houston, or Detroit are even more hated.

[Louie_Miami]

Just moved here from Miami and can agree that most people rather go some place else on vacation. Atlanta simply does not offer what other cities offer. you cant compare to San Fran , NY, Miami , Chicago etc.. specially since buckhead nightlife went down. Most attractions here are known to locals but they arent nationally known and really arent a big deal! even the AQuarium isnt enough. and cocacola world?hmmmmm(sarcastic tone) I always wanted to go see cokeworld!!! :/

[RZaakir]

If you give me a week with group of tourists who like to eat, dance/party, take in some art, sports, learn a little history, and meet good people, I will show them the time of their life - I don't care where they've been - right here in Atlanta without needing anything other than MARTA and an occasional cab.

This is really an incredible city but you have to work to discover all it has to offer. I had to consciously make a point to learn this city and it never ever ceases to amaze me.

[atlantaATL]

I know people always referring to BUckhead nightlife. that wasnt the only area that was popping in Atlanta. everyone act like since buckheads clubscene went down theres nothing else to do.

[Southlander]

Least favorite? What a ridiculous survey! Just proves you can create a survey to prove anything you like.

I would not choose Atlanta for a two-week or even week-long vacation, but we certainly go there a couple of times a year for long weekends. We might visit a Braves game, or Six Flags (especially if the Scoutmaster husband is herding his scout troop), see friends from the few years we lived there.

You can't beat Atlanta's shopping and restaurant scene. I love the big city ambiance because it's different from our small city. I'm glad Atlanta is close enough to visit for a weekend, but far enough away that it's a treat to go there!

[meadgrad]

Originally Posted by RZaakir

If you give me a week with group of tourists who like to eat, dance/party, take in some art, sports, learn a little history, and meet good people, I will show them the time of their life - I don't care where they've been - right here in Atlanta without needing anything other than MARTA and an occasional cab.

This is really an incredible city but you have to work to discover all it has to offer. I had to consciously make a point to learn this city and it never ever ceases to amaze me.

I do not doubt this at all, but the question is, is there anything in Atlanta that cannot easily be done in other cities...not really. doesnt make it a bad place to live, just nothing spectacular to visit.

All that fun stuff you just mentioned I could also do in Athens! They dont have MARTA but they have The Bus!

There is just not a lot of cultural identity as a tourist draw (of course Atl has culture, just not much to draw people) to Atlanta (great nodes of course, but nothing like a chinatown in San Fran, or great parks like Millinum park in Chicago, Peadmont is nice, but nothing there to draw nationally, we blew out most our historic infrastructure, so no real Gold Coast to speak of...and of course the coup de grace is the lack of a waterfront of any kind) Even just a large reflection pool like in DC would be something.

Then of course the lack of unique natural beauty. Dont get me wrong, the tree canopy is wonderful, which makes it a great place to live...but to visit? THere is nothing like Forest Park in Portland, or Central park in NY, or the Chicago waterfront.

Again, that does not make Atlanta a bad place to live, but there is little here that isnt already offered in most other towns. And I think that is what puts it low on the list.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by meadgrad

I do not doubt this at all, but the question is, is there anything in Atlanta that cannot easily be done in other cities...not really. doesnt make it a bad place to live, just nothing spectacular to visit.

All that fun stuff you just mentioned I could also do in Athens! They dont have MARTA but they have The Bus!

There is just not a lot of cultural identity as a tourist draw (of course Atl has culture, just not much to draw people) to Atlanta (great nodes of course, but nothing like a chinatown in San Fran, or great parks like Millinum park in Chicago, Peadmont is nice, but nothing there to draw nationally, we blew out most our historic infrastructure, so no real Gold Coast to speak of...and of course the coup de grace is the lack of a waterfront of any kind) Even just a large reflection pool like in DC would be something.

Then of course the lack of unique natural beauty. Dont get me wrong, the tree canopy is wonderful, which makes it a great place to live...but to visit? THere is nothing like Forest Park in Portland, or Central park in NY, or the Chicago waterfront.

Again, that does not make Atlanta a bad place to live, but there is little here that isnt already offered in most other towns. And I think that is what puts it low on the list.

I wouldn't visit San Francisco just to see Chinatown or Chicago just to go to Millenium Park...I don't know that those attractions are a national draw either. They are great assets to the cities and visitors certainly will certainly spend time there, but I seriously doubt that they are the reason for many visits to those cities.

Stone Mountain is a pretty nifty area of natural beauty and is a fairly well-known tourist attraction. Piedmont Park may not be a national attraction, but the Botanical Gardens inside of the park is a very nice nature attraction and draws tons of visitors. Centennial Park, while smaller and newer, has the draw of the 1996 Olympics and is well-known because of the media attention during that time.

I'm not sure what "historic infrastructure" you're referring to...

I don't think Atlanta is more of a vacation spot than a city with beaches or a larger city like NYC, Chicago or L.A. But there is a plethora of things to do in Atlanta, from live theater to historic sites to nightlife and so on. There is plenty to keep visitors entertained.