Thank you for the great advice for our Atlanta weekend! We had a great time and enjoyed seeing a new city. If anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks again!


My husband and I headed to Atlanta to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, April 13-15. We are trying to see all of the major league baseball parks and this was a good way to see a new city and see a new park. We departed early the morning of April 13 on Delta and arrived close to 12:30 p.m., EDT. We headed out toward the MARTA station. We rode the train to N3, North Avenue, where we got out and started looking for our hotel, the Georgian Terrace. We found it fairly easily and were able to check in right away. We had aquarium tickets for the 2-3 time slot so we didn’t spend much time in the room and headed out. The weather was beautiful on Friday, about 75 and sunny, so we enjoyed the mile or so walk to the aquarium. When we arrived at the aquarium, we grabbed something to eat in the café and started exploring. The aquarium was fun and we especially liked the ocean exhibit with the different sharks and the reef/tropical area. It only took us about 2.5 hours to go through the aquarium so afterward we ventured outside and walked around the Centennial Olympic Park, enjoying the sunshine. After checking out the park, we walked back to the hotel, looking at the beautiful churches and other scenery. We had thought about having dinner a little later and going to a jazz show at Churchhill Grounds, but once we got back to the room, we decided we didn’t want to wait to eat, so we decided instead to eat an early dinner and then go to the Braves game that evening. Friday was supposed to be the best weather so we decided to take advantage of it.

We had a wonderful anniversary dinner at Mitra on Juniper. My husband had the pulled pork and I had the short ribs and we got the empanadas for an appetizer. Everything was delicious and the presentation was beautiful. We sat out on the patio and were the only ones there when we arrived. It was a great meal with beautiful atmosphere.

After dinner, we took the train down to Five Points, then rode the shuttle to the stadium. This really worked out well. Once at the stadium, we couldn’t believe the walk up crowd but we stood in line and got our tickets. It was fireworks night and combined with the nice weather, probably contributed to the big crowd. Since we had bought good tickets for Saturday night, we got some less expensive tickets in the upper deck but really had no complaints. We were close to home plate and the view of the skyline was pretty. The Braves lost but we enjoyed a great game and nice weather. After the game, we took the shuttle back to the train station and rode back to the hotel. We were exhausted after getting up at 4 a.m., so we crashed!

We slept in Saturday morning and had plans to go to the Dogwood Festival and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. We were starving once we were ready to go so we headed out to check out several recommended places. Baraonda, the café on the corner, was closed, so we headed over to Jupiter, thinking we’d start walking to the park. We ended up stopping at Mulan, a Chinese place on Jupiter, for lunch. I had broccoli with beef and my husband had sesame chicken. The lunch specials included soup, rice and an egg roll. While the prices and value were good, the food was just average and the service was not great. After lunch, we walked down to Piedmont Park for the festival and enjoyed the booths, music and dog competitions for several hours. We also found the botanical garden and enjoyed a very nice stroll. The orchid rooms were gorgeous and I loved looking at all the different flowers. We have been to a lot of gardens and even during this time of year, thought this one was fantastic. We enjoyed the park for a little while longer and walked back to the hotel. We wanted something to eat but nothing was open before five and we didn’t want to get to the game that late so we decided to go to the game a little early. We took the train and the shuttle again and it started to pour en route. It had been threatening all day and it finally started. Once at the game, we looked at the park a little more and waited out the delay. The game was finally called at close to 9:30 that evening. Disappointed, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed, tired from all of our walking!

Sunday morning we got up and met my husband's friends for brunch at Java Jive in Virginia Highlands. My husband had French toast and it was very good. My pecan waffle was average and quite small. The fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee were very good. After breakfast, his friends drove us around some of the nearby neighborhoods and took us to the stadium. There we exchanged our tickets and went inside. With the weather about 45 degrees and 25 mile an hour winds, the ticket line was nonexistent and there were not a lot of fans at the game. Despite the very cold conditions, we enjoyed the game and the Braves won. After the game, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our bag. We decided to eat at Baraonda before heading to the airport and enjoyed a leisurely dinner. I had a Hawaiian pizza and Brian enjoyed a calzone. The food was good, not great, but again the atmosphere was nice. It was quite busy with a show at the Fox going on that night. The best part was the coconut gelato we had for dessert!

After dinner, we took the train back to the airport and checked in. Our flight was delayed for over an hour and we didn’t get home until after midnight. But we enjoyed Atlanta and it was nice to have a fun, relaxing weekend getaway. We enjoyed seeing a new city!


Great advice we received
We had an easy time navigating things on MARTA and appreciate the help on that before we left. It was much easier getting to the game using the train and shuttle and we were impressed by that process. It was easy to take it from the airport and the station was located very close to our hotel.

The restaurant suggestions we received were great. We loved Mitra and the others were good for us too. The Dogwood Festival was a lot of fun and we loved walking around the park.

The Georgian Terrace Hotel was a great location for us. We enjoyed being able to walk to the things we wanted to do and it was so close to the MARTA station. We enjoyed the historical aspects of the hotel as well. That being said, the hotel is a bit tired and things are outdated. There were chips in the sink and shower tile, the carpet was old, the TV tiny and the room very small. We were woken up at 8 a.m. by someone asking if we had a problem in the bathroom. Turns out someone gave them the wrong room number. Later, we had a problem with the toilet and had to get someone to come fix it. The staff was friendly for the most part and things were clean, it just isn’t fancy. I had e-mailed them about our anniversary and doing something for my husband, but nothing was said or done at any time during our stay. But, as my husband pointed out, we were so busy that we didn’t spend a lot of time in the hotel so it served our purpose fine. The best part was the location but I don’t know if I’d stay here again.

It was a great weekend!

Happy 5th Anniversary rockie with wishes for decades of wedding anniversaries!

I was in Atlanta for the first time exactly two years ago and I so enjoyed Atlanta. My trip was different then yours but I so enjoyed hearing about your visit..Atlanta is fun!!

Great trip report--thanks!

Thanks for sharing your fun time in Atlanta with us, rockie. Sorry about the cold rainy weather you had to endure.

What did you think about Turner Field?

Thanks for reading! Icee, we enjoyed Turner Field. We've been to about half the parks and I would say it ranks in the middle of the ones we've seen. There is certainly lots of excitement and they had great activities for all. We liked little things like the detailed out of town scoreboard, the huge Jumbotron in center and a student discount they offered.

Glad you had a great trip, rockie, and glad the weather held at least through Sat afternoon. I was a couple of blocks away from you on Saturday and thought about y'all as I watched the skies. I was so happy the rain waited to give you most of Saturday to play!

Sorry to hear that the Georgian Terrace is still showing some age. It's a shame, but I guess they keep enough business based on the location. At one time they turned the units into condos and then back to hotel rooms. The location can't be beat though. The Hotel Indigo rooms are newly renovated and with a funky vibe. May be worth considering if you come back - or one of the 4star hotels on Priceline.

You got around great on MARTA. Sad to say, most locals don't use MARTA.

Thanks for doing a trip report!

Congratulations on your trip. Sounds like you really maximized the opportunities here in Atlanta. Sorry it got cold on you--we pride ourselves on our nice weather, in addition to our trees!

Thanks, all, for reading! We really felt quite fortunate about the weather, considering what the forecast was earlier in the weekend for Saturday. We were so happy we got to enjoy the day outside. Brewlew, I can't believe I forgot to mention the trees! We were amazed at all of the green trees in Atlanta. Very pretty! Starrsville, we thought of you too as we walked by the churches on our way back from the park. You're definitely right about the location, it was great. MARTA was surprisingly easy...we got a little nervous taking it from the airport when we first arrived with a lady using some obscene language but that was the only problem we had the whole time.

You probably passed right by while I was there

You know, my thoughts on the homeless have changed since I've attended that church. In fact, on that Saturday, three homeless folks wandered in and all were nice and respectful. One wanted to see the windows he'd always seen from outside. One wanted "something to read" and we handed them one of the brochures. Both were very pleasant and appreciative. The third was a bit stressed and barely stepped in to ask for directions to the mission.

I looked for a couple in case you wandered in - but the only ones not on the tour wanted info about having their wedding there. Glad you enjoyed "The City of Trees"!

How was your stay at The Georgian Terrace? I'm looking to stay over night in a few weeks.

Thanks!!

The OP gave an report on the Georgian Terrace (see above). She said it looked a bit tired.

Right next to it is the Hotel Indigo. Small rooms but fresh furnishings. Funky kind of place. It's the Holiday Inn chain's first foray into boutique hotels.

Hello Babedame,
The location of the Georgian Terrace was fantastic...we walked to restaurants, MARTA, the aquarium, Piedmont Park, etc., and that was probably the best part of the hotel. I thought the rooms were tired and not in the best of shape. Service was not great, but for one night, it is probably fine. Enjoy Atlanta!