nohogal

I'm in Atlanta for a few days on business and have my late afternoons and evenings free. What are the top five things I need to do and THE best restaurants?
I'm staying downtown adjacent to the CNN complex.

MiamiBeachMomma

IMO the aquarium is the Best thing to see in Atlanta.
http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

My least fav - the World of Coca Cola.

Also fun is Stone Mountain - http://www.stonemountainpark.com/ - especially for the night time light show.

I don't have an idea on the nest restaurants. I visit with my kids for a few days every summer and we do touristy things together.

HappyTrvlr

I recommend a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site. There is an excellent National Park interpretative center and you can visit many buildings in his neighborhood including his church.
There is also the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.

starrs

Any restaurant from this list would be a good choice -
http://atlanta.eater.com/archives/20...ly-13.php#more

The Aquarium is probably the top sight to see.

fmpden

We are just back from a week in Atlanta. Not sure I would tag it as one of the most beautiful cities. We were somewhat disappointed with Atlanta. We were at the Westin in the same area as your hotel. The Aquarium and Centennial park were worth the visit. The Coke museum was margin. Mostly a huge ad for coke. Didn't hit the Civil Rights museum in the same area. The Atlanta Historical museum in Buckhead look very interesting but we skipped it the one day we had available because of rain.

NeoPatrick

To be perfectly blunt, I've never been a fan of DOWNTOWN Atlanta at all -- at least not since maybe the early 1970's. Even when doing conventions (or markets) there, we'd always stay outside the downtown area. To me there are better areas to stay -- particularly midtown or Buckhead.

fmpden

We stay in Buckhead a few years ago and thought it was very nice. This year the meeting were in downtown Atlanta but didn't think much of it. Min retails. Most of it closed down on the weekend. We were cautioned by the hotel to stay away from the underground. Peachtree Court/Mall ? was a bunch of fast food places and a couple of tacky shops. We would not be eager to return.

starrs

Totally agree. Most locals do.

Downtown Atlanta is basically a convention city and never has been residential. The Aquarium and Centennial Park have added some life to the area, but it's not a city comparable to others with a vibrant downtown. It pretty much closes down at dark, with the exception of the newer restaurants that have opened to provide services to those staying at the newer hotels. Most people stay in downtown for conventions or to attend ball games and concerts. Peachtree Center Mall's food court serves the office workers who work there during the day. It's a nice alternative to the big hotel restaurants for those wanting a moderate lunch (accessible via the bridges) but it's virtually closes up at night. One of my favorite restaurants was in downtown but that closed a few years ago during the recession. Underground died it's first death as a tourist/shopping location a couple of decades ago. They tried again with the same amount of success (none). Every local I know warns against Underground.

Buckhead always has offered more restaurants, etc. but it's pretty car dependent.

10+ years ago, Midtown was a place to avoid. It's transformed and is THE place to live in town. Lots of new condos and lots of folks of all ages - young "kids" and retirees returning to the city. The recession has hurt it becoming a shopping meccas (as planned) but stores are going in. It is the place to stay in Atlanta if you want good restaurants, hotels and folks on the streets enjoying city life. Our version of Central Park = Piedmont Park is lovely with the botanical gardens next door. The High Museum of Art is wonderful. It's a better place to stay over downtown and whatever you wanted to see/do in downtown is a short MARTA ride away - as is Buckhead.

I think the real pearl is Decatur. It's a small town in the midst of a big metro area. The only good hotel option right now is the Courtyard but it's a very pedestrian friendly city with wonderful shops and restaurants, a quaint gazebo area with free concerts and fireworks, etc. It's simply delightful.

If you are coming in to Atlanta for conferences, ball games, etc. consider staying in Midtown or Decatur and take MARTA to downtown.