My husband and I will be attending a wedding in Alpharetta in late July and will be spending 3 days in Atlanta, a city that we have never been to before. We don't know exactly where we are staying yet (we assume somewhere in Alpharetta), but we know that we will have to rent a car. What are some must-see/must-do activities that we can check out? Thanks in advance!

There is a lot to do in the Atlanta area. World of Coke you probably would want to do once, You could also go to Six Flags if your into amusement parks. If your not, the Tullie Smith House and the Swan house in Buckhead are great tours. You can probably ask any local for directions. There are streets in Buckhead that are very beautiful. These are where the Antebellum(pre-civil war) mansions are. They are worth millions of dollars. You can also drive about 20 miles to Marietta to the battlefield, which is very interesting.

Sheryl:

Could you share what kind of activities you and your husband are interested in? That might narrow it down some.

Two things come to mind, beyond what tcapp mentioned. One is going to see a Braves game at Turner Field (also known as The Ted). I am not a baseball fan myself but even I have a good time when I'm there because of how nice it is and the fact that just about any seat is a good one. You can always drive to a MARTA station and catch the shuttle over to the stadium.

The other is going to Stone Mountain to see the laser show. After sundown every night during the summer, they show a laser show against the side of the mountain. People bring blankets and watch on the lawn. Definitely an Atlanta summer tradition.

We want to do/see attractions that are unique to Atlanta like the Laser Show; visit significant points of interest like tcapp mentioned; and check out the nightlife. So, we are pretty open to anything! We want to leave feeling like we really know the city of Atlanta, even though it was such a short period of time.

Sheryl, you're going to want to try MARTA once. It's the light rail system in Atlanta.

We have been Atlanta people all our lives. Stone Mountain is impressive & fun.The Braves game is always fun. Also Underground Atlanta is different. My brother & his family enjoyed the Coca-Cola Museum. I always try to make a stop at the Varsity for a chili dog & fried pie. My parents went there in the 40s & 50s. It is a real back to the past experience. There are 4 locations around town.

Have fun!

For an interesting experience there is a very famous glass artist in Atlanta, Godo Frabel, and there are tours of his studio and you can see him and his associates working at the lamp and designing magnificent pieces.. www.frabel.com for directions and a story about Godo Frabel.

Sheryl, it sounds like you're into a little of everything. Which is good because Atlanta has a great deal to offer.

There are many good suggestions here. Another thing unique to Atlanta is on Fridays, Fernbank Museum has Martinis and IMAX. Every Friday night they have a jazz group playing before the IMAX movie and they serve martinis. You have to make reservations, its that popular.

Two places I'd also failed to mention are the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and the Carter Library/Center. Both great places.

For nightlife, many people seem to love Buckhead and its many bars/restaurants. For myself, I prefer the Virginia/Highlands area because its not as trendy or expensive. You can walk around and see some interesting shops and the bars/restaurants are just as good. The mood is more laid back.

As for restaurants, Atlanta has plenty. One of my favorites near Vinings (off Paces Ferry not far from Buckhead)is Canoe. It's on the Chattahoochee River and they serve excellent food in the New American style. I like to take guests there myself.

Your friends may know more about dining in Alpharetta as its literally tripled in size since I lived there in 1997.

The Buckhead and Virginia Highlands areas are my favorite. VH is more fun to stroll around in during the day...interesting shops and some good restuarants. Buckhead is indeed more commercial and crowded, but fun in the evenings.

Be aware that Stone Mtn can get very crowded on the weekend, and there was a certain redneck element the one time I was there. I'm afraid I must also disrespect Underground Atlanta. To me, it was a tourist trap, and not the safest area of town.

Restaurant recommendations:
Brasserie Le Coze - French
Soto - Sushi
Baccanalia - gets a lot of press in the food mags, but is very expensive, it's not bad if you want a frou-frou meal,butI didn't feel terribly impressive. I think the same restaurant would close up pretty quickly in New York.
Watershed - a bit out of the way in Decatur, but very good, casual, trendy place with an interesting wine list.

Hello again! Thanks to everyone who responded; our plans are now more defined, so I need advice for our itinerary. We will essentially have 1&1/2 days in Atlanta to sight-see before we head up to Alpharetta, so would we be able to fit in the MLK Jr. National Historic Site, a tour of the CNN Studios, a tour of the World of Coke, and the Jimmy Carter Museum (and maybe the Atlanta History Center) into that short time? Could we fit three into one day, and one for the half-day? We have already decided to spend the last afternoon at Stone Mountain before we leave. Also, any thoughts on Fogo de Chao? A friend of mine told me the food was excellent. Thanks so much!

Drive to Gulf Shores, AL.

Any advice on our itinerary? Please?!?!

Living in Alpharetta for more than 25 years I might be able to give you some aid. You have had some great advice.If you want Stone Mtn. (and it's a must),go in late afternoon/evening. Becareful of weekday traffic though. Finish with the lightshow (bring blanket/cooler/bug spray/food,etc.-a great picnic). I'm not sure what you have planned in Alpharetta,but you might choose to go to there one of your evenings that you stay there.
If you combine Coke and CNN (you'll need reservations at CNN) you can do them in about 3-4 hours . You'll get a quick glimpse of underground when you visit Coke (not great,but you can say that you have been there). You will also see Olympic park whwn you visit CNN. From there you can go to MLK Museum.
If you do Jimmy Carter ,you can easily visit Fernbank (recommended).You are then very close to the Virginia Highlands area for dinner and a little shopping.A very full day,but can be done.

We've heard good things about Fogo de Chao from people in our bike group- just haven't made the trek yet. Definitely for meat lovers, although I understand it has a huge salad buffet.

Fogo is great. I am a meat eater and my wife is a vegetarian. We both loved it. Great meats and the best salad bar that I have ever seen.Do not eat that day!

Sheryl,
Your itinerary sounds do-able. You're certainly hitting all the tourist sights, which is fine if that's what you want to do.
Personally, I'd rather spend a day leisurely strolling around Virginia Highlands, enjoying the little shops, little restaurants, and enjoying people watching.
But that's me.
My wife likes Fogo. My personal favorite funky place is the Floataway Cafe. But it's sorta out of the way (unless you decided to do Virginia Highlands).
Have fun.

We love Floataway as well. Soto Soto is also a good option for this area of town.

Just something to think about: the Laser Show at Stone Mtn IS fun, but it will take forever to get out of the park when it is over around midnight. Just plan to sit in traffic for awhile. (there is an Inn at the park that might be an alternative).

Other ideas, if you haven't already firmed up your plans: the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Both are in midtown area which is close to other things you are interested in.