If you find yourself in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl, which is set to be a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day, we have a guide for the best ways to experience one of the best cities in the South.
Depending on the amount of time you have to explore, eat and find entertainment there are many different attractions you can set your eyes on. If visiting during this time in early January you will hopefully get sunny weather and not too cold of temperatures, which can make exploring the city even nicer.
The Peach Bowl is played in the Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, which is the home field for the Atlanta Falcons (NFL) and United (MLS). Although the teams for the game aren’t officially set, we share the perfect itinerary for making the most of your visit to ATL.
What to do
There are some key attractions in Atlanta that are fun for tourists as well as some hidden gems that locals love to enjoy.
First, if it’s your first visit to Atlanta there is an area downtown near Centennial Park which has the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola and the Center for Human and Civil Rights. All three attractions are located near each other and are indoors.
If you want a more local experience, check out the Beltline, a walking path through the city of Atlanta where you will see many locals biking and enjoying the skyline views. Off the Beltline is Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market, which both have food halls, shops and other restaurants to check out.
For the best views of the city, head up to the roof at Ponce City Market for a drink and some fun carnival games. It will cost you $6 to head up there, but the experience and Instagram-able pictures make it a worth it.
Other fun things to do in Atlanta if you are feeling like an outdoor experience are to head to the Atlanta Zoo, Atlanta Botanical Gardens or Piedmont Park.
Lastly, Atlanta was the birth place of Martin Luther King Jr. and you can visit his birth home and historical site in the city as well.
Where to eat
Atlanta is a great food city. There are many options and notable places that have been around for decades and have become part of Atlanta’s history and culture.
One great option for some family-style southern soul food and fried chicken is Busy Bee Cafe. According to Eater, the fried chicken at this James Beard America’s Classics award winner is marinated for 12 hours.
There are a decent amount of BBQ and chicken wing places in Atlanta as well. For BBQ I would check out Fox Brothers BBQ or Heirloom BBQ. For wings, locals enjoy J.R. Crickets, which you can get if you attend at Hawks game at State Farm Arena as well.
If you are looking for something on the fancier side, Ford Fry’s steakhouse Marcel and seafood and oyster bar The Optimist and solid options.
Where to stay
Mercedes Benz Stadium is located near downtown and is fairly walkable if you are staying in that area. There are a variety of hotels across the Atlanta metro area as well, but you would need to find transportation to the game or look into taking the MARTA train down. There is a stop right at the stadium which is convenient. Atlanta is known for it’s traffic, so give yourself plenty of time to get there so you don’t miss kickoff.
Some nice areas of Atlanta outside of downtown are Midtown, Virginia Highlands, Buckhead and Sandy Springs.
