Category Archives: Art, Music and Culture
MARTA to the Spring Festival on Ponce
The new Spring Festival on Ponce features local artists and acoustic music in a series of parks along Ponce de Leon Avenue. The 2012 dates are April 14-15.
For easiest access, riders can board bus 2 at the North Avenue, Candler Park or Decatur Stations, which travels along Ponce de Leon Avenue and the festival. Another option is to take bus 6 from the Inman Park or Lindbergh Station and exit at Moreland and Ponce de Leon and walking about 10 minutes away from downtown on Ponce.
For more information, see:
How to Ride MARTA Buses
Using Google Maps for MARTA Directions
MARTA to Center Stage/The Loft/Vinyl
Center Stage, The Loft and Vinyl are live music venues in Midtown, located in the same building at 1374 West Peachtree Street. They are a short walk away from the Arts Center Station on the red/gold rail line. Take the West Peachtree Street exit out of the station and turn right on West Peachtree and walk about a block to 17th Street. The building is on the corner. Bus 37 departs from the station and also has a stop there.
For more information, see:
MARTA Maps
Navigating the Arts Center Station
Music Venues Near MARTA Stations
MARTA to the Blue Grassroots Music and Arts Festival
The Stone Mountain Village Blue Grassroots Music and Art Festival will take place on March 31, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Stone Mountain Village, just outside the Stone Mountain Park. The village will have street music jams and contra dancing in addition to Bluegrass musicians on stage, an arts and crafts show and a children’s area. Admission is free. The event hosted by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces and Main Street Stone Mountain.
To get there on MARTA, take bus 121 from the Kensington MARTA Station on the blue rail line. If you are coming from the red/gold rail line, such as from downtown or midtown, you’ll have to transfer at the Five Points Station to the Eastbound train platform and get on a train marked “Indian Creek”.
The bus ride is about 35 minutes — the Stone Mountain Village is at the end of the route. On Saturdays, bus 121 runs every 20 minutes and departs the Kensington Station at 15, 35 and 55 minutes past the hour. View the full Saturday schedule for bus 121 here.
For more information, see:
How to Ride MARTA Buses
Best of MARTA: Food/Drink
Music Venues Near MARTA
How to Use Google Maps for MARTA Directions
MARTA to the Atlanta Winter Beer Fest
The Atlanta Winter Beer Fest takes place in January at the Masquerade, a music venue at 695 North Avenue. Plenty of beer and several stages of live music to go around. Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door.
To get there on MARTA, board bus 2 at either the North Avenue, Candler Park or Decatur Station (yes Decatur fans, if you live near the Decatur Square or off Ponce, just hop on the bus — same with those who live in Poncey or Virgina Highland). Exit at the intersection of Ponce de Leon and Glen Iris Drive. Cactus Car Wash, Eats and City Hall East will be on the corner. Walk south on Glen Iris then turn left on North Avenue and walk about a block (see walking map). On Saturdays, the bus departs about every hour from Decatur and Candler park and every 35 minutes from North Avenue. Be sure to check the schedule.
For more information see:
Best of MARTA: Food/Drink
Music Venues Near MARTA
How to Ride MARTA Buses
How to use Google Maps for MARTA Directions
MARTA to the Midtown Arts Cinema
The Midtown Arts Cinema is a neighborhood movie theater located at 931 Monroe Drive, across from Grady High School and Piedmont Park. The closest MARTA station is Midtown on the red/gold rail line. You can take the 10th Street exit out of the station and turn right (if coming up via the Federal reserve tunnel, turn left), and walk about 20 minutes down 10th Street where it dead ends at Monroe Drive. Turn right on Monroe and left into the Trader Joes shopping center. In the back is the theater. Wine are beer are available for purchase.
If you don’t want to walk, you can board bus 36 or bus 99 at the Midtown Station. Both have stops near the theater (exit by Trader Joes and Starbucks). The bus ride is no more than five minutes. Bus 99 also picks up passengers at the Georgia State station and in part of the GSU campus. If you plan to take the bus back to the station, be advised that bus 36 stops early in the evening.
Nearby restaurants/bars include Metro Fresh, F.R.O.G.S. Cantina, Mellow Mushroom, Jersey Mike’s Subs, The Highlander, Apres Diem, Rice Box, Desi Spice and Royal Orchid Thai.
For more information, see:
Best of MARTA: Fun/Recreation
How to Ride MARTA Buses
Navigating the Midtown Station
Midtown Station Restaurants
MARTA to the Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade
The 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade takes place Dec. 31 from 12:30 – 2 p.m. just outside the Peachtree Center MARTA station on the red/gold rail line. All north/soundbound trains stop at this station, and all station exits will take you to street level where you can view the start of the parade. Or if coming from the blue or green rail line, exit at the Five Points Station and follow the signs to the Northbound train platform and get on the first train that arrives and go one stop to Peachtree Center.
The other option is to exit at the Dome Station on the blue/green rail line and follow the signs to the Philips Arena exit. Go up the escalators and keep walking straight ahead along Centennial Olympic Park Drive (Philips Arena will be on your left). A few blocks up the parade route travels on Andrew Young International Blvd. through the park (see walking map). If you are coming from the north or south rail line, be sure to exit at Five Points and follow the signs to the Westbound platform for the correct train.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl Fanfest will take place next to the Dome Station at the Georgia World Congress Center after the parade and the football game will take place in the Georgia Dome next door.
For more information, see:
MARTA to the Chick-fil-A Bowl
New Year’s Eve Weekend MARTA Schedules
Navigating the Peachtree Center Station
Dome Station Restaurants
Peachtree Center Station Restaurants
Top 5 MARTA Stations to Park and Ride
MARTA to the Krog Tunnel
The Krog Tunnel is one of Atlanta’s more off-the-beaten-track attractions. It is known for its graffiti that is equally artwork and advertisement space for local area events. The tunnel is located where Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park and Cabbagetown meet. There is no bus route that travels into the tunnel (not enough height), but you can get within a two block walk.
Take bus 3 from either the Five Points or Candler Park Station and exit at Krog Street and Irwin Street. Look for the lofty brick buildings and railroad tracks. Walk south on Krog Street toward Stove Works and the tunnel will soon be visible (see area map). Nearby destinations include the BeltLine, Studioplex, Serpas tapas, Kevin Rathbun’s Krog Bar and 97 Estoria pub. **Note, bus 3 only travels to the area on weekdays only. Another option is bus 21, but that does require a much longer walk. Exit at Pearl Street and Memorial Drive.
For more information, see:
MARTA Maps
How to Ride MARTA Buses
10 Popular Atlanta Tourists Attractions and How to Get There on MARTA
MARTA to the Children’s Christmas Parade
The Children’s Christmas Parade takes place every year in downtown Atlanta along Peachtree Street. For 2011, view the parade at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 just outside the Peachtree Center MARTA Station near the intersection of Baker and Peachtree Street. Attendees can take any exit out of the station to see the parade or exit at the Five Points Station and turn left out of the Peachtree Street station exit to view the parade near the middle of the route.
For more information, see:
Navigating the Five Points Station
Navigating the Peachtree Center Station
10 Atlanta Attractions and How to Get There on MARTA
MARTA to the Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes
The Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes is an annual event during the winter holiday season and provides an inside look at the homes in the neighborhood. The 2011 dates are Dec. 10 and 11 and tickets are $25 in advance, which includes food tastings from local restaurants. Ticket pick-up and sales will be at the YWCA at 957 N. Highland Avenue. To get there on MARTA, choose from two bus routes:
- Bus 16 stops in front of the YWCA and goes through the entire neighborhood on N. Highland Avenue. You can get on the bus at the Five Points Station or along N. Highland Avenue from Freedom Parkway north to Johnson Road. The route ends at Loehman’s Plaza off Briarcliff and North Druid Hills Road.
- Bus 36 departs from the Midtown and Avondale Stations and stops at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and N. Highland Avenue. Exit the bus and walk south (towards Yeah Burger) about one block.
For more information, see:
How to Ride MARTA Buses
Best of MARTA: Food/Drink
Best of MARTA: Recreation
Top 5 Places to Live in Atlanta Without a Car
MARTA to the Chastain Park Arts Festival
An annual festival in November, the Chastain Park Arts Festival features over 200 artists, live acoustic music, local food, food trucks and a children’s area. The festival benefits “Livable Buckhead”, which develops and maintains greenspace, as well as a scholarship fund for local artists administered by the Georgia Foundation for Public Spaces. The 2011 dates are Nov. 5-6.
Chastain Park is accessible via bus 5, which departs the Lindbergh and Dunwoody Stations. Exit the bus at Roswell Road and W. Wieuca Road and walk a mile to reach the festival (see walking map).
For more information, see:
How to Ride MARTA Buses
Using Google Maps for MARTA Directions
MARTA to the Ferst Center for the Arts
The Ferst Center for the Arts is located on the Georgia Tech campus at 350 Ferst Dr NW. There are two options for getting there on MARTA:
Take a red or gold line train to the North Avenue Station and board bus 26. Exit the bus at the intersection of North Avenue and Cherry Street. A Hampton Inn will at the intersection on the left side of the street. Walk north on Cherry Street, then left on Ferst Drive. Follow the road around to the Student Center, which has a pyramid-shaped sculpture sticking out at the entrance to its parking lot. Turn right into the parking lot and walking straight ahead to reach the Ferst Center. The Student Center will be on your right, and just behind it is the Ferst Center. Walking time is 10-15 minutes (see walking map).
The other option, which involves less walking, is to board the free Tech Trolley at the Midtown Station at the Peachtree Place station exit. Tell the driver you want to exit at the Student Center, which is one stop before the transit hub at the end of the line (see trolley route map). Follow the same directions above by walking through the student center parking lot to reach the Ferst Center.
For more information, see:
How to Ride MARTA Buses
North Avenue Station Restaurants
Navigating the Midtown MARTA Station
MARTA to Taste of Atlanta
Taste of Atlanta is a annual event showcasing chefs and restaurants around the city. The 2011 dates are Oct. 22-23, and the event will take place at Tech Square in Midtown.
Tech Square is about equally distant between the North Avenue and Midtown Stations on the red/gold rail lines.
For the shortest walk, take the Fox Theatre exit out of the North Avenue station. After exiting the fare gates, walk straight ahead through the shopping mall and exit onto 3rd Street. Turn left onto 3rd then right onto West Peachtree. Tech Square is less than two blocks up on the left at 5th Street.
When exiting at the Midtown station, take the Peachtree Place exit out of the station and turn right. At the first intersection, turn left on West Peachtree Street and walk down to 5th Street.
For more information, see:
Best of MARTA: Food/Drink
North Avenue Station Restaurants
Midtown Station Restaurants
5 Skymiles Restaurants Near MARTA
Top 10 Fine Dining Restaurants Near MARTA
MARTA to the Wheelbarrow Festival
The Wheelbarrow Festival is hosted yearly by the Reynoldstown neighborhood. Located just south of Little Five Points in the Lang-Carson Park, the festival is family-friendly and features live music, food and art.
The closest MARTA station is the Inman Park Station on the blue/green rail line. If coming from Five Points, board an Eastbound train labeled “Indian Creek” or “Candler Park” to get to there.
From the station, the park is about a 15 minute walk south. After exiting the fare gates, turn left to take the exit marked “Reynoldstown”. At street level take Seaboard Avenue along the rail tracks toward downtown and turn left on Walthall Street then right on Boulevard Drive. Keeping walking to Manigault Street and turn right (see walking map).
For more information, see:
Inman Park Weekend Train Schedule
Navigating the Inman Park Station
How to Use Google Maps for MARTA Directions
MARTA to the East Atlanta Strut
The East Atlanta Strut is a yearly music and arts festival that takes place in mid-September. In addition to live music and art, the festival features a parade, 5K and motorcycle and car show.
The closest MARTA station to the festival/East Atlanta is Inman Park on the blue/green rail line, although you must take a bus from the station to get the neighborhood.
If you are coming from the red or gold rail lines, transfer at Five Points to the eastbound platform and get on a train labeled “Indian Creek” or “Candler Park” to reach the Inman Park station. From there, choose from these three bus routes:
You’ll want to check the schedules ahead of time online and print out route schedules or view on your smartphone to help plan your trip. Buses park on both sides of the station — bus 4 departs from the Inman Park side of the tracks, while 34 and 107 are on the Reynoldstown side.
For more information, see:
How to ride MARTA buses
Inman Park Weekend Train Schedule
Navigating the Inman Park Station
How to Use Google Maps for MARTA Directions
MARTA to the Decatur Book Festival
The AJC Decatur Book Festival takes place every year over Labor Day weekend in Downtown Decatur. It is an easy ride on MARTA, as the Decatur Station sits right below the square where the majority of festivities are held.
To get to the Decatur MARTA Station you must be on a blue line train. From Five Points, follow the signs to the Eastbound platform and board an Indian Creek train.
If you live in Midtown, you could also take bus 2 from Ponce de Leon to Decatur. Be advised that only every other bus travels all the way to Decatur.
For parking and riding, the MARTA stations to each side of Decatur have free daily parking, East Lake and Avondale. Or use end of the line stations like Kensington and Indian Creek if coming from I-285.
For more information, see:
Top 5 MARTA Stations to Park and Ride
Interstate Exits for MARTA Stations
Train Schedules and Frequency
