Entries categorized as ‘Tourist Attraction’
Zoo Atlanta is no short stroll from the closet MARTA station, but if you are up for urban exploring or exercise, it is about a 30 minute walk, which you can also break up with brunch, lunch, dinner or drinks.
The closest MARTA station to the zoo is King Memorial. The station sits at the corner of Decatur Street and Hillard Avenue. Make a left onto Hillard heading southbound. Hillard will turn turn into Grant Street as you approach the first stoplight, which is Memorial Avenue. Cross over the street before turning left onto Memorial. Here you will find several restaurants, including a good brunch spot, Ria’s Bluebird.
Turn right at Ria’s Bluebird onto Cherokee Avenue. This street will take you over I-20 and runs alongside Grant Park. On the way you’ll go by Grant Central Pizza & Pasta and Dakota Blue, other eateries.
The zoo entrance is toward the southern end of the park. For other options, see bus routes to/from the Atlanta zoo.
Categories: King Memorial · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: atlanta zoo, zoo atlanta
Atlantic Station is one of the destinations to get to on transit. Take the MARTA train to the Arts Center Station. Take the Arts Center exit out of the station, which involves going up two flights of escalators. At the top/street level, there is an Atlantic Station shuttle pick up right outside the station entrance and across from the Woodruff Arts Center. Shuttles run every 5-10 minutes and are free. Shuttle stops include the main commercial district/movie theater, Target, Ikea and residences.
Shuttle operation times are:
| Hours of Operation |
| Mon-Fri |
5:00 a.m. – 1:30 am |
| Sat-Sun |
5:30 a.m. – 1:00 am |
You can also walk to Atlantic Station from Arts Center. It is roughly 15 minutes over the 17th Street bridge, much shorter distance than most people expect. Plus you can view all the lanes of traffic on the connector as you walk over.
For more information, see other Atlanta attractions and how to get there on MARTA.
Categories: Arts Center · Shopping · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: atlantic station, free, movie theater, Shopping
Now that Screen on the Green is over (sorry, just in June), the Coca-Cola Film Festival at the Fox Theatre is about to start on Thursday, July 9. Click the link for the full line up, but highlights include Slumdog Millionare, Star Trek, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Up. Wine tastings are also available for $12 before the show. Movie tickets are $8.
It is a very short walk to the Fox Theatre from the North Avenue station. Exit the station on the north end – there should be signs with arrows that say “To Fox Theatre”. You’ll briefly walk through the AT & T building where are there are a few shops. Keep moving straight ahead and there will be a street exit onto 3rd Street. Turn right on 3rd, then at Peachtree turn right.
If you accidentally stumble out of the station onto North Avenue, turn left on North, the left onto Peachtree Street to get to the Fox that way. The timing isn’t that much different, but you will stay underground longer by going via the AT & T building, which is nice if it is raining, cold or late at night when spending less time on the street might be a better option.
Categories: Arts, Music and Culture · North Avenue · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: film, fox theatre, movies
Most people going to a Braves Game take the Braves Shuttle from the Five Points MARTA station, but there are other ways to get to Turner Field as well. The closest MARTA station to Turner Field is actually the Georgia State station and it is about a 25 minute walk to the stadium. From the station, exit onto Piedmont Avenue then turn left and walk south toward the Capitol and you will run right into the stadium.
You can also avoid the Braves Shuttle crowd by taking a regular MARTA bus to the stadium. Two routes, Bus 17 (Georgia State Station) and Bus 55 (Five Points Station) go by Turner Field. They won’t be running as frequently as the shuttle, but if you plan ahead and know what time the bus departs from the station, then it gives you another alternative.
Categories: Five Points · Georgia State · Sports and Outdoors · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: braves game, turner field
Getting to Zoo Atlanta on MARTA requires taking a bus, as it isn’t close enough to a train station to walk. Some people don’t think much of the buses, but I’ve not had many problems and they usually run on time and take you where you need to go.
Here are your bus options for getting to the zoo:
- Bus 97 from the Civic Center Station. This route will also get you to the Georgia Aquarium, but the drawback is that it is a much longer ride to get to the zoo if you take this route.
- Bus 397 from the King Memorial or Inman Park Station. This bus ride is quite a bit shorter and will get you to the zoo quicker.
The zoo sits in historic Grant Park, which has a nice public pool, wooded paths, playground, tennis and more. The zoo is not very visible from the street, but sits in the southern end of the park. Just let your bus driver know where you plan to go and he/she will help direct you. Next to the zoo you will also find the Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, which has the world’s largest painting (of the Battle of Atlanta).
For more information, see other Atlanta tourist attractions and how to get there on MARTA.
Categories: Civic Center · Inman Park · King Memorial · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: cyclorama, grant park, museum, park, zoo
The Georgia Aquarium continues to be one of most popular tourist attractions in the city, and now the Aquarium is offering Friday Jazz Journeys concerts for an added perk to the exhibits.
There are several options for getting to the aquarium:
- Take the train to Peachtree Center and take the Harris Street exit out of the station. Walk north a block to Baker Street then turn left (west) on Baker. The aquarium is about 4 blocks down.
- Take the train to W1/Dome/GWCC stop. Take the Philip’s Arena exit out of the station and more or less walk straight ahead and through the park.
- Catch bus 97 from the Civic Center Station. This a great route because it will also take you to the Atlanta zoo, so you can hit both attractions on the same bus line.
- Catch bus 113 from Arts Center or Five Points. This bus will get you about a block away from the Aquarium. Route 97, though, will get you closer and probably a little easier to ride.
Categories: Arts Center · Civic Center · Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena · Five Points · Peachtree Center · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: georgia aquarium, zoo
Taking MARTA to Piedmont Park is a great option, especially during festivals such as the Dogwood Festival, or any other special event like Unplugged in the Park (live music at the Park Tavern) or the occasional improv comedy nights. Street parking can be difficult in the neighborhood during large events, though the new parking garage is now open on the Monroe side of the park.
If you are gearing up to take the train, you have two options. You can exit at the Arts Center Station and take 14th Street into the park, which gets you closer to the sports fields, running track, pavilions and slightly closer to the lake, pool and Saturday morning Green Market.
Or, you can exit at the Midtown Station and 10th Street down to the park. This route will put you closer to the rolling hills and at the far end of 10th Street you’ll find Park Tavern and the meadow, where the comedy crew usually sets up.
Two buses will also put you next to the park if you don’t want to walk the 10-15 minute distance from or to the train. Bus 36 departs from Arts Center and travels down 14th Street and Piedmont Avenue while Bus 45 leaves from the Midtown Station and travels down 10th.
Categories: Arts Center · Arts, Music and Culture · Midtown · Sports and Outdoors · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: festival, free, music, piedmont park
Little 5 Points is only a 10 minute walk from the Inman Park station. Bus 6 that departs from Inman Park and Lindbergh will also get you there if you don’t want to walk.
But, if you are walking, the fastest route is to exit the train on the Inman Park side of the station, turn right at street level, and take the PATH sidewalk to Euclid Avenue and turn right. If walking after dark, turn left at street level, turn right onto Hurt Street then right onto Euclid.
For more information, see the Top 5 Most Walkable MARTA Stations
Categories: Arts, Music and Culture · Inman Park · Shopping · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: little 5 points, neighborhood
The closest rail station to the Virgina-Highland neighborhood is Midtown, though it is nearly a two-mile walk (roughly 35 minutes) to the heart of the neighborhood. If you don’t want to walk, the better option is to take a bus. There are three options:
- Bus 16 departs from the Five Points Station. This is a great route that leaves from downtown and commutes up North Highland all the way to Loehmann’s Plaza at N. Druid Hills. It is the only route of the three that will take you to the shops and restaurants north of Virginia Avenue and into Morningside where you’ll find restaurants such as Elon’s Bakery, El Taco, Mali.
- Bus 45 is a more common choice, and this route departs from Candler Park and Midtown stations and travels along Virginia Avenue and before going south on North Highland down to Manuel’s Tavern. It does cover the Poncey Highlands area, but this route does have more limited service and frequency, so check the schedule before you go.
- Bus 2 departs from North Avenue and the Avondale Station and travels down Ponce de Leon Avenue. Exit at Ponce and North Highland. This route is frequent, but puts riders much further away from Virginia Avenue. It does provide access to many of the bars such as Neighbor’s, Hand and Hand, Atkins Park, 10 High, Righteous Room and Highland Inn Ballroom.
If you do want to walk, turn right onto 10th Street from the Midtown Station and walk until the road dead ends at Monroe Drive. Turn right on Monroe then a quick left onto Virginia Avenue, which goes up a steep hill. Walk another 15-20 minutes to reach the commercial district.
Categories: Arts, Music and Culture · Candler Park · Five Points · Midtown · North Avenue · Shopping · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: bars, neighborhood, virginia highlands
Most people tend to get to Centennial Olympic Park via the W1/Georgia Dome/GWCC stop on the west line. However, now that summer events like Screen on the Green, Wednesday Wind Downs and July 4th are in full swing or approaching, it is good to know some alternate routes.
It is just as easy to exit at the Peachtree Center Station at any of the exits EXCEPT the exit for the public library. Take one of the Peachtree Street/Peachtree Center exits and at street level you can walk west down Andrew Young International Blvd., Harris Street or Baker Street and end up in the park. These streets will also put you closer to the stage/ice rink as well as the Children’s Museum, World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium.
Categories: Arts, Music and Culture · Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena · Peachtree Center · Sports and Outdoors · Tourist Attraction
Tagged: film, georgia aquarium, holiday, museum, music, park, screen on the green, world of coke
