Being a quick 45-minute flight from TPA, Atlanta is perfect when you need to get away but don’t want to sacrifice precious vacation hours in transit. This city keeps another little piece of our heart every time we visit.
Pro tip: skip the tourist-y stuff.
Here are our must-sees if you only have a weekend to visit this booming city.
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Arepa Mia & Sweet Auburn Market
209 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303
This is the best meal we’ve had in Atlanta. Hands down. When a restaurant’s motto is “Happy Stomach, Warm Heart”, you know you’re in the right place. Located inside the bustling Municipal Market, Arepa Mia’s portions are hearty and everything on the menu looks incredible.
An added bonus for our GF friends: everything is naturally 100% Gluten Free. E-V-E-R-T-H-I-N-G. We can personally vouch for the absolute divinity of the Pabellon Arepas, the tostones, and the empanadas.
Muchacho ATL
904 Memorial Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30316
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If we could pick this shop straight off the ground and set it back down in St. Pete, FL we would. The world’s heartiest breakfast tacos, tequila cocktails, superb coffee, and more await you inside the 70’s themed dream that is Muchacho ATL. Opting for a beer instead of caffeine? Choose from “Cheap – $3, Decent $4.5 and Good $5”. We were especially fond of the retro wrestling card that was used to show our order number. Next time we’re in town, we’re stopping for dinner at the Golden Eagle Supper Club that’s in the back half of the building.
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Little Trouble (aka the Bladerunner bar)
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW Suite P-10C, Atlanta, GA 30318
Come for the ambiance, stay for the slick cocktail menu and the bao buns. The cocktail menu changes with the seasons, but the neon lights will always be there to beckon to you in the night. Off their “Super Crafty Cocktails,” we recommend the “Hi-T” – Japanese whisky, ginger, tea, honey, and lemon. It’s become an Instagrammers haven, so make sure to get there a little earlier in the evening if you want to snag a table.
R.Thomas Deluxe Grill
209 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303
If you’re looking for a funky brunch spot look no further. R. Thomas Deluxe Grill has become a favorite of ours in Atlanta. Plenty of options for the vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free diners among us. We recommend partaking in any of their fresh juice or yerba mate tea specials. The Lady Bug is our fave – yerba mate tea meets apple, pear, lemon, and honey. Another rec – the gluten-free pancakes, they are a fluffy plate of joy.
Team Octopus
209 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Sometimes on vacation, you don’t want to miss the gym. We get it. If you’re up for adventuring outside your normal routine, check out a class at Team Octopus. Their Sandy Springs gym was gorgeous. We started one of our Saturday mornings with their Kickboxing sessions. Edit: We tried our best, those classes are intense.
Ponce City Market
675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
A treasure trove for foodies, beverage connoisseurs, and retail therapy. If you only had time to go to one place in Atlanta, this is one of our top choices. Tampa friends, think of Armature Works, but on steroids. A few of our faves? Drop by Biltong Bar, a South African street food gastropub that advertises as a “beef jerky and booze” one stop shop. Give your bar a kick when you stop by 18.21 Bitters. Citizen Supply, on the second floor, has a great selection of curated local products from shirts to leather goods to plants and more. There’s an amusement park upstairs and access to the Beltline where you can rent bikes or those electric scooters that everyone has been raving about.
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
This is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens we’ve been to. Hands down. 30+ miles of a blissful oasis in the middle of Atlanta can be a lot to tackle on you’re own. Check out their online “Garden Guide” to helps you set an itinerary based on how much time you have, who you’re going with, and what day of the week you’re visiting. One of the times we went, we lucked out and caught a gorgeous selection of Chihuly glass art installations throughout the gardens. It was also the height of the Pokemon Go craze, and we can’t begin to describe how much more fun it was to catch Pokemon among exotic plants than it is in our backyard back home.
Little Five Points
Atlanta, GA 30307
Little Five Points is one of those districts you have to visit. Walk through these stores and we dare you not to buy anything. A superfan of the Fab 5? You can shop at The Clothing Warehouse, the vintage shop featured on the season premiere of the Queer Eye reboot right in Little Live Points. We can’t visit ATL without stopping by Rag-o-Rama to freshen up our wardrobe. Peruse stacks of lovingly curated vinyl, books, comics, and more at Criminal Records.
Te Amo Tea Cafe
5920 Roswell Rd A107, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
This one is about a twenty-minute drive north of Midtown but it is WORTH the detour. Our go-to order is the Red Dragon & Mango Fruit Tea. Fresh fruit and juice combined with green tea for the perfect summer treat. If you’re feeling adventurous, try out the black tea with cream cheese topping!
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