What To Do in Atlanta When Visiting For The First Time

Now that I've gotten enough sleep to recover from my flight back to Miami from Atlanta, I wanted to give a little overview of all the things I did, saw and ate. But to give you the spoiler alert: It was all so good.

Why Atlanta?

Atlanta was one of those cities I have always wanted to visit. Being born in Colombia and having parents deeply rooted in traditional Colombian ways and culture living in Miami, I've never been able to be exposed to a "real" American experience. What do I mean by that? Sometimes I feel far removed from national holidays, the value of certain major cities, historical events that shaped the U.S. and everything along those lines. I've never experienced southern hospitality but yet, I technically live in the South. So I've consciously been on a quest to learn more about the U.S. and explore it's little interesting corners. So Atlanta was it. I had heard nothing but good things about Atlanta. Music, food, it's people, culture, fashion, and more.I booked my flight, took that Friday off and made my plans. Surprise, surprise. Hurricane Micheal happens. You should've seen me. I was checking Georgia's weather every hour to see if my flight was going to be canceled. I had my Airbnb booked already too. I messaged both Airbnb and American Airlines to see if anything had changed. But thankfully, the hurricane passed in the southern region and not directly in Atlanta. So here's my breakdown of what I did:

Flight and Airbnb in Atlanta

I was supposed to land at 10:30 p.m. but didn't land until close to midnight due to flight delays. My original plan was to at least go to a bar to watch a game and check out the local nightlife. But I didn't get to do that. Also, the Lyft/Uber situation at the Atlanta airport is tricky. There are two different sections for pick-ups, which would have been nice to know beforehand. I was there canceling Lyft after Lyft, not realizing I was selecting the wrong location for pick-up. Whoops. I even got attitude from a Lyft driver because she went to pick me up in one spot and I was in another. I finally figured it out after a $6 cancel fee and a Lyft driver telling me off. Ha.My Airbnb was also a first for me as well. I usually pick an entire home but I wanted to budget and went for a private room instead. I made sure to get one with a private bathroom. My hosts were college kids learning computer science. They were very nice and even waited up for me to welcome me despite being delayed almost an hour.

Museums in Atlanta

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World-of-Coca-Cola-Museum-in-Atlanta

Ruby-Bridges-Civil-and-Human-Rights-Museum-in-Atlanta

Friday was the day I wanted to do all the museums. That way I avoided the weekend crowd at museums, which really annoys me. If you know me, you know I love a good museum and the big crowds kill me. There are a couple of museums in Atlanta but I ended up choosing The World of Coca-Cola and the Civil and Human Rights Museum. They were walking distance from each other, which made it easy to go from one to another. The World of Coca-Cola was pretty cool. I'm really into marketing and advertising and seeing all the fun facts about the company gave me some more knowledge about the brand and the people behind it. At the end of the short film you see in the beginning, you can go upstairs and taste all the brands under Coca-Cola from around the world. Amazing stuff. Thailand and Madagascar were my favorites.From there, I walked to the Civil and Human Rights Museum which has three floors. The main floor, which is the second floor, is the Civil Rights floor. This is probably the best exhibit out of the three floors. So many facts, powerful images, film, and even a simulation of how it felt to be at a sit-in at a diner. You put on these headphones, lay your hands face down, and close your eyes. You're then startled by the yelling of what sounds like a white man taunting you and the sounds of glass breaking, people yelling and even the chair you sit in shakes like if it was being shaken by what would have been mobs of angry white people back in that time. There were moments where I got choked up because it was incredible to see the resiliency and courage the black community had, standing up against hatred due to the color of their skin. The third floor is the human rights floor and the first floor are real letters and archives sent to or written by Martin Luther King, Jr. You get to see his handwritten speeches, letters, and letters sent to him from powerful figures.

Good Food in Atlanta

5Church-Atlanta-New Orleans-BBQ-Shrimp-Brunch

I was craving BBQ since there were so many spots around. So I went to Twin Smokers, which was really good. It was walking distance from the museums. I also got to walk through Centennial Olympic Park, where you get to see one of the areas built just for the 1996 Summer Olympics. It was a beautiful park. Clean, spacious, in the middle of the city, and plenty of places to eat around there. Definitely would recommend as a picnic spot.Chick-a-biddy was a cute little restaurant in Atlantic Station where they base most of their plates on chicken and fried chicken. SO good. I ordered BBQ wings with fries and loved every bite. I missed their brunch hours but wish I could've since it looked really good.5Church Atlanta was where I got Saturday brunch. I really liked this spot. It's in midtown Atlanta where you get to see all the buildings, giving you a feeling of Midtown or Downtown Miami. It has two floors. The main eating area and the rooftop. It's also very spacious and has great modern decor. The bar is also pretty spacious. There were TVs showing the college football games. I ordered the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, which was amazingggg. The rooftop had a DJ playing good music and you had a good view of the city. Definitely recommend trying this place out.

Things To Do in Atlanta

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Midtown-Atlanta-buildings

I didn't do much nightlife since I am pretty washed but I did go to this spot called Hole in the Wall close to Peachtree. It was a chill bar with a small dance floor. The music was ok. The night I went, there was some hip-hop and popular songs playing. The drinks were good and the crowd was as well. I would recommend for a chill night out in the town if you're in that area.There was also Atlantic Station, which I loved. It was more my vibe since I like to be lowkey. This area is like an outdoor mall with shops like H&M, Old Navy, and Journey's with a movie theatre, coffee shop, little farmer's market, and restaurants. The night I went, there was an outdoor movie playing and it was packed. It was great for families, kids, or a simple date night.I wanted to see some of the local scene, so I went to Lenox Square Mall. This was a big mall that has all type of stores. From the high-end like Louis Vuitton to Topshop and Forever 21, I really liked the options in this mall. Let me also add that Atlanta has a lot of good looking people.The women are beautiful and the men are handsome. I ate some ice cream from Godiva there, it was SO GOOD. That White Chocolate ice cream was hitting.On Sunday night, I wanted to do a last minute hurrah and was able to get a friend who lived there to show me around East Atlanta and the Old 4th Ward area. It instantly reminded me of Wynwood and Midtown in Miami. Full of art, a street with nothing but bars playing music, and people from all backgrounds. I wish I could've known about this area sooner because it looked like something I wanted to explore more. I will definitely come back here when I come back to Atlanta. In conclusion, I loved Atlanta. It was like Miami but without the beaches and crazy Ocean Drive. Everything closes earlier too but there is still a lot to do, see and eat. There is so much culture in this city that makes me understand the current trend of migrating there to settle down. I can't wait to go back.