Planning to spend a weekend in Atlanta, Georgia? After visiting the city numerous times, it’s become one of my favorite U.S. destinations. Between its rich history, warm weather year-round, and delicious Southern comfort food, Atlanta is a must-see city for anyone in the South.
This weekend in Atlanta 3 day itinerary is perfect for first-time visitors. You’ll experience all the best of what Atlanta has to offer in a very short time. I grouped activities by proximity so you’ll have less travel time between landmarks. I also include helpful Atlanta travel tips at the end.
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Last Updated: July 17th, 2024
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Weekend in Atlanta Day 1
The first day of your weekend in Atlanta Atlanta itinerary is to get settled and explore the city. Knock out some of the city’s most famous landmarks near the city center.
Budget Travel Tip: Get the Atlanta CityPASS if you’re going to more than one landmark. It grants a 44% discounted pre-paid admission to the following museums:
- Georgia Aquarium
- World of Coca Cola
- Zoo Atlanta
- 2 of your choice between the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, and Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame.
Atlanta Breakfast Club
Fuel your morning at the famous Atlanta Breakfast Club Downtown! It’s a fun brunch restaurant loved by tourists and locals alike.
The BEST dish to get is the peach cobbler chicken and waffles. It’s technically an off-menu item but is still wildly popular. It comes with juicy boneless fried chicken sandwiched between thick Belgian waffles. Atop is a sweet coating of fresh peach cobbler and maple syrup. Even though it’s a huge portion, I devoured the entire dish in one sitting. (It’s that good)
It’s an extremely famous restaurant, so I recommend going either really early or at an off-peak time. I made the mistake of going at 11AM on the weekend and had to wait nearly two hours to get a seat. On some weekends they do have a DJ to keep people entertained while they wait, though, which I found nice.
Georgia Aquarium
Just a 5-minute walk from the breakfast restaurant is the famous Georgia Aquarium.
The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the United States and the 3rd largest in the world. Give yourself around 2-3 hours to explore and fully immerse yourself in the museum’s exhibits and shows.
The aquarium has hundreds of sea animals and uses over 11 million gallons of water. My favorite exhibit (and the one you’ve likely seen all over Instagram) is the Ocean Voyager exhibit. The exhibit is HUGE and includes sharks, fish, and beluga whales. There’s even a section you can walk through where you’re surrounded by the tank on all sides. It’s a really cool experience that’s also perfect for pictures.
The aquarium has two interactive presentations throughout the day: the dolphin and sea lion presentations. You get to see the sea animals do tricks while learning facts about them from the staff. Both shows are included with your general admission ticket, but make sure to make a seat reservation online to attend. It is definitely a must-do when at the aquarium.
Coca-Cola Museum
Directly across from the Georgia Aquarium is the World of Coca-Cola Museum, included in Atlanta CityPASS. The prices at the door are $35 per person.
The 3-story museum showcases the history of Coca-Cola as well as fun facts. There’s also an interactive “Taste Around the World” section where you can try different soda variations from countries around the world. With your admission, you get a free can of Coca-Cola as well.
Note: If you only have time for 1 museum for your weekend in Atlanta, I recommend the Georgia Aquarium over the Coca-Cola Museum. It’s much bigger with more interactive exhibits to check out. However, if you’re a Coca-Cola fan, go for that!
Centennial Olympic Park
After exploring Atlanta’s museums, enjoy the outdoors at Centennial Park. It’s only a 3-minute walk from the Aquarium and Coca-Cola museum. The 22-acre public park was built to commemorate Georgia’s Legacy in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. It’s a popular area to walk, jog, or just hang out.
The middle of the park has the Skyview, a Ferris wheel serving fantastic views of Downtown Atlanta.
Eat Some Southern Food
You’ll likely be hungry after hours of sightseeing. There are plenty of great Southern restaurants Downtown. Here are some must-tries:
Gus’ Famous Fried Chicken: a full-service restaurant with made-to-order, hand-battered fried chicken. They’re known for their southern spicy fried chicken.
The Food Shoppe: Lowkey Cajun/Creole casual spot. Popular items include the Jambalaya, Mac & Cheese, and rice dishes. I LOVED their Voodoo Mac — mac & cheese with sweet BBQ sauce and pulled chicken.
The Busy Bee Cafe: Southern classics including fried chicken, mac and cheese, candied yams, and fried catfish.
Other Fun Downtown Atlanta Activities:
- College Football Hall of Fame (included in Atlanta CityPASS)
- Zoo Atlanta (included in Atlanta CityPASS)
- The Fox Arena for a Broadway show or concert
- Children’s Museum of Atlanta
- 1.5 Hour Atlanta Trolley Tour (200+ reviews) popular trolley tour that takes you through Atlanta’s historic Fourth Ward, Inman Park, food markets like Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market, & the homes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Margaret Mitchell.
Weekend in Atlanta Day 2
Day 2 of this weekend in Atlanta itinerary is to get away from Downtown and explore other neighborhoods, like Midtown.
Ponce City Market & The Beltline
One of my favorite Atlanta Midtown activities is the Ponce City Market. It’s a half indoor-half outdoor shopping center converted from the historic Sears building. They have a mix of chain stores and local vendors for all your shopping needs.
One of the market’s highlights is the food hall. The trendy, rustic-designed hall has two floors filled with local eateries. It’s Atlanta’s version of Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market and has cuisine from around the globe, so there’s something for everyone! Options include Biki for Iranian street food, Honeysuckle for gelato, and Ton Ton for ramen.
For fun boozy popsicle cocktails, I like the King of Pops. I got a “poptail“, which is a popsicle inside a cocktail. It was refreshing, delicious, and the perfect drink to walk around the market with (it came in a plastic cup). My only gripe is it’s expensive for a non-fancy cocktail at $15.
Head upstairs from the Ponce Market to the Beltline. It’s a stunning 22-mile-long urban walkway that connects Atlanta’s neighborhoods. The cool thing is that it’s made from a renovated railway! The entire trail takes about 1.5 hours to complete, but I only walked the area surrounding the market. It was bustling with people, live music, and a few rooftop bars.
A similar market to Ponce Street nearby is the Krog Street Market.
Comfort Food at Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Mary Mac’s Tea Room is an Atlanta institution for classic Southern comfort food. They’ve been in business for 75+ years and are one of the city’s most famous restaurants. Must-tries include the Southern fried chicken and chicken fried chicken smothered in gravy.
First-time visitors get a free potlikker soup made from collard greens. Many people love it, but I honestly hated it. It’s VERY bitter. My recommendation is to try and see for yourself!
Atlanta Botanical Garden
I didn’t expect much from the Botanical Garden and almost skipped it altogether. I’m glad I didn’t because it’s one of the most unique and beautiful gardens I’ve seen, and it is a MUST for your weekend in Atlanta itinerary!
The garden is conveniently located in the heart of Atlanta’s Midtown. It’s 30 acres of sweeping flower displays, sculptures of bushes, and a conservatory. You’ll need around 1.5-2 hours to fully take in the scenery.
One must-see exhibit is the extravagant Earth Goddess statue. It’s located towards the middle of the garden and has been an ongoing sculpture for the last 10 years. It’s one of the best sections of the garden to take pictures.
Another fun section of the garden is the indoor domes with ecosystems like the desert and rainforest. Each biosphere dome is temperature controlled for those plants, and there are fun facts written throughout the area. It’s my favorite part of the whole garden.
Piedmont Park
Located right next to the botanical garden is Piedmont Park. The 180+ acre green space is in the heart of the city and is completely free to visit. The 2.4-mile loop takes around 46 minutes to walk. It’s the perfect spot to picnic, bike, jog, or go boating.
Depending on when you visit, the park hosts activities like the walking club, running club, farmers market, and trivia. Check out the Piedmont Park website for more information.
Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site
Learn more about Martin Luther King Junior’s life and legacy at this 35-acre historical site. You can visit his birth home, see the roses at the World Peace Garden, listen to speeches at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, and pay your respects at his tomb. More details are on the DiscoverAtlanta website.
Travel Tip: Go to the visitor’s center or King Center to pick up free tickets to guided tours of Martin Luther King Junior’s home.
Southern BBQ at Fox Bros. BBQ
No weekend in Atlanta is complete without eating some Southern BBQ. Fox Bros. BBQ is one of the most well-known. They have great food, an outdoor patio, and a lively atmosphere.
I recommend splitting a meat tray combo with someone else to try a bit of everything. My friend and I split the BC plate.
Here’s my order for you to steal: pulled pork, sliced beef brisket, and sausage links. For sides, we got french fries, cornbread, and pimento cheese. All the meats we tried were well-seasoned and tender. For drinks, you can’t go wrong with their Arnold Palmer (sweet tea and lemonade mix).
Other great Southern BBQ options include:
- Pit Boss BBQ: old-school bbq joint near the airport/Hapeville
- Heirloom Market BBQ: southern bbq with Asian influences
- Fat Matt’s Rib Shack: bbq shop with live blues music
Weekend in Atlanta Day 3
The last day of your weekend in Atlanta itinerary offers an optional day trip. If you have the means to rent a car for the day trip, it’s absolutely worth it!
Day Trip to Helen, Georgia
Helen, Georgia is a unique town about 1.5 hours drive away from Atlanta. It’s streets are lined with Bavarian-style buildings and cute local shops that make you feel like you’ve entered a German village!
Explore Helen’s Downtown to try traditional German food, admire the architecture, and shop. I ate at Muller’s Famous Fried Cheese cafe for authentic German and Czech food. Of course, I had to try the fried cheese. It’s exactly what it sounds like — fried cheese with a herby panko batter. So, naturally, it was delicious.
Another recommended German restaurant Downtown is Bodensee.
Outdoor activities include hiking, horseback riding, and taking a hot air balloon. I did the Dukes Creek Falls trail, which lasted about an hour and took me to a low-key waterfall viewpoint. It was an easy hike that was more like a walk. Check out MyGlobalViewpoint for more things to do in Helen!
For me, Helen is 100% worth the drive. It was really cool to see a slice of Germany in the middle of the U.S. South. Definitely a highlight that I would fit into any weekend in Atlanta.
Korean BBQ in Duluth
You may know Atlanta for its Southern U.S. BBQ, but did you know they have some incredible Korean BBQ too?
A great option for Korean BBQ is 678 BBQ in Duluth, Georgia. Duluth has a large Korean population, so there’s tons of great Korean food around. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Atlanta. You can order a la carte or do all-you-can-eat bbq for $35. I noticed there are more options for A La Carte. I recommend beef brisket and short ribs.
Rooftop Bar
End your weekend in Atlanta at one of the city’s many rooftop bars! It’s the perfect way to unwind and admire the skyline. These are some of the best Atlanta rooftops:
Virtue Rooftop: Located at the top of the restaurant 5Church Atlanta, Virtue provides stunning views of Atlanta’s Midtown. In addition to their inventive cocktails, they have a small plate and dessert menu. Dishes include tandoori chicken skewers, charcuterie plates, and wings.
Rooftop LOA: A rooftop concept offering 360-degree views of Atlanta’s Downtown. The rooftop includes a bar, pool, and full-service European restaurant.
Find more of Atlanta’s best rooftops at TheRooftopGuide’s website.
Other Activities to Add To Your Weekend in Atlanta
- See a Broadway production at the Tony award-winning Alliance Theater before it makes it to Broadway. The theater has been around since 1968 and has plays and musicals designed for all ages.
- Check out the Atlanta State Farmer’s Market, one of the largest farmer’s markets of its kind in the United States.
- Explore the artsy Little Five Points neighborhood, known for its quirky shops and vintage stores, street art, and indie radio station.
Weekend in Atlanta Travel Tips
Is a Weekend in Atlanta Enough?
Yes, 3 days is enough time to see the city’s major tourist attractions as well as hidden local spots.
How Do I Get Around Atlanta?
While Downtown Atlanta is pedestrian-friendly, the rest of the city is best explored by car. I recommend renting a car or taking an Uber to get around. A lot of the best Atlanta restaurants and landmarks are hard to access by public transport.
Speaking of public transport, the Atlanta subway system is called MARTA. The standard fare for one-way is ~$2.50.
Where to Stay for a Weekend in Atlanta
A great place to stay for first-timers is the centrally located Downtown. Another great neighborhood is Midtown. It’s close to Downtown but isn’t right in the middle of all the action (and feels safer!).
Weekend in Atlanta: Wrap-Up
That concludes my weekend in Atlanta 3-day itinerary! I hope this guide is helpful as you plan your Atlanta weekend trip. For any questions or if you need help planning, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.
Atlanta Activities/Tours:
More U.S Itineraries & Travel Guides:
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