Atlanta/Midtown
Midtown is a major financial and residential district of Atlanta, and an area for dining and nightlife. In other words, it is an area to work, live, and play.
Understand
Midtown is a large area of Atlanta immediately north of Downtown with many sites and activities. The skyscraper district aligns Peachtree Street. To the east of Peachtree Street is Piedmont Park, and to the west is Atlantic Station and the Georgia Tech campus area. This area is rapidly growing with new high-rise apartments and condominiums, creating an urban living experience.
Get in
Midtown is where Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 join a single corridor of I-75/85, also known as the Downtown Connector. Midtown can also be accessed by MARTA trains and several bus routes. Both the red and gold lines (the North-South lines) of the MARTA rail stop at three stations in Midtown: North Avenue Station (N3), Midtown Station (N4), and Arts Center Station (N5). MARTA bus 110, "the Peach," runs North-South on Peachtree Street through the entire length of Midtown (connecting to Downtown to the South and Buckhead to the North), running approximately every 15 or 30 minutes depending on the time of day.
See
- 1 Atlanta Botanical Gardens, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, ☏ +1 404 876-5859. April–October Tu–Su 9AM–7PM; November–March Tu-Su 9AM–4PM, Mo closed.. This peaceful oasis includes 30 acres of garden, an urban forest, wildflower trails, the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory and a 10,000 square-foot Fuqua Orchid Center. The Garden also offers visitors a wealth of year-round special events, exhibits, and educational workshops. $19 (adult); $13 (under 12); free (under 3).
- 2 Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St, NE, ☏ +1 404 881-2000. Tours available M, W-Th 10AM; Sa 10AM and 11AM. A fabulous and historic Moorish style cinema and theater dating from the 1920s and now designated a National Historic Landmark. $10 (adult); $5 (senior/student).
- 3 High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St, NE, ☏ +1 404 733-HIGH (4444). The High Museum of Art is one of the leading art museums in the South, where visitors can see a variety of works from 19th and 20th century American, European, African and African-American artists, as well as decorative arts, photography, and modern and contemporary art.
- 4 Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), 1315 Peachtree Street, NE (at 16th Street, near Arts Center Station). Closed Monday, 10 AM - 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday, 12 PM to 5 PM Sunday. A small, but densely packed museum. Offers various rotating design exhibits that are quite good. Check the website for regular special events, including "Drink in Design" Thursdays where the museum opens in the evening with special talks, drinks, and music. $10 (adult); $8 (senior, military, educators), $5 (youth up to 17, students with ID).
- 5 Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, 535 Means Street NW (Bus 1 from near North Avenue Station or from Five Points Station, or 20 minute walk from North Avenue Station). 11 AM - 5 PM Tue - Wed and Fri - Sat, 11 AM to 8 PM Thu, 12 PM - 5 PM Sun, Mon closed. Rotating contemporary art exhibitions. Check the website for closures due to installation. $5 (general), $3 (students, seniors), free on Thursdays and for children under 5.
- 6 Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA), 75 Bennett Street, Suite A2 (Take bus 110 north from anywhere on Peachtree Street, get off at Peachtree Park Drive). Tue - Sat 10 AM - 5 PM, Sun and Mon closed. Hosts both a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions with a focus on artists from the state of Georgia. $5 (general), $1 (students and seniors), free for military with ID.
- 7 William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, 1440 Spring St, NW, ☏ +1 678 222-3700. Through its exhibitions, publications, and resources, the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum of the Atlanta Jewish Federation explores Jewish heritage in general and as it relates to other cultures and religions.
- 8 Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, 990 Peachtree St, ☏ +1 404 249-7015. Open every day (except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Thanksgiving Day) 10AM-5PM. A museum dedicated to Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With The Wind featuring her original home where she lived from 1925 to 1932 and wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Those looking for a more complete Gone with the Wind experience should check out the Gone with the Wind Museum in Marietta. $12 (adult); $9 (senior/student); $5 (child).
- 9 Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St, NE, ☏ +1 404 874-5299. They tout themselves as "a place out of time" which only begins to describe the atmosphere at the Shakespeare Tavern. Live music, hand-crafted period costumes, and outrageous sword fights sweep the visitor into the passion and poetry of the spoken word. An authentic British Pub Menu and a broad selection of British and Irish ales and premium brews will help keep your physical soul nourished as well.
- 10 Rhodes Hall, 1516 Peachtree Street, NW, ☏ +1 404-885-7800. Saturdays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. $5 per person for a guided tour of the 1st floor $7 Behind-the-Scenes tour brings visitors to all 3 floors.
Do
- Center for Puppetry Arts, ☏ +1 404 688-3353. The Center for Puppetry Arts is the largest organization in North America dedicated to the art of puppetry. Located in Midtown, the center offers performances from the Family Series for everyone and New Directions for adults. An interactive museum, Puppets: The Power of Wonder, is the largest puppetry museum in the United States.
- Piedmont Park. Founded in 1904 and comprised of more than 180 acres, Piedmont Park is situated between 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Midtown. The park features woods, sports fields, Lake Clara Meed, picnic spots, walking and skating paths and annual events including the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and Bark in the Park.
- Crescent Avenue. Area off Peachtree near the Margaret Mitchell house. Just north of the Federal Reserve Building at 10th St. Lots of hip nightclubs and restaurants located in renovated homes on side streets. With Virginia-Highland, has taken much of the nightlife from the Buckhead area which mostly attracts hip-hoppers now.
- 1 Georgia Institute of Technology. Visit the Georgia Tech campus to watch the Yellow Jackets play a football or basketball game, attend a robotics competition, or check out the latest showing at the Ferst Center of the Arts.
- 2 The Masquerade, 695 North Ave, ☏ +1 404 577-8178. This turn-of-the-century mill building has been converted into a unique venue for concerts and live music. The upper parts of the mill are known as Heaven, and separate concerts often go on simultaneously below, in Hell.
Buy
Midtown has a number of stores catering to young urban professionals and to the gay crowd, including hip furniture stores and a few trendy clothing boutiques. The city has planned the "Midtown Mile," a mile-long retail shopping district to develop gradually over the next few years, and retail shops are popping up all over midtown, seemingly on a weekly basis. A few notable stores currently open are:
- 1 Fab'rik, 1114 W Peachtree St., ☏ +1 404 881-8223. M-Sa 11AM-7PM, Su 12PM-5PM. Adorable clothes for both men and women at affordable prices.
- 2 Twelve, 860 Peachtree St, Ste F., ☏ +1 404 541-2357. M-Sa 10AM-7PM, Su 12PM-4PM. Unique gift shop carrying a mix of original artwork, home accessories, handbags, and handcrafted jewelry.
Eat
Budget
- Fat Matt's Rib Shack, 1811 Piedmont Ave. Tourist-favorite BBQ destination located toward the Midtown side of the industrial section of town between Midtown and Buckhead where heaping portions of cheap ribs and chicken are served up in a literal shack.
- 1 Joe's on Juniper, 1049 Juniper St, ☏ +1 404 875-6634. Fun bar and grill blaring 80's music with energetic gay servers (though clientele is mixed) and juicy burgers.
- 2 Las Palmeras, 368 5th St, ☏ +1 404 872-0846. Charming local Cuban favorite tucked away in a residential neighborhood.
- Spoon, 768 Marietta St (just south of Georgia Tech's west campus), ☏ +1 404 522-5655. M-Fr 11AM-10PM, Sa 5PM-10PM. Authentic Thai food in a classy setting.
- 3 The Varsity, 61 North Ave (at Spring St), ☏ +1 404 881-1706. Su-Th 10AM-11:30PM, Fr-Sa 10AM-12:30AM. As the world's largest drive-in restaurant, to some people The Varsity is the last bastion of chili cheese dogs and onion rings, staying true to their heritage with their brusque "What'll ya have?" greeting. To others, it's a overrated place that serves greasy, heartburn-inducing food on a dodgy street corner troubled by thugs and panhandlers. But everyone agrees that the F.O. (Frosted Orange, a sort of orange creamsicle slushie) is unbeatable.
- 4 Willy's Mexicana Grill, 1071 Piedmont Ave (West edge of Piedmont Park), ☏ +1 404 249-9054. This Atlanta chain serves California style burritos that are rolled up in front of you and has a popular outdoor seating section (where it is not uncommon to see dogs leashed to the tables).
- Taco Mac. Local bar chain featuring rotating taps and excellent wings. Multiple locations throughout Atlanta.
- 5 Eats, 600 Ponce de Leon Avenue (at Glen Iris Drive just east of Monroe Drive / Boulevard, 12 minute bus ride via route 2 from North Avenue Station departing about every 15 minutes). Technically this is in a different neighborhood, between Poncey Highlands and Midtown, but sort of in a grey area. Cheap ($8 meat and three veg with cornbread included), amazing, Caribbean-leaning soul food. Get the jerk chicken or the chicken chili, as those are their most distinctive dishes. Go for a ginger beer as well if you get the jerk chicken. $8-$10.
Mid-Range
- Baraonda, Peachtree and 3rd St. This little Italian restaurant just a few steps away from the Fox Theatre offers some of the best pastas and gourmet thin-crust pizzas in town.
- Mary Mac's Tea Room, 224 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, ☏ +1 404 876-1800. M-Su 11AM-9PM. A landmark of old Atlanta cooking, this meat-and-three on Ponce has become an old Atlanta institution.
- Midtown Tavern, 554 Piedmont Ave, ☏ +1 404 541-1372. A bar and restaurant in midtown that offers up a friendly atmosphere to enjoy a wide selection of drinks and food. Midtown Tavern offers a variety of games such as Texas Hold Em', team trivia, and karaoke on the weekdays, and local bands most weekends.
- Flying Biscuit Cafe. Serves breakfast all day everyday and famous for brunch. Great place for kosher and vegetarian eaters as they have no beef or pork products - just free-range chicken, "soysauge", and turkey bacon. Long waits on the weekend so get there early when they open at 7AM.
- The Globe, 1005 Piedmont Ave, ☏ +1 404 874-8887. Trendy restaurant offering simple continental fare in Georgia Tech's pedestrian-friendly Technology Square.
- 6 Cypress Street Pint and Plate, 817 West Peachtree Street (at the back of the building with this address, at 5th Street and Cypress Street, five to ten minute walk from either Midtown or North Avenue Station). Nice burger and beer place with pub food and a good beer selection. $10-$15.
- 7 Pasta da Pulcinella, 1123 Peachtree Walk (at 13th Street just east of West Peachtree Street, five to ten minute walk from either Arts Center Station or Midtown Station). Great little Italian restaurant. $15-$20.
- 8 Babs, 814 Juniper Street (at 6th Street, ten minute walk from Midtown Station). Amazing brunch spot with some creative dishes and exceptionally friendly service. Cute, cozy spot as well. $10-$20.
Splurge
- MF Sushibar, 265 Ponce De Leon Ave, ☏ +1 404 815-8844. The name of one what is generally regarded as one of the top sushi restaurants in Atlanta derives from the nickname of the sushi chef - "Magic Fingers." Excellent fresh sushi flown in from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market served in a sleek setting.
- Nan Thai Restaurant, 1350 Spring St, NW, ☏ +1 404 873-7358. One of the most beautifully appointed restaurants in the city, where sexy Asian servers attend to elegantly-dressed couples and businessmen. The food served up by the husband and wife chef team of Charlie and Nan Niyomkul, who run both Nan and its more casual sister restaurant, Tamarind, is a favorite of many celebrities, including Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Brooke Shields.
- 9 South City Kitchen, 1144 Crescent Ave, ☏ +1 404 873-7358. M-Th, Su 11AM-3:30PM & 5PM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-3:30PM & 5PM-10:30PM. South City Kitchen provides an accurate reflection of contemporary new Southern cuisine with a sophisticated spin. The restaurant is consistently recognized for its award-winning food, wine list and service including being listed in the top 10 of Atlanta’s best 100 restaurants by Jezebel Magazine as well as Best Restaurant in Midtown by Atlanta Magazine. $15-$28.
- 10 Empire State South, 999 Peachtree Street (at 10th Street, about a block away from Midtown Station). Empire State South is another promising option for those seeking contemporary Southern cuisine. $15-$28.
- 11 Ecco, 40 7th Street (at Cypress Street, five minute walk from Midtown Station). Great contemporary American food and cuisine with “European-inspired” influences with especially nice atmosphere inside, a large wine list, and some interesting cocktail selections, $15-$28.
- Spice Market, 188 14th Street, NE (inside the W Hotel), ☏ +1 404 549-5450. Breakfast M-F 6AM-10:30AM, Sa-Su 7AM-11AM; Dinner Mo-We 5:30PM-10PM, Th-Sa 5:30PM-11PM, Su 5PM-10PM. World-famous chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten moved camp from New York to Atlanta and brought with him a new branch of this 3-star Big Apple restaurant, Spice Market. The restaurant features family-style Asian-infused cuisine. Breakfast $10-17, dinner mains $16-34.
- Straits, 793 Juniper St, NE (corner of 5th and Juniper St NE), ☏ +1 404 877-1283. Su 11AM-3PM (brunch), Su-W 5PM-10PM; Th-Sa 5PM-11PM (dinner). Grammy Award-winning Atlanta native Chris “Ludacris” Bridges teamed up with renowned chef Chris Yeo to open Straits in the heart of Midtown. The restaurant offers traditional Singaporean cuisine with a modern twist. $29-$39.
- Bacchanalia, 1198 Howell Mill Road NW # 100, ☏ +1 404 365-0410. Gourmet Southern cuisine focusing on farm-to-table interpretations of classics. All produce is fresh and organic, and the four-course prix-fixe menu changes daily. Consistently named one of the top 10 restaurants of Atlanta.
Drink
Midtown is the destination for trendsetters and fashionistas, though due to increasing pressures to keep the area more upscale and to reduce noise at night, the legislature has begun to enact ordinances which have had the result of pushing club activity downtown. Several bars and clubs are within hopping-distance of one another on Crescent Street, and others are scattered about the area.
Bars
- Midtown Tavern. Friendly bar on the south side of Midtown. Drink specials offered nightly. Late night crowd.
- Shout. Popular with the thirty-something crowd and offering great views of the surrounding skyline from a roof-top deck.
- Park Tavern. Relax on the largest patio in Midtown, bordering Piedmont Park. This popular spot offers hand-crafted beers, $1 pints when it rains and live music events.
- Twisted Taco. Tasty Tex-Mex, margarita pitchers and late-night snacks.
- Loca Luna. Known for its Latin influenced house band, tropical decor and diverse Brazilian menu, including 30 different tapas.
- Smithe's Olde Bar. Laid-back bar and music venue that has showcased great musicians before they became famous; features a MTV Unplugged-like circular stage.
- Churchill Grounds. Serious live jazz, laid-back locals, and a knowledgeable bartender makes this bar worth visiting.
- Northside Tavern. Considered the home of the blues in Atlanta, with super-casual ambiance for fans and performers alike.
- Tap, 1180 Peachtree Street (at 14th Street, five to ten minute walk from Arts Center Station or ten minute walk from Midtown Station). The food here is average, but the beer tap selection is very good. 35 rotating beers on tap of high quality with good variety. Best beer selection in this part of town.
Clubs
- Compound. An Atlanta hotspot and was voted by aolcityguide.com as the “Best Dance Club in Atlanta 2006,” and “Best Conversation Bar” by cityguide.com.
- CosmoLava. A three-level club with a VIP floor, a dancing floor and cocktail lounge floor, offering the most intimate spot to relax in town.
- Door 44. Unique and risque nightclub that even has a stripper pole.
- Leopard Lounge. Here guests can enjoy the patio area for mingling with Atlanta’s party crowd. Popular among the early 20's crowd.
- Opera. A unique club inside what used to be Atlanta's Opera house. The new and improved Opera boasts a $2 million renovation with bigger dance floors, second-floor opera boxes and a new DJ booth.
- Primal. A large club with a variety of rooms, including a stage area for live music, the Guitar Bar, and the Sky Bar at the top.
- Sutra Lounge. Sexual and seductive lounge for singles to mingle and flirt.
Gay and Lesbian
Midtown is arguably the heart of gay life in Atlanta, particularly centered around the corner of 10th and Piedmont/Juniper.
- Halo. One of the best laid back lounges for socializing, mid-tempo music and classic cocktails. Thursday nights are popular with Atlanta’s large GLBT demographic.
- Blake's on the Park, 227 10th St, ☏ +1 404 892-5786. Serves gay southern hospitality like no other with two levels serving food, DJs and drag shows.
- Bulldog Bar, 893 Peachtree St, NE, ☏ +1 404 872-3025. A Midtown institution that draws a largely African-American crowd.
- Oscar's, 1510 Piedmont Ave, NE, ☏ +1 404 874-7748. Glam Midtown Bar offers a throwback to old Hollywood.
Sleep
Budget
- Crowne Plaza Atlanta - Midtown, 590 West Peachtree St NW.
Mid-range
- 1 Hotel Indigo, 683 Peachtree St, NE, ☏ +1 404 874-9200. Hip midtown hotel with nouveau New England decor across from the Fox Theatre and close to the MARTA train. Includes events like a doggie happy hour.
- 2 Twelve Hotel, 361 17th St, NW, ☏ +1 404 961-1212. Located in Atlantic Station, this sleek, contemporary hotel features stainless steel appliances and LCD televisions, and is located amidst the Atlantic Station shopping district.
- 3 Regency Suites Hotel, 975 West Peachtree St, ☏ +1 404 876-5003. A boutique hotel in the heart of midtown with a mix of European charm and down-home southern hospitality.
- Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, 800 Spring St, NW, ☏ +1 404 347-9440. Located in the pedestrian-friendly area of Midtown on the GA Tech technology square surrounded by shops and restaurants. Features extensive state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities.
Splurge
- 4 Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, 75 14th St, NE, ☏ +1 404 881-9898, fax: +1 404 873-4692. This luxurious Midtown hotel is located in the lower third of the GLG Grand tower and within walking distance of Piedmont Park.
- Georgian Terrace Hotel, 659 Peachtree St, NE, ☏ +1 404 897-1991. Southern charm abounds at this grandly-appointed historical hotel across from the Fox Theatre.
- 5 W Atlanta Midtown, 188 14th St, NE, ☏ +1 404 892-6000. This new hotel offers luxury rooms with post-modern decor, and a short walk to Piedmont Park and numerous pubs, bars, and clubs.
- 6 Hotel Palomar Atlanta Midtown, 866 West Peachtree Street, NW, ☏ +1 678 412-2400. New Kimpton boutique hotel featuring a rooftop lounge. Located near the Georgia Tech campus.
Connect
Go next
| Routes through Midtown |
| Doraville ← Buckhead ← | N  S |
→ Downtown → Hartsfield-Jackson ATL |
| Sandy Springs ← Buckhead ← | N  S |
→ Downtown → Hartsfield-Jackson ATL |