What to do in Atlanta?
 

Hey Y'All,

So I'm going to spend some time in Atlanta and surrounding areas soon. What better place than here to get some good ideas for doing things that Googling might not bring to my attention? I know that several of the regulars here are in the greater Atlanta area, or even a bit further out in Georgia/the Carolinas, so chime in. What is fun? Where is the good beer? Where's a good hike? How about good Southern food? Where is something other than Road Atlanta for cool car-related stuff?

My only plan so far (short of a lot of long-range driving, like maybe D.C. and the Keys--yes, done it before), if I'm there at the right time, is an Interpol concert (hopeful) in Athens in mid-February. Yeah, I'm kind of stuck in 2005 . . .

I'll have lots of time (driving out), so feel free to go for complexity.

:idea:

go to the Varsity!

https://i.hmjimg.com/images/2019/01/...b2f53ff41b.jpg

I think Brian Fuller still has a shop there, you might check and see if he's building anything right now.... also there is the Cars and Coffee event that is supposed to be the largest in the country...


Jeff-

When are you coming? We have 4 seasons out here, so time of year will matter a lot.

www.caffeineandoctane.com happens every first Sunday of the month up in Dunwoody just outside of Atlanta.

Where exactly will you be since Atlanta is spread out?

https://www.bscracklinbbq.com/ Best place in Atlanta for BBQ that I've found so far. We have others that are great too. Grand Champion, Dixie-Q, and Community-Q. We also have other food that's worth checking out. Buford Highway in general has a lot of ethnic food places.

Plenty of places to hike like Blood Mountain, Amicalola Falls, Pine Mountain, Burnt Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Panther Creek, Tallulah Gorge, Cloudland Canyon, closer in to the city are East and West Palisades, etc etc etc. Seriously, we've got a lot of fantastic outdoor spots to visit.

Driving trips are Suches Loop, Blood Mountain Loop, Richard B Russell Parkway. Take a trip up to Highlands, NC by cutting east in Clayton, GA takes you through some great roads. Go to Tail of the Dragon if you want. I prefer Cherohala Skyway personally.

There's plenty more to do. Don't skip the aquarium if you like that sort of thing. It's very nice.

Skip the Varsity, lol.

Good stuff so far, guys! I should be in the area some time this month--the plan is to hang around for several weeks, so I will have plenty of time to hit lots of spots. The cars & coffee thing sounds good, as I generally go to one near me here (Folsom) once a month or so. I miss a decent barbecue joint dearly after spending three years in Arkansas a while back . . .

Thanks for the great suggestions, Trey--I knew you would come through! I researched mountain biking possibilities around the area a while back and was pretty surprised at how much there seemed to be near the city. It looks like there will be some good hikes on the menu.

How about beer? I know some people make beer out there!

beer I can't make recommendations for as I don't drink. I do know there's Sweet Water Brewing, Monday Night Brewing, and Scofflaw all in Atlanta. I'm sure there's more. Terrapin is in Athens, GA.

Mountain biking there's Blankets Creek and Rope Mill up in Woodstock. Blankets is a mountain biking place first so you have the right of way. Rope Mill is a mix use between biking and hiking. Both are hands down the best places to go in my opinion. I love them both. I wish I could ride more often.

Let us know when you're here. I'm sure we can get together at some point if you'd like. I'm always down for eating bbq.

Go to the waffle house .... drunk ..at 3 am and start a brawl ??? ....have someone film it with constant yelling of "WORLD STAR , WORLD STAR , WORLD STAR " . Those videos are always quite funny

Do not recommend this!!

He's not wrong though, lol.

Speaking of chains, since you're in California now, if you haven't eaten at Chic fil a, Zaxby's, or Willy's you should. They're fast food chains that all started here in GA and haven't moved too far west in big numbers yet. They're higher end fast food. Willy's is better than Chipotle any day.

Atlanta / North Ga is pretty darn cool and not just cause I'm from here.

Gotta go to The Varisty at least once. https://www.thevarsity.com/

Atlanta Motorsports Park https://atlantamotorsportspark.com/

The Vortex https://thevortexatl.com/

Fat Matts BBQ if your into music AND food. http://www.fatmattsribshack.com/

The world of Coca Cola. https://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/

Porsche Driving Experience https://www.porschedriving.com/porsc...center-atlanta

Funny--I'll definitely try to work this into the schedule.

In all seriousness, I try like hell to avoid Waffle House establishments at all costs, including starvation. Same goes for Chick-fill-a; I just don't get it.

I do get Cracker Barrel, however . . .

I'll be checking in here when I'm in the area, Trey, since I am usually connected to a computer--I don't actually vacation like normal people. Any advice is much appreciated. I was just checking the weather in the Keys the other day, and it was in the 80s, so we'll probably go that way at some point while we're in the South, too.

As the wackiness in the world proceeds, I'll be keeping my eye on what happens with real estate in the Atlanta area, as I know people have been vacuuming up the supply there, just like here, pushing for new pricing highs.

It's just good to learn a bit of new stuff once in a while, kind of like how to separate the chassis as a whole from an e39 for future purposes (mine blew up a couple weeks ago, so bad thoughts are in process).

Great tips, Eric--thanks! I'm liking the menu at the Vortex. I'll have to prepare the condition of my arteries in advance . . . This is why it's good to only eat twice a day when you're on the road.

Chic Fil A used to be good, but the piece of chicken you get in a sandwich has gotten smaller & smaller. Plus you have to wait for ever to get it.

I've never been to Willys, I'll have to remember that one

I've never had to wait long for a Chic fil a, seriously. Must be a Florida thing, lol.

I can understand people not liking Chic fil a. I grew up with it when it was only in malls. I always recommend it though for people that don't have them near by.

Real estate is getting expensive in Atlanta but things are slowing down. I don't know much beyond that as I'm only tangentially connected to the market. Cost of living should be cheaper overall than anywhere along the coast of Cali. that's similar population density I'd think. You can also live outside the metro area very affordably should you choose.

Burgers: Grindhouse Killer Burger, Village Burger, Moxie Burger, and Vortex as mentioned. There are others, but I'm drawing blanks as I write this.

E39 LSx swap: Jesus Freak has a complete kit with headers and for T56 transmissions for I6 cars. Do it!

Family stuff.......world of coke, Atlanta aquarium and a couple of museums. Caffeine and Octane is crazy with any kind of car you can imagine, haven’t done their cars and coffee, an hour to the northwest and there’s dozens of great drives from Suches all the way to Knoxville depending on how far you want to go. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a nice quiet drive but don’t get in a hurry and I’d wait until late spring. Pensacola, Destin and Panama City(roughed up bad by a hurricane in October) are a 5 hour drive south. If you want some great drag racing hit South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta. That’s where they do some of the big dollar, small tire racing and it’s crazy too(research “lights out” drag racing or look at their schedule) Road Atlanta does a deal with Chin Motorsports for track days......pricey but fun. Get out your wallet and have a blast!

Honestly this is the time of year here where there just isn’t much going on. Spring is totally different here for sure. Check in here, as you mentioned, and somebody here will give you ideas depending on where you are exactly and what kind of mood your in. I’m 4 miles from the largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Amicalola Falls State Park. If your up this way, 60 miles north of Atlanta, I’d love to show you the Chevelle. I’m in the mountains, and on a clear day, I can see the city, 60ish miles away.
I love road trips, and I have to admit, I’m jealous!

Must be as every Chic fil A looks like this. On one main drag they are building a 2nd Chic Fil A a half mile from the other but on the other side of the street.

https://i.hmjimg.com/images/2019/01/...5dfbbcb.md.jpg

Another thing to do is Karting at Atlanta Motorsports Park

https://atlantamotorsportspark.com/

Road Atlanta is having a ChumpCar Race Feb 7-9 - I'll be there!

BTW, I know a bit about Atlanta as my Ex lives in Peachtree City and my son grew up there. I used to have to travel to Atlanta a few times a year.

This!

I did the karting thing at NOLA motorsports park a couple years ago, and it affected me so stupidly that I went home and bought a race kart (went nowhere/blew up with very little track time/sold). I was shocked to see that NOLA had everything from mini-golf type karts to full-on shifter karts--it's well worth the trip if anyone's in the area.

If weather is permitting, I will definitely do a kart rental somewhere out there. Here's hoping for dry weather in the midst of winter . . . yeah, right.

Still don't get the Chik-fill-a thing. I went to one when I lived in Arkansas (2008?) and wondered why (we do have them out here in CA now). Their corporate values can kiss my rear differential, but really, I just don't understand how they can compete with KFC, which I would prefer any day . . .

Thanks, Scott--I do intend to do some driving north of the city; trips I've taken through eastern Tennessee are definitely stuck in my mind, relative to the natural scenery available in that region. My goals (aside from different beer/Southern food) don't really lie much in the city, but in the convenience of the location. I'm mostly an outside-of-town kind of guy, too. I live about 12 miles or so from Folsom Prison, but more importantly, just a few miles from Folsom Lake, which is pretty great (with or without water) . . .

Karting is Addicting! It's much easier on the Wallet to rent at NOLA, AMP, etc

https://i.hmjimg.com/images/2019/01/...25949775_n.jpg

I can be at AMP in 10 minutes. They rent karts to the public that go 55 mph. Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen, but they have been at it for a few years now, and I haven’t even heard of a single person getting hurt yet. I have a friend who works there, doing setup on the carts to your liking. The entire venue is absolutely world class. We go over ever so often and check out the exotics...lambos, Ferrari’s, etc, that people bring to drive on the track. Karts have their own track obviously. I have another friend who owns a local shop that specializes in building Porsche track cars, and he hates the place because it’s a counter-clockwise track, and most other road courses are clockwise. I asked him why, and he griped about having to change his front end settings on his clients cars, to go to AMP, from Road Atlanta, or other venues. I shook my head and said “first world problems for sure”.
Our city hall here in Dawsonville is the Georgia Racing Hall Of Fame, and has a Race museum that’s actually pretty cool. There’s also a working moonshine still in the building and they even sell Bill Elliott branded shine in there.

I used to travel into Atlanta from 2000-2017. It was part of my sales territory. I spent about 1 week a month in the Atlanta area.

Stay away from 75/85/20/295 freeways during rush hour. They become giant parking lots.

Skip the Varsity.

If you have the time one of the best resturants is in Villa Rica west of Atlanta about 25 miles? off I/20 kind of in the middle of the old part of town. They serve THE best Cajun food east of New Orleans. I don't recall name but it's really worth Googling.

Their is a couple of "6 feet under" resturants that are pretty good.

I'm thinking the Power Tour is going thru the Atlanta area in June. The Power Tour is always a good time.

Summit has a store south of Atlanta and has some cruise ins.

Year One is north of Atlanta that if you ask will give you tour if they aren't too busy. I suspect they have some cruise dates.

The Porsche drive/test track is right near the airport. I haven't been but I have watch them run around the track as I was flying in.

If you are up for a drive the BMW plant tour is worth the time. It's north up in SC.

Stay away from Augusta during the Masters. It's just crazy busy.

Car stuff is a little slow this time of year but gets going early March.

I liked the Atlanta area. Gets a bit warm and humid from June-August.