After 8 years away, RailsConf is back in Atlanta! Because I deeply love both the Ruby/Rails community and my home city of Atlanta, I want to get y’all out of the conference/touristy area with all the hotels and sports stadiums and instead show y’all a lot of what this city has to offer. I won’t be covering all the typical toursit attractions an Atlanta guide might show you (the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coke, etc), but rather spotlight some other areas where Atlanta really thrives.

Transit

For starters, if you’re in the conference hotel or one of them nearby Downtown, you’re steps away from the Peachtree Center Marta station (which also happens to have the southeast’s longest escalator). If you’re flying in to ATL, I highly recommend you take the train; the airport has a Marta station inside and it’s a straight shot on the same train to Peachtree Center. Fare is only $2.50, plus an extra $2 the first time you buy a Breeze Card, but it’s reloadable. It also works for the Streetcar, which runs in front of the hotel.

Neighborhoods

After a full day of conferencing when you wanna spend a nice evening with your Ruby Friends, I highly recommend choosing a neighborhood and walking around to the different places in the area if you’re able. Atlanta is largely a city of sprawl, but there’s a bunch of dense pockets full of stuff to do that are scattered around town.

• Broad Street (via a short walk): if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat near the hotel, Broad Street is your best bet Downtown. It’s got a ton of small eateries that usually cater to the weekday GSU students and office workers. Mostly good for lunch; many spots often not open at dinner.
  • Dua - Vietnamese
  • Naanstop - think Indian Chipotle
  • Reuben’s Deli - the best sandwiches
  • Rosa’s - NY-style pizza.
• Decatur (via train): on paper, Decatur is technically a “suburb” of Atlanta, but most of us consider it one and the same. Downtown Decatur has tons and tons of good food, drink, shops, sweets, and more. Some of my favorites along Decatur Square:
  • Raging Burrito & Taco - not authentic, but damn good. Great patio to boot.
  • Brick Store Pub - a beer bar if there ever was one
  • Iberian Pig - Spanish tapas, etc.
  • Butter and Cream (Decatur location) - the best ice cream in the city IMO
  • Eddie’s Attic - local music venue
  • SOS Tiki Bar - good drinks, fun vibes
• Summerhill (via car)
  • Big Softie - soft serve ice cream (vegan options available)
  • Little Bear - excellent dinner spot
  • Wood’s Chapel BBQ
  • Hero Doughnuts (Summerhill location) - plus sandwiches, hashbrowns, etc.
• Eastside Beltline - the Beltline is the city’s multi-use walking, biking, etc trail. It’s absolutely packed with food, drink, activities, etc.
  • Bell Street Burritos (Inman Park location) - fast casual Mexican; the nachos are my fave
  • Ladybird - patio, cocktails, small but tasty menu
  • Muchacho - tacos (including breakfast tacos in the mornings), coffee, etc
  • Honestly, there’s too much stuff on the Beltline for me to really name; there’s plenty of Beltline restaurant guides out there and a quick search should give you more options.
• Inman Park - a large residential neighborhood, but with a dense concentration of good restaurants
  • Beetlecat - seafood
  • Delbar - Middle Eastern
  • Barcelona - tapas
  • Pure Taqueria - Mexican, great patio
  • Sotto Sotto - Italian
  • Victory Sandwich Bar - what it says on the tin: sandwiches. bar.
• East Atlanta Village (EAV) - home to many venues and bars, this is generally a good area for nightlife, but actually fun
  • Mary’s 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ - fun, queer bar
  • Argosy - dinner and drinks
  • Joe’s for coffee
  • Gaja - Korean and pub
• Little Five Points - this is where I’d recommend for just walking into random shops knowing you’ll find a bunch of unique items
  • Criminal Records - music, comics, etc.
  • Junkman’s Daughter - a little bit of everything
  • Psycho Sisters - clothes, etc.
  • The Vortex - an interesting landmark 💀, plus burgers
• The Lee & White development in the West End neighborhood has a variety of food and drink. If you’re a fan of alcohol/beer, there’s a bunch here for you:
  • Monday Night Brewing (Garage location) - my personal favorite local brewery
  • ASW (American Spirit Works) Whiskey Exchange - ATL’s biggest local distillery
  • Wild Heaven Brewery (West End location)
  • Boxcar - my go-to food spot in the complex
  • Hop City (West End location) - a beer & wine shop underneath Boxcar if you’d like to grab something unique to take with you; they’ve got a bar inside as well

Food Halls

We’ve got a few notable spots where there’s tons of different food, drink, sweets, and shops, all conveniently located in one building or complex:

• Ponce City Market - you’ll probably see this on tourist guides, but it’s not bad, mostly just very busy on the weekends. It’s also conveniently on the Beltline
• Krog Street Market - also on the Beltline
• Chattahoochee Food Works
• Southern Feed Store

Outdoors

Atlanta is the greenest city in the US: we have more forest cover than any other major city in the country. You’ll see trees all around you, even in the dense areas in Downtown and Midtown, but we’ve also got some great outdoor spaces, whether you’re looking for a hike or just some fresh air and vibes.

• For something weird, check out the Doll’s Head Trail.
• Cascade Nature Preserve - a waterfall in the city (A short drive from the Lee + White area if you want a drink/bite after your hike.)
• For something spooky, Oakland Cemetery is a nice stroll and has some famous graves. (Eat at Six Feet Under nearby and follow it up with Little Tart Bakeshop for dessert and/or coffee).
• Westside Park - the city’s biggest park, featuring the giant Bellwood Quarry (A short drive from Chattahoochee Food Works or the West Midtown neighborhood)
• Sweetwater Creek Park - a big park outside the city with lots of trails
• East Palisades Trail at the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area - not far outside the city, great views of the Chattahoochee River

History

You probably will find this stuff on typical tourist guides, but given that Atlanta is full of rich history, particularly surrounding the civil rights movement, I’d be remiss not to mention it:

• The King Center, including MLK’s birth home, the Kings’ tomb, and Ebenezer Baptist Church
• National Museum for Civil and Human Rights

Downtown

If you really don’t want to venture away from the conference area, here are your best bets Downtown:

• Aamar Indian - a hole-in-the-wall Indian spot at the bottom of a parking deck. Very tasty, but not great for a big group
• Alma Cocina - nicer Mexican
• The Sun Dial - a restaurant at the top of the conference hotel featuring stellar views of the city
• Amalfi Cucina - pizza, Italian, etc.
• Land of a Thousand Hills - local coffee inside the Flatiron building (built before the NYC Flatiron!)

Waffle House

Out late? For a real ATL experience, find a Waffle House. They’re always open (to the point of FEMA using them to determine disaster levels) and if you’ve been drinking, nothing sops up alcohol like Waffle House. It’s a rite of passage.

Questions?

If you have any questions or are interested in more specific recommendations, tweet me @maximumtiu or @ me in the RailsConf Slack ✌️