I went the first week of May. They really pressed to be open for Cinco de Mayo so they could make that their opening anniversary (get it, 5th, 5 Seasons). They weren't ready. They only had 2 beers on tap at the time (both weren't house brew) because all of their in house beers were not ready to be served yet. They had to brew them from scratch on site. The menu is still a work in progress as well. But, I met the owner of the place and he was really cool. We talked about beers and how they're going to really try some new things with regards to what they're going to brew. Two full bars in that place though and a nice deck upstairs with a decent view of buckhead and midtown.

Oh I had no idea that they were finally open. I'll have to give it a try sometime soon.

Hmmmmmm. You're going to be in the Perimeter area which puts you a little further away from stuff I'm going to suggest but this is just a rough sketch of stuff. There are actually a couple of good restaurants up there though. The Sandy Springs and Dunwoody areas (where you'll be ) are the last outposts of metro Atlanta before you start hitting the north Atlanta burbs. You're going to be near the Perimeter mall and everything that entails. Lots of shops and chain restaurants (albeit high end chains like Goldfish, Houstons, Maggiano's). But, you're right up the street from the Prado like Drink and Dave said. It has 5 Seasons Brewery and a nice little sports bar called Frankie's. You're also one exit from Buckhead which is a whole other post.


I thought your son was a little older and I was going to suggest something like Six Flags or White Water waterpark while they're here but he's probably still too young for that. The Aquarium is a good suggestion too but if you're going to go I suggest going some weekday right after you get out of class. It gets really busy on the weekends. Kids under 3 are free.

Braves games. Looks like when your family will be here the Braves are out of town and it's the All Star break but while your here by yourself the Mets are in town for 4 games (weekend) and the Giants are here for 4 games (weeknights). Can't go wrong with a day at the ballpark up in the Chop Shop drinking cold beer.

Other more family oriented stuff:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Center - I have lived here for 7 years now and just did this 2 weeks ago. It's free and only takes a couple of hours. If you want to tour his birth house call ahead and arrange a time. His memorial grave is also on site. The whole thing is pretty eye opening and a real glimpse into mid-1900's black Atlanta. It's a worthwhile thing to see. Inspiring.

High Museum of Art - probably the South's biggest classic and modern art museum. They've always got special showings going on. It's pretty big and can fill up a day quick. The modern wing is pretty impressive. I'm more impressed with it each time I go.

Stone Mountain - this would probably be a weekend outing. It's a giant granite mountain that was formed a gazillion years ago under a volcano. It's now a really nice green area and park. Lots of wooded areas with trails and huge meadows near the base of the mountain. The top is only accessible by a Skylift or a 1 mile trail up the ridge of the mountain. The trail isn't a bad hike though. It's a little steep in some parts. It ascends about 900 feet in a mile. It's really pretty from the top though on a clear day. They have a beach on the lake and a water park there as well I think.

More to come in next post.....

good call on these Derris, and agree, both are well worth visiting.

i need to get to Stone Mountain. maybe we can hit that on our way to NC in July.

As you start to solidify your plans you can hit us up for some restaurants. Atlanta certainly has some incredible places to eat. Fine dining to dirty burger or BBQ joints.

If you get a chance. The Sun Dial restuarant is a really cool spot to really get an amazing view of the city and get a drink. It's at the top of the Westin Peachtree hotel downtown and the whole restaurant rotates around the city every half hour. I don't really suggest eating there because I've been told it's not worth the price but you're really paying for the view. The bar area upstairs revolves as well and you can just sit, have a beer, and take in the city.

Little Five Points and the East Atlanta Village are the more bohemian areas of Atlanta were the rock clubs, thrift stores, and records stores tend to be. You should certainly plan on hitting those areas at some point.

As for music, a quick check revealed these shows while you're here:

Monday, 13th - Sonic Youth - Variety Playhouse
Tuesday, 14th - Handsome Furs - The Earl
Wednesday, 15th - Aerosmith & ZZ Top - Lakewood Amphitheater
Wednesday, 15th - ABC!, Berlin!!, Cutting Crew!!!, Wang Chung!!!! - Chastain Amphitheater
Wednesday, 15th - The Coathangers - The Earl
Wednesday, 22nd - Cracker - The Earl - 2 night stand

Wow, that's a bunch of great suggestions. I'll definitely let you all know when the plans solidify.

Thank you very much.

[/b]

Okay, so it looks like plans have changed radically, and we're coming down to Westminster, SC in August. We'll definitely be hitting up Athens, and Atlanta for daytrips.

So, I'm wondering what should we hit up? Good restaurants, beer/breweries, beautiful places, records shops, museums, etc are most definitely welcomed. I'd imagine I'm going to try to meet-up at least sometime with my college friend who works at CNN, so maybe some stuff over there. I'm also hoping the Braves are in town.

As I said we're going to Athens as well, so stuff there too.

Thanks.

Off the top of my head...


For all things Athens: http://flagpole.com/


Venues

40 Watt
Caledonia Lounge
Tasty World
Georgia Theatre
Secret Squirrel
The Melting Point
Little Kings (more of a bar, but they have music and outdoor patio)
Farm 255 (food/bar/music)
Flicker Theatre

Bars

Manhattan
Mercury Lounge
Roadhouse (for mongering)
The Globe


Food

5 Star Day
The National
Last Resort
Clocked
The Grit
Transmetropolitan
The Grill
Barberitos


I'll be in Athens next weekend for AthFest, so I'll try to remember to add anything new that has come to town since my last visit in the Fall.

You forgot Taco Stand and Five and 10, STUGARK.

...and I'm giving up my veganism, so I'm on the BBQ trip.

Fresh Air is pretty good, but Athens isn't known for it's BBQ.

I've never heard of this place, but looks worth trying:

http://whitetigergourmet.com/


Also, add to the FOOD entry: Big City Bread
The Grit is our vegetarian legend if you still have the hankering for meatless vittles.


Also, for record stores:

Wuxtry
School Kids

I'll second 5 Star Day Cafe. I miss their chicken and dumplings somethin' fierce. And the Manhattan is a great quiet little dive.

The Grit is worth checking out if you were once a vegan. The building it's in is owned by Michael Stipe.

I don't many BBQ recs for Athens but you should hit up Weaver D's. Soul food joint with nothing but meat and 3 country cooking. It's the source of REM's "Automatic for the People" album title. It's been the motto of the restaurant long before they were ever a band.

Stu made some great suggestions but are you only going to be making a day trip to Athens? I wouldn't suggest not doing it because the downtown area is still really great but it's at night when that place comes to life and usually not until after 11pm. I guess I could give you some musical landmarks to check out.

Not sure when you're there but I did see the Reigning Sound are playing the 40 Watt on August 7th.

Also, it should be noted that Terrapin Brewery is located in Athens and they give Brew tours and tastings.

Also, as Loog said, 5 & 10. It's the most upscale restaurant in Athens and gets a lot of love from the Atlanta critics. Pricey though.

Also, Westminster???

That's gotta be family.

You're really close to Sumter National Forest there. If you haven't done so, you should cruise over to Tallulah Gorge and Tallulah Falls. Real pretty area and very rural.

Its not too pricey for a fine dining joint and fuck if its not my current favorite restaurant, period.

anyone been to that farm 255 place a couple buildings down from the 40 watt?

Yeah, Bloor, Hassler, and I went a couple years ago when we went over for a Truckers show.

I thought it was pretty solid. I'm sometimes skeptical of the "farm fresh" type places that only buy local and the ingredients are organic, sustainable, free range, etc.

That is all well and good but if the chef sucks none of it matters. This was pretty good. We didn't stick around for this but apparently that place turns into a pretty rowdy bar late night.

Man, remember the good old days when that guy was a regular here?

Yeah it was ok: my only beef would have been the small portions. I'm not like a "I need huge fat people portions" but I do need to get filled up.

Though Nicky 6 (who was dining with us) had the hamburger and it was huge so maybe I should have ordered like a man.

He's back apparently.

So many places I haven't been to in Athens these days. Damn.

nope. We were all set for NH (see other thread) but there was a scheduling conflict between my co-worker and I -- we both can't be gone the same week. It was at my mother-in-law's time share, so she just called the company and Westminster was the only thing available. Not too bummed. Been to NH, never really spent much time in SC and Georgia. As long as I'm away from work, hanging with the wife, and have some cold ones it'll all be good.

I think it's Highway 78, but it could be another one, that has been sort of restored as a wayto travel more slowly and see the sites through SC. I drove from Augusta to Greenville on it a few years ago and it, uh, mellowed my mind.

Alright, I made it into town. So far the people everywhere have been super friendly. It's muggy and green. Hopefully sometime next week (or whenever) some of the ATL crew can meet up for a drink.

Any other suggestions? Are there any BBQ places or local cuisine that we should really try to hit?

Thanks all.