Girl Gang Guide to a Spring Weekend in Atlanta
Calling all girls with weekend daydreams: this one’s for you. We know how difficult it can be to break your squad’s routine. Same bar, same salad, same brunch, blah blah blah. Take a risk on your weekend and play tourist in your own city with this weekend guide -- you won’t regret it. Don’t believe us? We promise it’s been tried and tested: see below for a synopsis of our adventures!
Anyone who has lived in Atlanta for even a month knows that our city has food and fun fit for a queen. The downside (could there even be one!?): the price (oh yeah...there’s that). That’s why we figure you have to learn to #treatyourself every once and awhile and rediscover the place you call home like an outsider. Girl Gang put together OUR perfect tourist weekend, so take our lead or carve your own path & please write in to tell us what you discovered!
Friday Happy Hour
Equipped with Girl Gang’s Atlanta: A Weekend Guide in our pockets, Girl Gang set out to Friday night it right. The first stop: Ladybird. We couldn’t resist the outdoor atmosphere -- Spring in ATL is finally here and we never want it to leave (We can finally breathe out without seeing it in the air!!). Though it’s warm enough to rock our fav tops during the day, the chill can work against a cute night-out fit. The solution? Fire pits. Don’t pretend like you don’t miss camp. Ladybird is our perfect nostalgic solution (aka camp vibes AND drinks). Plus, for those of y’all that are driving (or even if you aren’t), just order some mac n cheese at the bar, we did! Camp the night away at one of our favorite Atlanta bars, maybe even travel the beltline to add to your Friday adventure.
Friday Night - for the chill girl
A treat yourself must-have in our books? Ice cream. Obviously. A quick walk from Ladybird is a tried and true Girl Gang favorite: Butter & Cream. Definitely try the OG Goodness, an OG flavor that’s more than just goodness, its cake-inside-ice-cream greatness.
Friday Night - for the girl ready to party
You’re already in one of our fave spots - Inman Park. Head over to Superica or Barcelona Wine Bar for din and drinks. If you’re still craving a few drinks, head to Little Spirit or even back to Lady Bird. Only the wildest bunch will end up at Dark Horse Tavern or MJQ - but hey, sometimes you need that.
Friday Night - for when the weather is perfect
If you get lucky enough to have a perfect evening, head to Hotel Clermont rooftop. The view and fun green turf cannot be beat. You’ll feel like the trendy girl you here as soon as you step off the rooftop elevator. Try to beat the sunset, we promise you’ll want a gram here.
Saturday Morning
Late nights necessitate morning coffee. We got our fix from a local favorite: Chrome Yellow Trading Co. With a spot to shop for ATL themed goodies, you’ll fit the part of trendy tourist and you’ll be fully awake for your day 2. Picture opportunity: the ATL wall outside the shop. But - if you’re looking for a skyline shot, just five minutes away is the Jackson St. Bridge, a classic photo opp location that never disappoints. In the spring sunshine you and your gals will snag the perfect staycation insta.
Saturday Day
Next it was time to hit up all of the best adventures that ATL has to offer. In the spring weather, we skipped the museum and went for a walk in the park at the Botanical Gardens. If you’ve ever been for their winter Christmas lights, you know that the location is already stunning. But during the Spring, this place truly comes alive. In the city life we sometimes forget how good a little nature is, which is why this accessible oasis is the perfect staycation activity. We bet you’ll take an instagram story or two.
Hungry? Yeah, same. If you’re looking for a lunch spot so worthy that Donald Glover is a regular, then look no further than The General Muir. This Jewish deli has the best bagels in town (yeah, we’re comfortable with that statement) and is owned by the same people that gave us the greatness that is West Egg. Their deli menu has the perfect afternoon sandwich. If you’re a vegetarian, the sprout sandwich is calling your name. If you’re not, then we suggest legit anything else on the menu. They have Batdorf and Bronson blend coffee in case you’re still feeling the night before.
Adventuring outside of the city has been fun and all, but it’s time to head back to the heart of ATL. We spent the rest of our evening at Ponce City Market (yes, we know you’ve heard of it) at the Skyline Park. Everyone has been, even everyone’s mom, but that’s because it’s truly fun. Grab a drink and wreck your gal pals in put put. Maybe you’ll even get a special someone to win a prize for you at the midway games. When you’re done with the rooftop you can just head right on downstairs to the food hall. There’s too many great options here to pick just one, so that will be your hardest task of the day.
Sunday Morning
Morning, sunshine! Sunday brunch is definitely a sport, so “Put us in, coach!” We mentioned this one above, but West Egg is a fan favorite. It took us almost two years of living in Atlanta to finally brave the brunch wait, but rest assured… it was worth every second. Their pimento cheese grits are enough to win us over and truly anything on this menu will win your heart - swear.
Next we decided to relax a bit by shopping (truly the only way we know how). Luckily we’re already in the cute shopping district of Westside Provisions. No need to list all the fabulous shops, because you’ll stumble onto them. If you need another coffee, jump over to Brash. The cutest little shipping container coffee shop.
All of this relaxing made us starving so obviously we capped off the weekend at a classic ATL spot: Anticos. As you must know, this spot has the truest form of margherita pizza this city has to offer #StraightOuttaNapoli. If you don’t know, get on that. Our second pizza of choice was the Sophia. Truffle oil + bufala cheese = match made in heaven. Besides the obviously delicious pizza, this restaurant has a true nostalgic feel and is the perfect place to gather with your gang, reminisce on your killer weekend, and (last but not least) BYOB.
We hope (but really we know) that this guide serves you well for visitors, adventures with the gang, and beyond. We wouldn’t be ATL girl gang if we didn’t love a little on ATL.