Follow Rebekah to Atlanta, Georgia
If I were to tell you I just had an amazing vacation in a city with lots of great food, art and history, where would you guess I went? New York? Paris? Rome?
I went to Atlanta, Georgia. Surprised? Me too! But I can tell you, Atlanta is a very underrated city. Even though I had been there once before to look at a college, I never knew that Atlanta had so much to offer as a vacation destination.
I was in Atlanta for the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild Annual Conference. I did my DIY PR presentation three different times! It was wonderful to connect with makers and hear their story. And after the conference, I, of course, made time to explore the city.
Here are my top three picks for your next Atlanta vacation.
#1 Experience National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is probably the most impactful museum I have ever been to. I highly recommend it if you find yourself in Atlanta.
The exhibit that stuck with me the most simulated what it was like for African Americans to sit at a lunch counter in protest during the 1960’s. The premise of the exhibit is that you literally sit at a lunch counter, put on headphones and listen to people yelling terrible things at you. The experience is obviously nothing close to what it must have felt like for those who endured the real thing. Yet, even in the simulation, it was not easy to sit there long, let alone feel overwhelming empathy for those who did.
In addition to the exhibits about the Civil Rights Movement, the museum has dedicated the top floor to bringing attention to human rights violations that exist today. It was a reminder that there are still terrible atrocities happening all over the world and you should never be silent about injustices. By the end, I felt an overwhelming sense of empowerment to stand up for what is right.
If this feels pretty heavy, it is. But after you are done with this museum, you can lighten the mood next door with the World of Coca Cola Museum. This museum only takes about an hour to tour and you get to learn the history of Coke and the incredible story of how the brand took off. Don’t miss the tasting room where you can try Coke products from around the world!
#2 Wander Around the Krog Street Market and Krog Street Tunnel
Go to the Krog Street Market and Tunnel for lunch and come hungry. Listen to me, come hungry. And if you really want to up your game, bring a friend to share food with so that you can try even more.
My husband and I wandered around this area for quite a while looking at all the street art in the tunnel and of course, eating.
In the market is a food hall. I’m sure that all of the food options are amazing, but from what I tried here are my top three picks.
Definitely try the burger from Fred’s Meat & Bread. Before the burger arrived, my husband was put off that the burgers didn’t have enough stuff on it; they serve a plain cheeseburger. My interpretation was that it had to be tasty if the bread, meat, and cheese were good enough to stand on their own without a lot of fancy toppings. I was right. It was delicious.
Next, get something from Gu’s Dumplings. It doesn’t matter what you get, as long as you can have it with their dumpling sauce. Anything from there is delicious with that sauce! It was so good, we even bought a bottle to take home.
Finally, don’t leave the Krog Street Market without trying something from Richard’s Southern Fried. We shared the chicken sandwich and it was amazing! The breading on the chicken was the perfect amount of crispy.
#3 Eat at Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Since you are in Atlanta, you should have proper southern food. For this, I recommend Mary Mac’s Tea Room. There are no frills or fancy food, just good food.
Right at the beginning, you’ll be served a bread basket. Sounds typical, but it’s not. This bread basket has yeast rolls, cornbread and (I promise this is real) cinnamon rolls. LOL. You know you can’t go wrong with a bread basket like that!
The menu had three of my favorite foods: fried okra, pimento cheese, and deviled eggs. Ordering a dish that you have loved since childhood is risky. No one cooks like mom, right? Well, Mary Mac does. These dishes did not disappoint.
And while this applies to Mary Mac’s Tea Room, I should say it for all of Atlanta—seriously, don’t come here if you’re on a diet! The food is too good.