atlanta things to do tagged interest

Published September 13, 2024

Welcome to Atlanta, home of the largest Pride Festival in the Southeast. Here are a few tips to help you navigate around the festival and the city. Be safe and have fun.

The Basics

Official Pride Schedule

First things first: The 2024 Atlanta Pride Festival is scheduled for Oct. 12-13 in Piedmont Park. Since it began in Piedmont Park in 1970, the festival has grown to welcome more than 300,000 visitors and hosts one of the city’s largest parades. The annual celebration will again coincide with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. This year’s theme is “United With Pride.” The jam-packed festival weekend includes performances, events and the iconic parade kicking off at noon on Oct. 13. There are three additional parades including the Bi and Pan, Dyke and Trans marches. The festival is one of the oldest and biggest celebrations in the nation. October also is recognized as LGBTQ+ History Month.

Rapid Transit

Piedmont Park is headquarters for Atlanta Pride, but if you need to venture to other parts of the city, rapid transit via MARTA may be your best bet. Let’s say you are in Piedmont Park and want to go to Buckhead. Walk to the Arts Center Marta Station, just behind the Woodruff Arts Center, and hop a northbound train to the Buckhead station on the red line or Lenox station on the gold line. You also can take Marta straight from the airport to a station nearest your hotel.

Cell Phone Rules

Having your phone in your hands while driving is against the law in Georgia. If your vehicle is equipped with a hands-free device, you may legally talk on the phone while driving.

Essentials

Perhaps you forgot your toothbrush or you need some protein bars. Head a little north from Piedmont Park on Piedmont Avenue to Ansley Mall, where you’ll find CVS plus a Publix and a Kroger. Pick up some water while there to help you stay hydrated. Remember to bring a portable charger because, Yikes!, your phone may run out of charge just when the perfect photo appears in front of you.

Just for Fun

Visit the Rainbow Crosswalk

Head to the Rainbow Crosswalk located at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Midtown. The idea behind the rainbow crosswalk was started by Robert Sepúlveda Jr. in 2014. While the crosswalk was temporarily painted in 2015 ahead of Atlanta Pride, it finally became a permanent attraction in Midtown in 2017. The iconic Atlanta Pride Parade route passes over the crosswalk. Around the area, you’ll find popular gay bars like Bulldogs, considered the oldest gay bar in Atlanta; X Midtown; and Blake’s on the Park.

Find LGBTQ-Friendly Places in Atlanta

Find out where to go and what to do by learning about Essential LGBTQ-friendly Places to visit in Atlanta. You’ll undoubtedly want to unwind with friends while enjoying a cocktail or a cold one. Check our Ultimate Guide to the Best Nightlife Spots in Atlanta for Every Occasion. Find ways to Experience LGBTQ+ Black Culture in Atlanta. If you prefer a brew, Grab a Pint at Atlanta Breweries with Beer Gardens and Patios. Take your pick from The Ultimate List of Date Night Ideas in Atlanta.

If you need a place to stay while in town, Loews Atlanta Hotel is within walking distance of the start and end of the parade at Piedmont Park. The hotel is offering an Atlanta Pride Package, which includes:

Complimentary upgrade to a suite, based on availability

Pride-theme welcome treat in your room upon check-in

Two complimentary signature cocktails or Free Spirited (alcohol-free) beverages at Saltwood Bar

Complimentary self-parking for one vehicle nightly

Find details on the package here.

Loews Atlanta Hotel’s bar, Saltwood Charcuterie andamp; Bar, is also hosting Pride Night on Friday, Oct. 11 to celebrate the festival happening the next day.

Read More

Ultimate Guide to the Holidays in Atlanta

Ultimate Guide to Fall in Atlanta

Ultimate Guide to Summer in Atlanta

Family

Atlanta is chock-full of kid-friendly attractions. Sprinkled around Centennial Olympic Park Downtown, find the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Midtown Atlanta is home to the Center for Puppetry Arts and both the High Museum of Art and the Alliance Theatre. The High Museum and the Alliance are located at the Woodruff Arts Center and both frequently have activities for children of varying ages including the Alliance’s Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young, which produces plays for children ages 0 to 5 years old and their grown-ups.

Visit Atlantic Station to visit the Museum of Illusions and stop at Ponce City Market for Verse Immersive, an augmented reality experience. Just off of Ponce de Leon Avenue, Fernbank Museum of Natural History is home to dinosaurs, exhibits and a walking trail. Fernbank Science Center houses a 9,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 500-seat planetarium, an observatory, two-electron microscopes, a library, a distance learning studio, science labs and a 65-acre forest. Head north into Buckhead where you will find LEGO Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza. And don’t forget Zoo Atlanta.

When the kiddos get hungry, take a look at the Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants around Atlanta.

Atlanta has Awesome Playgrounds in Atlanta for Kids of All Ages. Also check the Ultimate List of Things to Do in Atlanta with Kids and this Family Fun Itinerary. Finally, peek in at 50 Fun Things to do in Atlanta.

Stage and Screen

Atlanta’s Out Front Theatre Company, since its inception in 2016, has existed to serve artistic excellence to the LGBTQIA+ communities of Atlanta by producing theatrical experiences that focus on the voices of the LGBTQIA+ cannon. The theater brings “Hairspray” to the stage Oct. 24-Nov. 9. Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, “Hairspray” is a family-friendly musical, piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs.

Out On Film is an 11-day Atlanta celebration of LGBTQ stories and artists including narrative features, documentaries, short films and premieres. Out On Film became an Oscar-qualifying film festival in 2020. It is one of only two LGTBQ film festivals in the U.S. and one of only six LGTBQ film festivals in the world to receive that recognition.

Drag Performances

LIPS Atlanta features shows five nights a week. Also see a drag performance at MSR My Sisters Room, Oscar’s Bar or City Winery. Future Atlanta in Underground Atlanta offers drag with a cabaret show.

The Bar Scene

Woofs Atlanta is a full-service sports bar serving the LGBTQ community. Along with the good food and beer, Woofs offers poker night, music bingo and drink deals throughout the week. Head to Ansley Square Shopping Center off Piedmont Avenue to find a variety of gay bars with dancing, karaoke, themed-nights and good food. Check out Felix’s Atlanta, Oscar’s Bar, Atlanta Eagle and Mixx Atlanta.

Bookmark this Shop

Charis Books and More in Decatur is the South’s oldest independent feminist bookstore with books on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer fiction and non-fiction. Take MARTA to the Decatur Station and find Charis just a few steps away.

Restaurants

There is no shortage of restaurants in Atlanta. When you are hungry, choose from the Best Restaurants on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Check the Complete Guide to Weekday Dining in Atlanta. And, discover the Best Restaurants on the Atlanta Beltline. Also take a look at Atlanta’s Best Food Halls and Local Markets.

If it’s caffeine you seek, here is our list of the Best Coffee Shops to Work or Study in Atlanta. And here is Where to Drink Tea in Atlanta.

LGBTQ-Centric

This and That

Here are Essential LGBTQ+ – friendly Places to Visit in Atlanta.

Heckuva Deal

CityPASS

If you are going to be in Atlanta for a few days, consider purchasing a CityPASS to the city’s top attractions. If will save you 44%.