Discover Atlanta

Atlanta is a city full of history, personality, and adventure, and this year’s BDC venue lies in the perfect central spot to experience it all! Experience the deep culture of the city by exploring the many historical sites, museums, and green spaces Atlanta has to offer. Enjoy Southern hospitality and cooking at any of the Atlanta’s plentiful restaurants. Whatever you choose to do, you and your family are sure to leave with colorful lifetime memories.

Where to Eat:

Quick Bites
  • Kwan’s Deli and Korean Kitchen: Casual hole-in-wall deli that serves classic sandwiches along with Korean dishes (267 Marietta St NW).
  • CNN Food Court: The CNN Center features a large atrium food court frequented by both locals and tourists (1 CNN Center).
  • The Food Shoppe: A casual and low-key space that serves traditional Creole dishes and desserts (123 Luckie St NW Unit 108).
Breakfast
  • Atlanta Breakfast Club: Modern diner that offers classic comfort food staples such as waffles, burgers, and biscuits with gravy (249 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW)
  • Waffle House: Restaurant chain that serves breakfast and diner classics. Open 24 hours (135 Andrew Young International Blvd NW)!
Lunch
  • Johnny Rockets: Restaurant chain that offers classic 1950’s American food such as burgers, hotdogs, and milkshakes (280 Luckie St NW).
  • Sweet Auburn Curb Market (Municipal Market): Food market that is a Downtown Atlanta staple. The market offers many food and drink options, you can pop in for a quick lunch or stay and explore the food stalls for hours! Choose from Soul food, Caribbean and African dishes, tacos, sandwiches, Poké bowls, pizza, fresh juices, and more (209 Edgewood Ave NE).
  • Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt: Downtown Atlanta staple for classic southern BBQ and soul food (264 Memorial Dr SE).
Dinner
  • Max’s Coal Oven Pizza: Pizzeria that offers authentic, New York-style pizza made from a coal oven. Also features salads, pastas, and Max’s signature coal oven wings (300 Marietta St NW).
  • Binky’s Eatery: Popular soul food that will touch your heart (20 Broad St SW Suite E).
  • Ruth Chris Steakhouse: located in the Embassy Suites Hotel (267 Marietta St NW).
  • Sun Dial: An iconic restaurant atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza gives diners a bird’s-eye view of the city skyline from 723 feet above the street. Reservations are required (210 Peachtree St NW).
  • Apache XLR: Cozy restaurant and bar serving contemporary southern dishes, plus live music and open mic sessions (393 Marietta St NW).
  • Tyde Tates Thai Kitchen – South Downtown: Family-owned casual comfort Thai restaurant (229 Mitchell St SW).
Dessert/Shops
  • The Yard Milkshake Bar: Fun ice cream shop that serves special and large milkshakes! Note: This location is cashless and only takes credit, debit cards, and Apple Pay only (341 Marietta St NW).
  • Sweet Heads: A trendy dessert-boutique that offers handcrafted desserts such as banana pudding, cookie sandwiches, and cheesecakes (39 Peachtree St NE)!

Where to go:

  • Atlanta Botanical Garden: Explore more than 30 acres of breathtaking gardens. Visit the website for updated events and exhibits happening during the week of BDC (1345 Piedmont Ave NE)!
  • Centennial Olympic Park: The iconic landmark where the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta were held. Cool off by the iconic Fountain of Rings, locate a commemorative brick, take a selfie at The Spectacular, enjoy the playgrounds, gardens, and expansive lawns, and explore the many landmarks and features designed to enhance the visitor experience (265 Park Ave W NW).
  • The Children’s Museum: The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a hands-on museum that allows children ages 0-8 to experience the possibility of play (275 Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW).
  • The College Football Hall of Fame: A must-see attraction for any sports fan that features a 45-yard indoor football field and over 50 engaging and interactive exhibits (250 Marietta St NW).
  • Fernbank Museum of Natural History: A complex consisting of a museum, movie theater, and a 75-acre forest that includes hiking paths, play areas, and stunning nature (767 Clifton Rd). 
  • Georgia Aquarium: One of the largest aquariums in the world, this is our top recommendation in Atlanta! Visitors can explore 7 galleries filled with hundreds of animal species. You can even dive and swim among the sea creatures (225 Baker St NW)!
  • Marrieta Square Market: An expansive food hall boasting of 20 diverse restaurants and ample indoor & outdoor seating options (68 North Marrietta Pkwy NW).
  • Mercedes Benz Stadium: The home stadium of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC (1 AMB Dr NW).
  • MLK Historic District Walking Tour: Get an in-depth look at the people and locations that inspired Martin Luther King Jr. on this 1.7-mile (2.5 hour) outdoor walking tour of the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.
  • National Center for Human Rights: Cultural attraction that presents artifacts, art & photos from the Civil Rights Era & about human rights (100 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW).
  • Piedmont Park: About a mile from Downtown Atlanta, Piedmont Park is one of the best free landmarks to visit in Atlanta. The park hosts fun activities on the weekends and holidays for the whole family (1320 Monroe Drive).
  • Ponce City Market: A vibrant gathering spot in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward filled with restaurants, shops, and even a rooftop carnival (675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE).
  • Skyview Atlanta: A ferris wheel that rises 20 stories above Centennial Park. It consists of 42 climate-controlled gondolas. Its top has a panoramic view of downtown and other parts of the city (168 Luckie St NW).
  • Stone Mountain Park: The most visited park in Georgia. The park offers lake fishing, hiking, picnicking, mountain climbing, biking, and golfing! Note: The park is about 21 miles from the downtown Atlanta area which is around a 30-minute drive (1000 Robert E Lee Blvd).
  • World of Coca Cola: The museum of the popular soft drink! Taste different sodas from all over the world, view hundreds of memorabilia, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the bottling process  (121 Baker St NW).
  • The Zoo Atlanta: One of only 3 locations in the USA that are home to giant pandas. Home of the famous gorilla “Willy B” who was the main symbol of the Atlanta Zoo until 2000. This is a contact zoo where you can feed the animals (800 Cherokee Drive SE).
  • ZuCot Gallery: Located in the historic Castleberry Hill District of Downtown Atlanta, the ZuCot Gallery is the largest African American owned fine art gallery in the Southeast. Free entry and free parking (100 Centennial Olympic Park Dr)!