So I am doing an ongoing series on this blog called “How to spend a day in Atlanta” and you can see the first post of that series here. Today I’m excited to do another installment! Anytime people come to Atlanta from out of town or they want to get to know the city, I love taking them to the Atlanta Beltline (see previous blog post here). The Beltline is “a sustainable redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor”. It is absolutely beautiful with a ton of local art and some great views of the skyline. A few weeks ago, I took my friends, Saeed and Blake, biking through the trail. Here is the route we took and an efficient way to see a lot of things!

1. Atlanta Beltline Bicycle– We parked by the bicycle shop because there’s a lot of parking options at the shop, on Sampson St, McGruder St, and on John Wesley Dobbs Ave. Renting at this bicycle shop is $5/ hour I believe so we ended up biking 3 hours for $15 which is the cheapest deal I’ve been able to find on the Beltline. Once we got our bikes, we got right on the beltline which is conveniently located right behind the shop. (If you want to eat near the bike shop, I recommend Ladybird or Two Urban Licks- full review here!)

2. Tiny doors ATL– When you are biking the beltline, be sure to lookout for these tiny art pieces that are on some walls. I have only been able to find two so far! One on the edge of the wall across from this art piece made of scrap metal (what!) and one at the front of “Paris on Ponce”.

3. Ponce City Market– It’s crazy that this place didn’t exist a year ago since it has gotten so popular since!! You can see my guide of where to shop here, as well as my review of Minero, (a restaurant with my favorite dish in Atlanta- the chilaquiles), here. I also recommend eating at Botiwalla, Simply Seoul, and Brezza Cucina (if you’re looking for pricey but authentic Italian food). While we were here we grabbed a beer from The Tap and walked around with it because the market is open container! The staff at The Tap is super friendly and always patient when helping me find a beer I’ll like. Also check out the Citizen Supply store while you’re here and the stores in my previous post here.

4. Piedmont Park– When you head to the park, you pass tons of beautiful murals! After stopping for some pics, we went to the park (see blog post here) to take in the views of the skyline. The dog park is also fun to go past (or in) if you love dogs like me. There are also docks and a gazebo by the ponds in Piedmont Park that are awesome spots to sit and look out. We got hungry when we went through the park so we went to Willys for some quesadillas and burritos. I also recommend eating at The Nook (see review here) or Park Tavern (see review here).

5. King of Pops– When you turn around and head back to the bicycle shop, stop by King of Pops for a popsicle! In the hot weather, this is the perfect pick me up! I recommend the flavors: sea salt chocolate & raspberry lime. See my full review of King of Pops here.

6. Atlanta Beltline Bicycle– The shop ran out of locks when we got the bikes so we couldn’t go to places where we needed to lock them up. If you do have a lock with you then you can do #7 first before returning your bikes. For us, we returned the bikes and then did #7.

7. Krog Street Market– Once we returned our bikes, we walked to Krog Street Market (it’s super close by | see review here). This market is smaller than Ponce City Market but is still awesome and has a ton of character! I recommend eating at Yalla or Superica (one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta), getting parmesan fries from Fred’s, or getting ice cream from Jeni’s (see review here). Getting a beer from hop city is always a good idea too as long as it’s not insanely crowded!

After doing all these things, we walked back to our cars and called it a day! I love showing people the Beltline because when I biked it the first time, I started falling in love with Atlanta! Saeed and Blake said spending the day biking the beltline also made them appreciate Atlanta more! I 100% recommend spending one of your days in Atlanta this way.

Leave me your favorite restaurants or places to stop along the beltline!

-Emily