Hi there, folks,


I've been to ATL a bunch of times but always on connection, so I never actually left the airport area.
This time I'm planning to attend a RUSH ( ^ ) concert in Alpharetta-GA on May, 26 but there are some doubts I'd like to ask our Georgia experts about:


The main schedule would be:

1) May 23: Arrive in ATL on Saturday morning and get to the (previously booked, yeah) hotel around Downtown (or near by?);

2) May 26: Get some kind of transportation (bus? train? taxi?) Tuesday morning to Alpharetta-GA , spend the day lurking around and go to concert (8 pm - 11 pm);

3) After the gig (around midnight) find some kind of transportation (bus? train? taxi?) to get back to Atlanta;

4) May 27: Catch the 9 pm flight back home.



- Should I get a hotel near Alpharetta?
- Is it a pain to use public transport around these places (ATL, Atlanta's tourist traps, Alpharetta) ?
- Is it viable to leave Alpharetta Wednesday after midnight and get to Atlanta without a car?
- Any particular Atlanta neighborhoods I should avoid getting a hotel at ? (Concerning transportation to and from downtown / ATL) ?




Thanks in advance for any help.

M2.

You're likely going to be attending the concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park.

It's a relatively new (5 years old, maybe?) venue and is gorgeous. I've been to several concerts there. Parking is ample, but tricky. Getting in and out is a little confusing because the amphitheater is in a business park that is busy during the day, but empty at night.

While staying a few days in Downtown Atlanta, there should be plenty to keep you busy. There's the Georgia Aquarium, the Coke Museum, the College Football Hall of Fame, etc. All of this is easily accessible by MARTA which runs from the airport to downtown, then splits off in a few different directions.

HOWEVER, if it was me, I'd rent a car. Metro Atlanta is huge, and there is a ton of other stuff to see/do that's not within walking distance of MARTA.

If you rent a car, you shouldn't need a hotel in Alpharetta. There's plenty of HGI's, Hamptons, etc. in and around Alpharetta. They should all be around $120/night.

If you don't rent a car, MARTA runs to the North Springs station. However, you'll still need a cab/Uber to get you to the Amphitheater which is 10+ miles away. It could get expensive. Be mindful that MARTA drastically reduces their schedule late at night, so you could be waiting a while for a train, if one comes at all. Again, I'd recommend getting a car. Keep in mind that the theater is 30+ miles from "downtown" and there's no public transportation that will easily get you from one to the other.

MARTA is pretty safe if you remain aware of your surroundings. Don't get on the east/west lines, stick to the north/south lines, especially towards the airport.

Depending on your budget, look for hotels in Midtown or Buckhead. You'll pay a little more, but good restaurants, shops, etc. will be nearby.

Stop at the Varsity at your own risk. Bring some Tums. Get a Frozen Orange and an order of onion rings.

Some of my favorite restaurants are Antico Pizza, Local Three Kitchen and Bar, and Holeman and Finch.

TL;DR: Get a rental car. Stay north of I-20. Have a great time!

I can elaborate a lot more late but I agree, I highly recommend a rental car. Going to a concert at Verizon without one would be very expensive (if staying downtown) and a big pain. Not so bad if staying nearby, but then you'd be carless otherwise. Atlanta and Alpharetta are not linked by public transportation.

Great stuff, aww3583!! Thanks a lot!

You're right, it's gonna be at the Verizon.

I was trying to avoid renting a car but it seems I'll have to do it anyways.
My list of places to visit is getting bigger!

Thanks for the reply, MissJ

Yeah, gonna take that advise into consideration... looks like I'll have to give up my "beer afternoon" before the concert ;-)

Well you could always just stay in Alpharetta the night of the concert and taxi back and forth from there. Hit up Taco Mac near the venue and drink drink drink. Just make sure you have phone numbers of cab companies handy in case you can't find one after the end of the show.

I am a big beer drinker so if you need recommendations of great places to drink around town, I have plenty. Alpharetta is the suburbs though so I've never spent more time there than I had to. The venue is not in an area you can walk to stuff from, it's set back off the roads. When you go, you'll be going just for the concert and any lurking around the actual venue beforehand. Once the gates open, they do have decent beers on tap there usually. It's a very nice venue.

As for your questions about neighborhoods, yes, there are a lot of Atlanta areas to avoid. Stick to Buckhead or Midtown. Even downtown can be pretty sketchy at night and it really becomes a bit of a ghost town after business hours. I like midtown a lot, it's really grown a ton in recent years. If you have a car, you can stay just about anywhere (north of downtown ONLY) and get around. The Perimeter Mall area is nice and easy to get to and from and Buckhead and Midtown would still work with a car, just watch for big parking fees.

Generally I would stay in either Buckhead or Midtown. Downtown has a lot more touristy things to do but is not a pleasant area at night. Dunwoody might be a good alternative area for you to stay since you're going to Alpharetta for the concert. It's a nice (but suburban) area and most of the hotels have free parking (which will be hard to find in Buckhead and Midtown)...and you definitely are better off renting a car.

Writing it all down! Thanks for the tips. ^

Yes, please! Despite being on a "don't go crazy" budget I'm always looking for places with good local or hard-to-find-anywhere-else beers.

Well, Taco Mac is an Atlanta staple. They are everywhere and usually have a pretty good selection.

My favorite is Brick Store. They have a gigantic selection of Belgians and always some interesting local stuff on tap. If you like chicken salad, get the melt. It goes great with a beer or two ... or five.

Porter Beer Bar in Little 5 is great too. Fantastic selection of local and a lot of hard to get stuff from just about anywhere.

If you want to do any brewery visits, there are plenty. GA just has odd beer laws that don't allow anything other than tastings so if you go to one, you'll get tickets for tastes and it will only be for a limited time. Now don't take that to mean not worth going to, they definitely are, just don't go starving and pay attention to the hours of the tasting. They aren't all day places you can just pop in.

Take a look here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/place/city/1/

I've been to them all so feel free to ask if one looks like your type of place.

They won't be expensive. $5 - $8 for a glass and $8 would only be for the really special stuff.

There is also the option of mixing things - MARTA from the airport, a few nights in Midtown/Buckhead then pick up a rental for concert day/night & stay further north. A few extra stops to pickup/ drop off the car & change hotels, but avoids parking fees while in town & a long drive after the concert.

Regardless of what you decide, enjoy ATL & the concert!

While I do agree there is a lot more to see and do in downtown area(touristy stuff, better restaurants and bars) you can get to Alpharetta via public transportation and stay up there if you want and not have to rent a car.

Take Marta train to end of line North Springs, then get bus 140 to Mansell Rd/North Pt Pkwy(or 185 during the week). North Point parkway is a mall/strip mall road with plenty of hotels, restaurants, and shopping(and is safe to be out at night in my opinion). You can stay there and walk to Encore Park if reasonable fit. Encore Pkwy dead ends into North Pt Pkwy. Look at google maps of area.



This would save you the rental car money and parking in downtown.

Things to do in Alpharetta(I lived there for about 10 years pre Encore park): Big Creek Greenway- for running, Atlantic Seafood Company-Whitney and Bobby's former favorite, The Varsity on Haynes Bridge - not the full Atlanta experience but still good and its a "Frosted Orange", Sage Woodfire Tavern on Haynes Bridge - if you're into Cougars

I had no idea that bus line ran so late. The OP mentioned taking the bus/train after the concert and I didn't think that was possible. Crazy.

Personally, I would probably still stay in Alpharetta the night of the show and taxi to and from the hotel. I can't remember if Encore Park has a curfew time that all shows must end by.