The ATL is the perfect ‘grown up’ getaway. Atlanta is a short drive from lots of cities in the Southeast and home to one of the busiest airports in America, so there are plenty of ways to get here. You can even come on that midnight train to Georgia. No matter if you’re coming as a “plus one” for a significant other’s convention, with the family for a game at the Mercedes Benz Stadium or just a long weekend looking to explore the nightlife, Atlanta is a great place for a date night or day date – adults only.
What Can Couples Do in Downtown Atlanta?
If you’re spending time downtown Atlanta for a convention at the Georgia World Congress Center, then plan an extra day for a day date. After getting registered, choose from one of seven landmark attractions in the area.
A sports fan favorite is going to be the College Football Hall of Fame. It’s the perfect place for college sweethearts to relive their college days. One of my favorite parts is the Quad. There are more than 775 schools represented with football helmets. You can choose your favorite team to journey along with you through the interactive experience.
Not into sports? Walk just a block over to CNN Center and take a 50 minute tour of the studios where history was created. (The tours are temporarily suspended due to Covid-19.) Cross the street and you’ll find yourself at Centennial Olympic Park, the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Depending on the weather, you can experience the water show in the Fountain of Rings.
Finish off the evening with a romantic ride on the Skyview Atlanta Ferris Wheel. Each group has their own private gondolas to get a skyline view of Atlanta and it’s a perfect way to finish off a date night. Got one more day? Book a date at one of Atlanta’s great spas.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Atlanta is a city of neighborhoods with lots of traffic in between. Plan your stay based upon where you’re going to spend most of your time. Buckhead, Downtown, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown, The Battery and Stone Mountain Park are all different areas of town with their own personality. They’re an even playing field with great restaurants, lodging and sightseeing nearby so you can’t go wrong with where you choose.
Don’t Miss the Highlights
- Even if you’re not interested in drinking Coke, a visit to the World of Coca Cola Museum is a fun thing for adults to do in Atlanta. Photo Credit: World of Coca-Cola
On day two, hit the streets early so you’ll have a chance to visit at least two of the famous Atlanta attractions, Georgia Aquarium & World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place. The World of Coca-Cola is part-museum/part-tourist attraction/part-tasting bar. Even if you’re not a fan of the drink, it’s a fun part of American history captured through the lens of a classic drink.
For a more somber reflection, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum dedicated to “connecting the US Civil Rights Movement to the human rights challenges of today.” The Center is also home to the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr collection with personal items and more than 1,000 books, including his handwritten notes, that were part of his personal library.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Plan to park and walk or take an Uber/Lyft. All of these attractions are within a 4 block radius so it’s going to be much more cost-effective to choose a single parking spot and just prepare to walk for the day. Depending on the events happening, parking can run about $20 a day and get packed quickly, so it may be more cost-effective and convenient to just take an Uber from your hotel.
Adult Things to Do in Midtown Atlanta
- Atlanta Botanical Garden even offers backgrounds for the perfect date night pictures. Photo Credit: Kendra Pierson
Driving up Peachtree Street from Downtown Atlanta, you’ll hit the Midtown area of Atlanta. Midtown is the home of Georgia Tech, world’s largest drive-in restaurant The Varsity, Gone with the Wind Writer Margaret Mitchell House, Carter Center, President Jimmy Carter’s Library, and the Fox Theatre, a historic movie palace turned Broadway show theater.
If that’s not enough for the Midtown area of Atlanta, head to my personal favorite, the Atlanta Botanical Garden. During the day, there are plenty of family-friendly things to do like explore the children’s garden and the signature exhibits, including the orchids. At night, it gets a lot cooler with Cocktails in the Gardens, an outdoor cocktail party six nights a week. There’s live music and plenty of places to explore the signature exhibits lit up beautifully at night. Date night score!
High Museum of Art is also dual-use. Plenty of activities and exhibits for families during the day and adult-only events at night. The High has also been proactive in using its surroundings to social distance with evening art walks and moving the monthly jazz nights outside under the stars. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is located across from the High Museum of Art; it offers several family-friendly daytime shows in addition to the ones that make for a great date night.
Piedmont Park is yet another Atlanta landmark and is a fun place for families and couples. The background makes it an ideal place for pictures. There are lakeside or garden locations in the park, along with lots of green space in the rolling meadow for picnics or kite flying.
From Piedmont Park, you can connect to the Atlanta Beltline and see more of the city. The Atlanta Beltline will connect 45 neighborhoods with walking trails and parks. Piedmont Park is the largest connection point but along the Beltline, you can find places to rent biking, see the graphic art (aka graffiti), take guided tours, and visit other fun places like Skyline Park at Ponce City Market.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Midtown is spread out but it has more of a neighborhood feel. The area has lots of construction going on but there are still grocery stores and families who live in the area. Georgia Tech has its own college oasis in the area so lots of students. Airbnb located in Midtown are more likely to be in an apartment community. You’ll be able to find street parking.
Best Date Night Atlanta Restaurants
Atlanta has no shortage of great eateries for date nights but you’ll have to decide what vibe you’re looking for. Are you looking for romance, a foodie adventure, atmosphere? And just a note: Most of the food won’t be just Southern.
Hands down one of my absolute favorite restaurants is Gunshow. Former Top Chef contestant, Kevin Gillespie’s restaurant, Gunshow is for adventurous foodies. There are several chefs and each night they prepare a dish. The chef will then come out to each table and describe the dish while you decide to choose it or not. The dishes are fusion experiments and rarely the same each week but always delicious. On my last visit, I had a curry goat corndog and sous vide scallops; both were dishes I’d love to have again.
Another favorite for a very romantic dinner with a view is the Sundial at the Westin. Located on the top floors of the iconic Westin hotel on Peachtree Street (the circle in the Atlanta skyline) on a clear day or evening, you can see almost 20 miles in the distance. It’s a more traditional upscale American menu and the food is delicious.
A little further outside of the city, Restaurant 356 overlooks the track at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta. It’s a 10 out of 10 when it comes to the atmosphere between the cars on the Porsche track and the runway views of airplanes at the Atlanta airport. The food is a mix of farm-to-table and fresh favorites, so you don’t lose with the menu either.
10 More Things Do in Atlanta for Adults
It was hard to narrow down the list, so here are 10 more of my favorite Atlanta date night adventures. If your budget permits, splurge on a luxe a for your stay. The good thing about having so many great things to do is there’s no shortage of adventures or reasons to come back to Atlanta!
- King Center & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site: This is run by the National Park Service and it’s a large area with his home, church and burial tomb. Take this guided tour to see Atlanta’s landmarks and learn some history of this town.
- Oakland Cemetery : Oakland Cemetery is a history of the people of Atlanta. With more than 70,000 graves, there are sections that reflect segregation with the historic African-American sections, the Jewish Flat and Jewish Hill, and the Confederate Burial Grounds (unknown graves from Civil War Soldiers). There are also graves for 27 of Atlanta’s past mayors and pauper graves, so it is a true cross-section of the city. There are walking tours with docents who can give a true history of the areas.
- Swan House at Atlanta History Center: Located in Buckhead, Swan House is one of the grandest examples of post-Civil War wealth in Atlanta. It’s been featured in The Hunger Games movies.
- Fernbank Museum of Natural History: Kids love this, but for any adults seeking an iMAX experience, this is worth the drive. It also hosts adult-only nights with dancing and live music.
- Chattahoochee River: The Chattahoochee River actually runs through parts of Atlanta and offers plenty of hiking trails and opportunities to see the wildlife by kayaking or tubing down the river.
- Zoo Atlanta: this is one of the best zoos in America and one of only three American zoos that has giant pandas, so that’s kind of worth seeing.
- Porsche Experience Center: Visitors can just tour the Porsche museum, ride in a simulator or spend up to a full day out on the track learning how to drive Porsches. It’s a thrilling experience.
- Six Flags Over Georgia Amusement Parks: Six Flags has two parks in the Atlanta area, One is Six Flags Over Georgia and the other is the water park, Six Flags Whitewater.
- Pop-up Experiences: From Candytopia to the Nickelodeon Experience or the Atlanta Selfie Museum, Atlanta has no shortage of pop-up museums and experiences that make fun date night adventures. Enjoy the street art of Atlanta with this private tour.
- Sugar Factory Atlanta: Sugar Factory has brought its candy shop and restaurant to Atlanta for a sweet adventure you won’t soon forget.
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