atlanta information

nightlife and entertainment

For a city that spends little on the arts, Atlanta has a surprisingly varied nightlife, and a particularly strong theatre scene. Most of the action is within the city limits, though there are stirrings in the suburbs. Nightclubs can be found mainly in town or in Buckhead, a smart neighbourhood north-west of Atlanta,and in up-and-coming Decatur.

For weekly listings, try Creative Loafing, a city-wide alternative newspaper published every Thursday, or see Friday's edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Theatre

Woodruff Arts Centre

1280 Peachtree St
Tel: +1 (404) 733-4200
Website

This arts complex is home to the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta College of Art, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alliance Theatre and the 14th Street Playhouse (across the street). Though the orchestra's conductor and the Alliance's artistic director have both left in recent years, neither reputation has suffered. The Alliance's repertoire alternates between new plays and family-friendly musicals.
Dad's Garage Theatre Company
280 Elizabeth St
Tel: +1 (404) 523-3141
Website

In a small, informal theatre, Dad's Garage hosts comedy improvisation troupes and experimental plays. “8½ x 11”, an energetic staging of short plays by several playwrights, iTs an annual favourite in Atlanta. The theatre also hosts “Political Party”, a monthly question-and-answer session with local politicians and pundits.
New American Shakespeare Tavern
499 Peachtree St
Tel: +1 (404) 874-5299
Website

At this dinner theatre devoted to the plays of Shakespeare, the décor is faux-Elizabethan, and patrons quaff British food and beer during performances. The season runs from November to May, with an emphasis on the bard's tragedies (“Romeo and Juliet” every Valentine's Day, for example).
PushPush Theatre
East Decatur Station
121 New St
Decatur, GA 30030
Tel: +1 404 377-6332
Website

PushPush shows original (occasionally wacky) works, lesser-known works by masters, such as Tennessee Williams and Harold Pinter, and daringly re-imagined classics. The small, charmingly off-beat theatre and the surrounding cluster of bars and restaurants make for a fun, intimate evening out.

Rialto Centre for the Performing Arts

80 Forsyth St
Tel: +1 (404) 651-4727
Website

Georgia State University maintains this venue, so student performances are staged between performances by internationally known music and dance acts.


Sport

The Atlanta Braves
Turner Field
755 Hank Aaron Drive
Tel: +1 (404) 522-7630
Website

The Braves spent the last decade amassing one of the best records in baseball, and they are a consistently enjoyable team to watch. Turner Field was built for the 1996 Olympics and named after Ted Turner, a cable-television magnate and the team's former owner. It boasts a wide range of culinary offerings. Getting to the stadium is difficult (parking is confusing and the shuttle buses from the Five Points MARTA station irregular). But tickets are easy to come by, especially at the beginning of the season (April-May).

Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers
Philips Arena
1 Philips Drive
Tel: +1 (404) 878-3000
Hawks'website
Thrashers'website

Both the Hawks, Atlanta's perpetually moribund basketball team, and the Thrashers, its new ice-hockey team, play in Philips Arena, near the Georgia Dome and the CNN Centre. Tickets tend to be pricey. Note that as the result of a league-wide labour stoppage, the Trashers have not played since the spring of 2004.
Atlanta Falcons
The Georgia Dome
1 Georgia Dome Drive
Tel: +1 (404) 223-8000
Website

In the past few years the Falcons have flirted with success and settled for mediocrity. Michael Vick, the team's quarterback, is one of the league's most exciting players, and the Falcons are good enough to stay competitive in most games. Like most American football teams, they usually play on Sunday afternoons.


Music venues

Churchill Grounds
660 Peachtree St.
Atlanta, GA 30308
Tel: +1 (404) 876-3030
Website

At first glance, Churchill Grounds is overshadowed by its next-door neighbour, the Fox Theatre. But this is a well-respected jazz club, with jam sessions Tuesday nights, and live music Wednesday through Saturday (and occasionally Sunday). The audience tends to be earnest: expect chatter to be met with hard stares. Wine, coffee and cocktails are on offer (there’s often a $5 or $10 minimum in addition to the cover charge).

Variety Playhouse
1099 Euclid Ave
Tel: +1 (404) 524-7354
Website

This large venue, one of Atlanta's hippest, stays true to its name by showcasing everything from punk to country music. The crowd is young, the bouncers fierce, and the restrooms less than salubrious. But on nights when the centre seats are removed to create a dance floor, there's no better place to enjoy a band.
Eddie's Attic
515-B North McDonough St
Decatur
Tel: +1 (404) 377-4976
Website

Only in laid-back Decatur would a live-music venue stand next to a city hall. Almost every local musician has played at Eddie's at some point; many got their start at one of the venue's regular open-mike nights. Better-known bands often play two sets, one at the family-friendly hour of 7pm, and another at 9pm. Eddie's boasts two well-stocked bars and unexpectedly good food.
The Tabernacle
152 Luckie St
Tel: +1 (404) 659-9022

Despite its unprepossessing location near the CNN Centre, the Tabernacle has become one of Atlanta's best places for live music. It sometimes squeezes large acts into its small space; book early for well-known bands and expect a crowd.
Blind Willie's
828 North Highland Ave
Tel: +1 (404) 873-2583

Incongruously sitting in the middle of yuppie Virginia-Highland, this blues joint hosts both well-known and new performers. Get there early, as it is the genuine article, which means limited seating and a tendency to get very crowded.


Favourite bars

Halo Lounge
817 W. Peachtree St, Suite E-100
Atlanta, GA 30308
Tel: +1 (404) 962-7333
Website

In the late afternoon and early evening, Halo hosts Midtown workers enjoying a quiet drink. At night, it turns into a chic spot with louder music and young singles perched precariously on the quirky couches upstairs.

Leopard Lounge
84 12th St
Tel: +1 (404) 875-7562
Website

Don't let the fake leopard fur and oil paintings of martinis out you off. The Leopard Lounge is a good spot to stop for a drink before or after dinner at one of the many restaurants on nearby Crescent Avenue.

Manuel’s Tavern
602 North Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30307
+1 (404) 525-3447
Website

Manuel’s is a fine place for a relaxing drink, but Atlantans usually come here for politics. Founded by a local Democratic stalwart, the tavern is the hangout-of-choice for left-leaning political gatherings and activist groups. There’s a trivia quiz every Sunday night, improvisational comedy on the first Saturday of each month and an annual spelling bee.
Mary’s
1287-B Glenwood Ave
Atlanta, GA 30316
+1 (404) 624-4411

The Flatiron
520 Flat Shoals Ave
Atlanta, GA 30316
+1 (404) 688-8864

Mary’s has become a big attraction in East Atlanta Village, currently Atlanta's hippest area. The bar is usually packed (with a mostly gay crowd), so expect to elbow your way downstairs. Catch your breath down the street at the Flatiron, which is more relaxed and casual, and a favourite with couples, party-hoppers and regulars. The tattooed bartenders are not to be trifled with, but you can get a range of beers and decent pub food.


Nightclubs

Tongue & Groove
3055 Peachtree Rd
Tel: +1 (404) 261-2325
Website

Peachtree's clubs come and go, but Tongue & Groove has been attracting a young professionals since 1994. Wearing black is not a prerequisite for entry, but you might feel out of place in jeans and a t-shirt.
The Clermont Lounge
789 Ponce de Leon Ave
Tel: +1 (404) 874-4783
Website

The Clermont Lounge is an institution among the city's more adventurous partiers. Where else in Atlanta (or anywhere else) will a 65-year-old Cadillac-driving Army veteran tell you his life story? Bring dollar bills: the lumpy, middle-aged dancers sling insults at stingy customers. Weeknights offer anthropological intrigue, but Saturdays are best for a fun night out—the DJ is great.


Cinema

Most of the city's cinemas are boring multiplexes, and art-house and foreign films tend to disappear quickly. The High Museum of Art finds increasingly inventive excuses to screen films (a recent thief-themed month that included “Bonnie and Clyde” and Ernst Lubitch’s “Trouble in Paradise”) but does little to promote its screenings.

Atlanta hosts two annual film festivals, the Atlanta Film Festival, which features mostly documentaries, in June and Out on Film, a gay- and lesbian-themed film festival, in November.

Midtown Art Cinema
931 Monroe Dr
Atlanta, GA 30308
+1 (678) 495-1424
Website

Midtown Art has found a niche screening both mainstream and lesser-known releases, with a good balance of documentaries, foreign films and independent productions.
Lefont Plaza Theatre
1049 Ponce de Leon Ave
Atlanta, GA 30306
Tel: +1 (404) 873-1939
Website

Lefont Garden Hills
2835 Peachtree Rd
Tel: +1 (404) 266-2202
Website

Lefont, a local chain, owns three small theatres. Garden Hills screens more artistic fare. The Plaza screens first-run movies and plays host every Saturday night to Lips Down on Dixie, an interactive showing of the 1975 film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”.

Cinefest
Georgia State University Student Centre
Suite 240
44 Courtland St
Atlanta, GA 30303
Website

Georgia State University’s amusingly erratic student-run theatre, Cinefest tends to go quiet for weeks at a stretch, then pop up with high-profile documentaries and premieres. It is a bargain: tickets cost $3 before 5 pm, $5 thereafter, and are free for university associates.
Starlight Six Drive-in
2000 Moreland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30316
Tel: +1 (404) 627-5786
Website

Atlanta’s only surviving drive-in theatre. Movies are cheap ($6 for two screenings) and you can watch in the open air with a picnic basket and a blanket.


Coffee shops

ChocoLaté Coffee
2558 Shallowford Rd
Atlanta, GA 30345
Tel: +1 404 321-0174
Website

Tucked into a shopping centre, ChocoLaté is a sunny, airy spot that encourages lounging: newspapers are scattered around, and wireless access is free (though unreliable). The drinks menu is long, though the location and the early closing hour (8pm), discourage evening gatherings. Folk singers occasionally play live sets here.

Octane Coffee
1009-B Marietta St
Atlanta, GA 30318
Tel: +1 404 815-9886
Website

Several features distinguish Octane: its spacious, brushed-metal design; its location, next to the Marcia Wood art gallery and Georgia Tech; free Wi-Fi; and its menu, with items such as hummus and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Java Monkey
205 Ponce de Leon Ave, #5 (facing Church St.)
Decatur, GA 30030
Tel: +1 404 378-5002
Website

The hip and politically-spirited of Decatur frequent Java Monkey, open until midnight every day. In addition to the fair-trade, organic beans, there’s also wine, beer and a light menu. Two porches host live music most nights, and wine tastings are held every month. The bulletin board is a good source of information about upcoming events.
Aurora Coffee
992 North Highland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30306
+1 404 367-1300
468 Moreland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307
Tel: +1 404 523-6856
Website

One of Atlanta’s first independent coffee-shop chains, Aurora has two remaining branches, much frequented by locals. Both locations display original art, and the brach in Little Five Points is full of information about upcoming concerts and plays.
JavaVino
579 North Highland Ave
Atlanta, GA 30307
+1 404 577-8673
Website

Small, modern JavaVino lives a double life as a coffee shop and wine bar: wireless internet access closes at 8pm to encourage customers to order wine. The emphasis is on coffees and wines from Latin America, with regular wine tastings.

posted by none @ 7:40 AM