My husband has a business trip coming up in Atlanta soon, and I'm going with him. Two and a half days I'll be on my own, so I'd like to go and explore.

We'll be in North Atlanta, staying near the Lennox Park and will be carless.

Any must see/do ideas? Google is being my friend (a bit!), but it's always better to hear from people first hand.

Thanks

Well, you can take MARTA to go downtown, see the CNN building, Centennial Olympic Park, Turner Field, etc. Go up the Peachtree Westin (circular building) and take some great snaps of Atlanta's skyline.

Lenox Mall is pretty good, and there's another one next to it, which is bigger and swankier. Can't remember the name now but it's been a while since I lived there.

Phipps Plaza. That's the really nice one.

There's nothing to do in Buckhead during the day, other than shop at the malls. Nightlife used to be good, about 14 years ago. Don't know about now.

Great .. thanks for that!

I'm not a huge shopper, although I guess it's a good opportunity to start some Christmas shopping

I reckon my nightlife took a tumble downhill just around 14 years ago, so it's not high on the agenda anymore! Thanks though lol

Phipps is a great mall. A bit like an ocean liner. And riding MARTA's subway is safe and a good way to get downtown. I would definitely recommend going to see the skyscrapers. Plus one of the downtown MARTA stations looks like a Bond villain's lair, hewn, as it is, from the rock.

I am not a lawyer and this in no way constitutes advice or counsel.

I just went on a mini vacation to Atlanta had a brilliant time, although we did have a car we also used the marta to go out for a meal and drinks and felt safe.

I bought city passes we got entry to

World of Coca cola
CNN Tour
Botanical gardens
Georgia Aquarium
High art Museum - which had a great Dali exhibition

and we could have gone to Zoo but ran out of time - the passed are about $70.00
We also went to Ikea

Phipps Plaza-nice-sigh.

Great tips - plenty there to keep me occupied for a few days!

Thanks all

here is the citypass link
http://www.citypass.com/atlanta

here is a link to the city of Atlanta tourism site with details at the bottom of the page of transportation options all of which are linked to respective web sites
http://www.atlanta.net/visitors/seedo/freeAtlanta.html

I seem to recall that Five Points (maybe it's called Little Five Points?) and Victoria Highlands were good places to eat/drink, but maybe not especially interesting if you will be on your own.

Maybe you could hire a male escort for a few days? (I mean to keep you company while you are sightseeing ...)

I think the lady in question is married - not sure what her husband would think of that!!!!!!!!

Actually, a male escort sounds like a bloody good idea!!

Thanks for the links and ideas. I'm loving the idea of the City Pass and putting that to use.

Not so sure about the shopping, but it'll get some Christmas stuff out of the way. I need to be organised this year as we're going to spend our first Christmas in the US, but my Mum will be coming out 10 days beforehand. If I come on here pleading for strength, you'll know why!

If you fancy a nice walk then Stone Mountain is a lovely place (you will need a car though I guess)

http://stonemountainpark.com/

Also try www.tripadvisor.com and type in Atlanta , it will give you all the best rated activities to do (and restaurants/hotels etc)

All the Martin Luther King stuff should keep you tied up for a good part of the day and is easy to access via public transport. World of Coca-Cola will tie you up for a morning or afternoon. Then there's the Sweetwater Brewing Company!

I have spent lots of time alone in Atlanta when my hubby has had conferences there.

I enjoy Centennial Park, the Aquarium, Coca Cola and walking around looking at all the buildings. I don't worry about being alone as the downtown ambassadors will walk with you/escort you if you feel uncomfortable.

It is possible to get to Stone Mountain using MARTA and then taking a bus ride but to be honest I wouldn't recommend it travelling alone. I did it once with my sister and nephew and I was so very anxious on the bus ride. Once off the bus it is about a 10 minute walk to the park.

Hope you have a lovely time Mandana.