Welcome to Atlanta!
Atlanta, Georgia (metro population: 6 million) is the largest city in the U.S. South. It is known as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, the 1960s movement to end a long legacy of segregation in the US. Atlanta was officially founded 1837 as a small city at the crossroads of two major railroads. Although many buildings were destroyed during the Civil War in the 1860s, the city grew during the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War. It is home to major research universities and a set of prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Morehouse College and Spelman College. In 1996, Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics. From 1998 until 2019, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was the world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic, with 110 million annual passengers at its peak in 2019. Atlanta is headquarters to Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, and Delta Airlines, and has a growing film and arts industry that includes Warner Bros. and Tyler Perry Studios.
Atlanta is known as a ‘hot’ city (due to its weather), a city with a diverse population, the home to a winning baseball team–the Atlanta Braves, the ‘forest city’ (because of its many trees), and the capital of Georgia (the ‘Peach State’). When residents aren’t joking about the heavy traffic, they enjoy the aquarium, zoo, many parks, the Atlanta Beltline, the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the dozen new breweries that now dot the Westside.
Check out Atlanta:
Discover Atlanta: Things to Do
Explore Georgia: Atlanta’s Neighborhoods
Atlanta’s 10 Best
Atlanta in 50 Objects (a favorite!)
In 2022, Atlanta was listed as one of National Geographic’s 25 amazing journeys!! https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/best-of-the-world-2022
Dining
Check out these suggestions for dining options within walking distance of Georgia Tech. There are many more fun places to go that aren’t on this list!
Breakfast Places:
A Taste of Greece (Nearby, great food and good for groups—open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (may not have alcohol, yet)) (3rd and Peachtree) 715 Peachtree St NE Atlanta, GA 30308 +1 (404) 343-4109
Flying Biscuit (Not huge, earthy place for eggs, grits and inspirations–a lot of food) (10th and Piedmont) 1001 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 +1 (404) 874-8887
Lunch Places:
Momonoki (Japanese style for coffee or lunch, and more) (8th and Williams) 95 8th St. NW Atlanta, GA 30309 +1 (404) 390-3025
Cypress Street Pint + Plate (the local pub, great for dinner too) (6th and Cypress) 817 W Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 +1 (404) 815-9243
CODA Collective Food Hall (4 Options: Sandwiches, Mexican, Mediterranean, Poke Bowls) Coda Building: 756 W Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
Fun/Offbeat Dinner Places:
Cafe Intermezzo (Euro-style restaurant with lots of dessert, open relatively late) (11th and Peachtree) 1065 Peachtree St. NW Atlanta, GA 30309 + 1 (404) 355-0411
Bon Ton (Quite small, but super fun little place for late at night—serves dinner til 10 pm) (Myrtle and Ponce) 674 Myrtle St NE Atlanta, GA 30308 +1 (404) 996-6177
Mary Mac’s Tea Room (A historic Atlanta classic, reservation suggested) (Ponce and Myrtle) 224 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30308 +1 (404) 876-1800
Steamhouse Lounge (Beachy, casual seafood and drinks, outdoor patio) (West Peachtree and 11th) 1051 West Peachtree St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309
Quick Coffee/Snack:
Sweet Hut (boba tea, coffee), (Peachtree St and 8th) 935 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Momonoki (Japanese style for coffee or lunch, and more) (8th and Williams) 95 8th St. NW Atlanta, GA 30309 +1 (404) 390-3025
Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology is a top public university in the US, founded in 1885. It has about 16,500 undergraduates, and thanks to new online programs, well over 10,000 graduate students. It is known for its engineering programs, and more recently its computing and analytics program. See more about its history here.
