What to do In Atlantic Station
If you don’t already know about Atlantic Station, you definitely should! This area is worth a visit.
Atlantic Station is a trendy live, work and play area located in the greater Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. You can easily spend all day here checking out all of the different retail stores and restaurants in the outdoor mall area, walking around exploring the Millennium Gate Museum and The Foundery Park and experiencing the one of a kind shopping experience at IKEA.
History of Atlantic Station
The Atlantic Station area was formerly a site of the Atlantic Steel Mill. Plans to convert this area into a live, work and play neighborhood began in the late 1990’s. The area spans across 138 acres with an outdoor retail area, a Regal Cinema movie theater with IMAX and RPX (i.e. 2D entertainment), many restaurants, Target, and plenty of living options with traditional townhomes, high rise condos and apartments all nearby within walking distance.
The goal of the Atlantic Station development was to provide an in-town Atlanta living option to help reduce people living outside of the city and reduce the air pollution due to the thousands of commuters traveling to and from Atlanta each day for work. Many of the buildings are LEED certified and Atlanta Station offers a free shuttle ride around the area including IKEA and to and from the Arts Center Marta station.
What to do in Atlantic Station
As mentioned earlier, there is plenty to do in this area that can easily take up a whole day. Whether you have plenty of money to spend or are on a budget, here is a list of the most popular things to do while in Atlantic Station.
Shop and Eat at Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station retail offers a combination of 50 plus stores, restaurants and activities for you to shop, eat and explore your heart out.
If you want to shop for clothes and accessories, you have plenty of options with Athleta, Banana Republic, Dillard’s, Express, Gap, H&M and Old Navy.
If you want bath and body care, you have Bath and Body Works and Target.
If you want shoes, you have DSW, Journeys and The Athlete’s Foot.
If you want to get into the sports zone, you have Atlanta Falcons NFL team store and United Atlanta MLS store.
If you want to eat and gorge and even have a drink, you Boneheads, California Pizza Kitchen, Meehan’s Public House, The Pig and the Pearl and Yard House.
If you need groceries, you have Publix.
Address: 1380 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30363
Watch a IMAX 2D Movie
The Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station 18 IMAX & RPX offers a one-of-a-kind immersive movie experience for you.
IMAX stands for “IMAGE MAXIMUM”. The IMAX theatre differs from conventional theatres as it allows the audience to be much closer to the screen with steep angled seats to allow you to directly face the screen.
RPX stands “Regal Premium Experience”. This is Regal’s own large-format theaters in an attempt to draw bigger crowds and provide a premium movie experience.
The Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station 18 IMAX & RPX offers a normal rotation of the latest released movies you would expect to find at your local move theater.
Address: 261 19th St NW #1250, Atlanta, GA 30363 (Behind Dillard’s)
Explore the Human Body
BODIES The Exhibition allows you to see and understand the human body like never before! This exhibit includes over 200 real human bodies on display for deeper looks into the systems of your body from Skeletal, Muscular, Nervous, Respiratory, Digestive, Urinary, Reproductive to Circulatory. From the history of anatomy to the preservation process, this exhibit offers you an experience for everything about the human body. General admission ticket prices range from $16 – $24.
Address: 1381 Market Street, Suite 13100, Atlanta, GA 30363 (Next to Dillard’s)
Explore Georgia History at The Gate
The Millennium Gate Museum is a Georgia history and Triumphal Arch Art Museum. The museum structure is designed with the traditional classical Roman Triumphal arches and includes a 12,000 square foot history area with interactive displays and galleries dating back to the 18th Century to today’s 21st century.
The Gate Museum is open from 10 – 5 pm eastern time all days except for Sunday. The museum is closed on Sundays. So plan a visit during open hours for maximum exploration within this area. General admission is $12 and $10 for seniors, students and military.
Address: 395 17th Street NW, Atlanta GA 30363 (Near Twelve Atlantic Station. Don’t worry, you can’t miss it!)
Walk the Parks
Atlantic Station offers two parks in the area to explore the natural outdoors and beauty with the Atlanta Skyline as a backdrop.
Central Park is near the Millennium Gate Museum and is widely used for Atlantic Station events such as free movie nights in the summer and during the month of October for Halloween and the Annual Light Up Atlantic Station event.
The Foundery Park is part of the Art Foundry condominium homes at Atlantic Commons. Boasting a pond and winding trails over the pond and around the park, this a great way to walk the neighborhood to and from IKEA and Atlantic Station outdoor retail area.
Experience IKEA
Atlanta is home to the one and only IKEA store within the entire state of Georgia and this store so happens to be in the Atlantic Station area. If you have never adventured an IKEA store, you are definitely in for an experience.
IKEA is a furniture retail company and chain offering ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances and home accessories in a warehouse-like space. It touts having quality furniture that everyone can afford and has been the world’s largest furniture retailer since 2008.
You can easily spend a few hours within the IKEA store alone while wondering the second floor showroom fully furnished showrooms of kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and even 900 square feet apartments! Hungry and on a budget? The IKEA Restaurant and Cafe offers hot food meals with budget friendly prices. There is a even a free supervised playroom for the kids while you meander and even shop.
You are likely going to want to buy something. If you don’t have your car, plan accordingly 🙂
Address: 441 16th Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30363
How to Get to Atlantic Station
You don’t need a car to get to Atlanta’s Atlantic Station. This neighborhood was designed to have everything you need to live, eat, work and play and be easily accessible from anywhere in Atlanta you may already be.
Atlantic Station is near the 17th Street, Arts Center MARTA station. It’s a bit far for walking but Atlantic Station provides a free shuttle ride to and from the MARTA station, around the Atlantic Station area including to different retail areas and IKEA.
If you do have a car, you can access the area from Atlanta Interstates I-85 & I-75. There are 7,200 parking spaces in the mall area so there is plenty of paid parking options. Yes, plan to pay for parking as you would in most intown places in Atlanta. You can park for free if you stay for 2 hours or less. Self-parking cost starts at $4 for 2+ hours and goes up to $14 for 7 – 21 hours.
Atlantic Station Area Maps
Use the interactive Google map below to plan your visit.
Helpful Area Links
- For info on the Arts Center MARTA Station, click here.
- For events happening in Atlantic Station, click here.
- For movie showtimes and prices, click here.
- For a store map of IKEA, click here.
Nearby Atlanta Areas
- Midtown Atlanta
- Westside Atlanta