So you’re from out of town and have decided to fly into the great city of Atlanta for a Falcons game. Or maybe you live outside the city proper and are looking to drive (or MARTA) down to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a game. Or maybe you’re a resident within the city limits and are hopping over to catch the Birds in action.
No matter what your scenario, a proper game-day guide is suitable for anybody looking to really experience all of the great things this city has to offer. Although the Falcons have
not been putting up too many victories over the past decade, the city of Atlanta is undefeated when it comes to experience.
Let’s go through a bit of a step-by-step guide for any and all folks looking to get the most out of their experience centered around a Falcons weekend.
Places to stay and things to do in Atlanta
There is an abundance of selection in where to stay over the course of a weekend in and around the city. If you are not incredibly price conscious and are going all out, Midtown is a good option which is incredibly vibrant and surrounded by things to do and see, including the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Piedmont Park and the High Museum of Art. Midtown is within the confines of where the MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) goes, and you can easily get to downtown for the game and other outings utilizing the train. MARTA offers free non-overnight parking and the cost of a round trip ticket is $5. A one day pass is $9.
If you’re set on staying in downtown, then there are a variety of neighborhoods which will ensure a great experience, and those are headlined by the historic Old Fourth Ward, especially near the Beltline (a 22-mile trail of pure walkability encircling Atlanta) and Ponce City Market.
Inman Park is another area which sits right on the Beltline that’s surrounded with great restaurants, coffee shops and historic buildings. It’s not too far from the aforementioned house of Dr. King, either. As you would expect, the transportation when it comes to the game itself is most robust when you’re in downtown already, with MARTA serving as the backbone, but also with Bird Scooters located all over the city and the option to rent a bike if cycling is more your thing.
Best places to eat in Atlanta
If you don’t know already, Atlanta’s staple food is wings. I’ll argue with anybody who says this isn’t the wing capital of the world. As such, if you don’t have the dietary restrictions which for whatever reason would coordinate your body against them, I highly recommend trying one of the many top tier wing spots in the city. Also, it’s Atlanta, go get the lemon pepper wet.
I don’t know if I should or shouldn’t include them in the recommendation, but Magic City unironically has gained significant notoriety in recent years for their kitchen and specifically for their wings. What you choose to do with that information is up to you.
Other high tier wing places include JR Crickets, The Local (which is also located at Ponce City market) and Fox Bros BBQ (price for a 10-piece ranges from $13-$18 with Fox Bros charging around $24 for a 12-piece as they don’t have an option for 10).
It’s a ways away from downtown, but if you for whatever reason venture outside the Perimeter, then I’ve found in my experience that the city of Buford has one of the best food scenes I’ve ever experienced. Almost any type of food you can imagine can be found within a drive down Buford with the ethnically diverse Gwinnett County coming to life in the cuisine.
If you’re looking for something more high end, some of the top tier steakhouses in Atlanta include Kevin Rathbun’s steakhouse located in Inman Park, Bones restaurant located on Piedmont Avenue, and if you want to venture out a little further than downtown, Arnette’s Chop Shop in Brookhaven. (All of these will carry with them on average much steeper prices, and it’s not too hard to spend over $100 per head).
Mercedes-Benz Stadium parking, rideshare, and transit options
As previously mentioned, MARTA is the easiest way to get to the stadium. It will cost you $5 round trip, and when you compare that with parking costs around the stadium (between $20 and $50, generally) it’s a steal. If you are driving, purchase your spot ahead of time. Stubhub has a ton of options for each home game.
Rideshares like Uber and Lyft are also a possibility — but if you opt for this method, you might want to plan to walk to one of the restaurants near the stadium and have a snack and a drink to let traffic die down a bit postgame.
The Mercedes-Benz game-day experience
After you’ve spent what is hopefully a wonderful weekend in Atlanta, the main event will come at what is in my opinion the best stadium in the world, located at 1 AMB Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30313. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a ground worthy of exploration even without an event happening there.
The magnum opus of the Benz is its incredibly affordable food prices, which have been a staple of and a PR driver for the stadium since its inception. Arthur Blank has been very stout on the food affordability aspect of his new stadium and the prices really can’t be beat by any other professional sporting venue in the United States.
A hot dog and a soda cost $2.00 each, fries are $3.00, a burger runs a $5 bill. There’s much more selection of course, but know that this is one of those rare sporting venues where you will likely save money waiting until you go into it as opposed to eating somewhere outside of it before the game.
The 63,000 foot Halo Board — the largest in the world of its kind — circling around the stadium enhances the viewing experience of the game. The massive glass wall located on the 300 level concourse skybridge overlooks the beauty of downtown Atlanta.
The wifi connection at the stadium is state of the art and better than most wifi you will come across anywhere else and there are a multitude of charging stations. It’s been designed powerful enough to support all 70,000+ people that the Benz seats.
The stadium also features the wall of football helmets featuring each high school in the state of Georgia, a place in the 300s dedicated to the franchise’s ring of honor inductees as well as the Molly B’s concession stand with speciality food options prepared for each event at the stadium. Outside, you will find the giant Falcon statue, which is the largest bird sculpture in the world.
Hopefully your trip features a big Falcons win, and plans to once again visit Atlanta as this is a place where just one weekend isn’t enough.
