We got in pretty late on Monday night and losing an hour to time zone differences didn’t help, so we headed straight to our Airbnb and rested up for what we knew would be a long day.
We woke up on Tuesday excited for the day ahead. We planned on doing some vintage shopping as well as hitting up some thrift stores, breweries, and general sightseeing before heading to the venue at night. First on the list was Goodwill. Although I’ve only been to Atlanta a time or two before, I already have a couple of favorite thrifting spots and this trip didn’t disappoint. I found some decor/storage pieces I’d had on my list for some time as well as a few clothing items and books.
Next, we decided it was time for some coffee, so we ventured into what would become our area of choice on this trip. Andrew chose Dancing Goats Coffee Bar in Decatur and he’s now officially in charge of tracking down coffee for us. I opted for a chai latte while Andrew had a double shot of espresso. We hung out for a bit as Andrew plotted out the rest of our day and I got some reading done on my Kindle. We grabbed a coffee on our way out and marched on.
While waiting for Andrew’s brewery of the day to open, we did some pretty typical Atlanta stuff. We checked out the local Buffalo Exchange and wandered around whatever or wherever caught our eye. We mostly hung around the Decatur area and wandered up and down Ponce De Leon.
Soon, we headed out for Three Taverns brewery in Decatur. We spent a bit of time here as well, and the relaxing atmosphere was just what I needed. The upstairs area has some couches and comfy spots to hang out, as well as some board games and a photo booth(!!!) If we had more time we definitely would have gotten a couple of photo strips to tuck into my dresser mirror. I still have some unrealized teenage dreams, you guys!
We headed to The Masquerade in Kenny’s Alley at Underground Atlanta. With temperatures in the low 30s and dropping fast and my lack of a proper coat, the doors couldn’t open fast enough (or, you know, 50 minutes after they were supposed to open). The show went off without a hitch and we had an amazing time. Both of the bands we were there to see blew us away and just like that, our night was complete. We drove back in a state of bliss and I fell asleep dreaming of breakfast foods.
We woke with a purpose on Wednesday and for once, I didn’t hesitate when Andrew asked what I wanted to do. I’d been talking about going to the Georgia Aquarium since before we got into the city and I wasn’t leaving without visiting. First things first, though: we needed food.
Andrew had Home Grown picked out before I was even awake and again, his food choices didn’t disappoint. I kept it pretty basic with some french toast and orange slices (one of the things off of my sleepy breakfast list from the night before), Andrew had the breakfast tacos. While we ate, I went ahead and bought our tickets and parking pass from my phone. Pro tip: you get a discount for visiting on a weekday and buying your tickets online-- even if it’s the day of-- plus a discount on your parking pass. Just make sure to buy them straight from the aquarium’s website!
The Georgia Aquarium was nothing short of breathtaking. My dream since I was a kid was to be to a “real” aquarium where they had one of those tunnels you could walk through and watch all the fish swim overhead and all around. I’m pretty sure I saw it in a movie or tv show once, but the image never left my head and my little dream finally came true.
The aquarium has SO much to offer including whale sharks, beluga whales, California sea lions, sea otters, dolphins, African penguins and so so so much more. We spent the better part of our day here, even going back and repeating exhibits because of how much we loved it there. The aquarium is also really pushing to inform people about the harms of plastics, especially single-use plastics. Their gift shops don’t hand out plastic bags, which I really appreciated, and there is no shortage of recycling bins all around the facility.
The rest of the trip was for Andrew’s brewery checklist. Though we really only had time for two more before having to head home, we made the most of it. Our first stop was Wild Heaven Brewing in (surprise!) Decatur. Their layout was pretty comfortable and although we were just about the only people there, the atmosphere was pretty great. The guys working there were super friendly and it was an all around chill place.
While we were at Dancing Goats the day before, Andrew had had his eye on the restaurant just across the street, The Marlay House. This is a Dublin style pub and I kept it pretty basic again having the fish & chips. Andrew had the lamb stew and we split the blueberry bread pudding for dessert.
Our final stop was Orpheus. We’re no stranger to the Orpheus brewery. We’ve been here before and we almost always have at least one of their brews in our fridge. We sat down for a few card games and laughs all while toasting an end to the trip we’d been looking forward to for months. Though this was probably the briefest stop of the day, it was the perfect way to end our short trip. Like always, our drive home was accompanied by My Favorite Murder and fighting over the car’s temperature.
One of my favorite things about traveling-- no matter how short the trip-- is that you can always stretch the days out and do as much or as little as you want. Although we were really only in Atlanta for two days, it felt like we’d taken a much longer trip. We were able to squeeze so much into our two days there without ever feeling rushed or exhausted. Maybe it’s because we aren’t strangers to day trips and weekend adventures, but I think we’ve really found our sweet spot for planning short trips. Like I said, Atlanta is only a couple of hours away and I really wanna start visiting more often. I know that there is so much more that I haven’t gotten the chance to see or do, and I’m sure convincing my better half won’t be too difficult.
