A long holiday weekend, seven friends, limited travel time and expenses… Atlanta here we go!

From our Central Florida location, Atlanta was that big, bustling city to the north. Very un-Floridian. So close yet barely explored. But with a long, holiday summer weekend approaching we decided to finally get acquainted.

But first- this is what we learned—holiday weekends in Atlanta can be unbearable for tourists. A good chunk of its attractions are indoors. When the temperatures get toasty in the summer, you can bet everyone else has the same idea as you; go to indoor attractions and get cool. Unfortunately this resulted in some rather insane wait times just to get into a building… but more on that later.

For lodging we opted for an AirBnB. It was cheaper than any hotel yet gave us more benefits and amenities. We were all able to stay together (no split hotel rooms), with more space, and gracious yard space with beautiful ponds. Also the ability to cook a delicious breakfast in the morning was a tastier welcome than any hotel’s continental food.

Our AirBnB morphed into an additional participant during the trip. Although we never met them, we guessed the owners had a dual-decorating persona. Most of it felt like a pre-school (very colorful with streamers hanging from the ceiling and birthday cards strung along the stairs) or a vintage art collection. We were all fascinated and fearful at the same time. Our conversations never lacked of musings regarding the possibilities of a haunted house or the owner morphing into the cat that was always in the backyard.

My group consisted of young professionals. We all had different interests—I would’ve preferred to see more trees during this trip—but we stuck to plans the whole group would enjoy. And since we all leaned towards the Filipino-cultural spectrum (plus our token guy) a trip to the Korean-dominated Duluth, GA was also necessary.

Admittedly plenty of our plans didn’t materialize – long lines at popular tourist attractions as well as constantly leaving the house late led to the disappearance of plans. Luckily whenever one plan failed there was always another idea to take its place.

Join my friends and I as we take a casual adventure through Atlanta. If you’ve been there before, give us your thoughts and suggestions!