6 Days in Atlanta: First-Timer Plan
Six days takes the 5-day plan’s downtown core, MLK Historical Park, Midtown, Stone Mountain, and Athens day trip, and rounds it out with a slower pace rather than a longer must-see list: Buford Highway’s food scene, Oakland Cemetery, and a second day trip.
Book these before you go
- Georgia Aquarium timed entry : dynamic pricing roughly $55-65
- A rental car for days four, five, and six
- A place to stay in Midtown or Decatur, check rates on Booking.com
Day 1: the downtown cluster
Morning
MARTA from inside the airport terminal into downtown. Georgia Aquarium.
Afternoon
World of Coca-Cola, then the free Centennial Olympic Park.
Evening
Dinner at Mary Mac’s Tea Room.
Day 2: MLK Historical Park, Sweet Auburn, and the BeltLine
Morning
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, free; the Birth Home is closed for renovation, ranger presentation in the bookstore instead, plus Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Afternoon
The King Center and Sweet Auburn, then the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail to Ponce City Market.
Evening
Dinner at Busy Bee Cafe.
Day 3: Midtown
Morning
Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Afternoon
The High Museum of Art (about $16-20, free Second Sundays).
Evening
The Fox Theatre, dinner at The Varsity.
Day 4: Stone Mountain, with honest context
Morning
About 30 minutes east to Stone Mountain Park, with honest context on the carving and its 1915 KKK-refounding history.
Afternoon
The Summit Skyride (about $24); the classic laser show ended in 2023.
Evening
Back to Atlanta.
Day 5: day trip to Athens
Morning
Drive about 1 hour 15 minutes to Athens, Georgia.
Afternoon
Return to Atlanta by mid-afternoon.
Evening
Dinner in Decatur or Midtown.
Day 6: Oakland Cemetery and Buford Highway
Morning
Oakland Cemetery, dating to 1850 and Margaret Mitchell’s burial site; it was originally segregated, worth noting honestly rather than glossing over.
Afternoon
Buford Highway, Atlanta’s international-food corridor of more than 100 immigrant-owned restaurants, distinct from the Southern-food identity the rest of this trip has covered.
Evening
A last dinner along Buford Highway or back in Midtown before departure.
Getting around and where to stay
Stay in Midtown or Decatur throughout; keep the rental car through days four, five, and six, since Stone Mountain, Athens, and Buford Highway all sit beyond MARTA’s reach. Atlanta’s sales tax runs about 8.9%.
Is 6 days enough for Atlanta?
More than enough, honestly. Five days already covers the core plus one day trip; this sixth day rounds out Oakland Cemetery and Buford Highway rather than adding a second regional excursion. The 7-day itinerary tacks on Virginia-Highland and a slower finish instead.
One concrete tip: take MARTA from inside the airport terminal on arrival, and return the rental car before your flight out, since the airport terminal MARTA station covers the trip home just as well as it covered the trip in.