The Out-of-Towners

It's always fun being a host, as long as your house guest is welcomed obviously.  I always love hosting friends when it's their first time in Atlanta because deciding on where to take them is super easy.  Deciding on where to eat can be a little difficult.  One of my oldest (not in years but in the amount of time we have known each other) friends is visiting Atlanta for the first time and I want to make sure she has a blast.  Luckily, she is a health conscious eater and likes to stay active.  However, with places like Fat Matts, Gladys Knights Chicken and Waffles and Mary Macs as southern dining staples, it's hard to find a place that has that Atlanta charm and won't make you feel guilty after.

p.s. great movie if you haven't seen it.

So, in efforts to satisfy the local cuisine fix and not finish the weekend being 5 lbs heavier, I've created a flavors and fun itinerary for a healthy and active Atlanta weekend. Enjoy!

Friday:
- Dinner at R. Thomas.  Most likely your guest will get in later and you don't want a fancy meal. You just wanna enjoy dinner and catch up for hours.  Luckily, they are open 24 hours so chat away!

Saturday:
- Pick up and easy, health breakfast and coffee at Highland Bakery. After breakfast drive out to Stone Mountain for a nice short hike with a pretty cool view (if you want a longer workout run the outer loop) or drive back to Midtown and go on a great walk or rent bikes and take a ride through Piedmont Park.  If you're biking and feelin' super active, take your bikes to the Virginia Highlands and back.  After you're done with the morning activity grab some water and relax in the park.  It's one of my favorite places to sit and reflect.

- Next up, World of Coke, the Georgia Aquarium or the High Museum.  It's kinda a disservice if you don't take someone to one of these places during their first visit to Atlanta. And when you're ready for lunch, grab a quick bite at Souper Jenny or MetroFresh depending on what part of town you're staying in.

- After all this activity you are either ready to do some shopping or ready to sit on the couch for a little.  If you're ready to do some shopping and want to be outside (and love vintage stores) check out Little 5. If you're more of a Saks shopper, head on over to Phipps.

- Finally...dinner.  If you want to show your guest true southern cooking and don't care about the calories (because you ran the entire Stone Mountain loop) you should definitely take them to South City Kitchen. If you want to stay a little more healthy you may have to kiss the southern fried cookin' goodbye and try the culinary delights of Cafe 640 (formerly Cafe di Sol, the Grapefruit Rosewater Martini is my fav) or Top Flr.

Sunday:
- Brunch. Ria's Bluebird.  Nuff said.  This place is legit and vegetarian friendly. Southwest tofu scramble =  yum!

Have fun!

xo,
zo