Atlanta Checklist: 10 Things You Need to Do After Moving to the ‘Big Peach’

So you’re about to move to Atlanta, GA. Your boxes are packed and the moving truck is booked. Now it’s time to start thinking about your new life in the ATL. Atlanta is chock-full of live music options, great food and seasonal festivals. You’re going to have fun fitting in. To smooth that transition, here are 10 things you need to put on your Atlanta checklist.

1. Check Out the Atlanta Braves’ Stadium

SunTrust Park Atlanta

Image: MLB.com

With SunTrust Park recently built, you’ll definitely want to take in a game during the Atlanta Braves’ inaugural season in their new park. The $622 million stadium seats 41,500 fans. But there’ll be more than baseball happening at the ballpark. SunTrust Park houses several restaurants and bars, including a highly anticipated Wahlburgers.

2. Head to Six Flags

This world-renowned theme park is only 10 miles from Atlanta. There’s nothing better than spending a Saturday terrifying yourself free-falling 200 feet on Acrophobia, which literally means “the fear of heights.” Or during the hot summer, cool off at Hurricane Harbor, a Six Flags water park that’s included with the annual pass.

3. Go to the Shaky Knees Music Festival

Shaky Knees Music Festival

Photo: Festival Snobs

The Shaky Knees Music Festival is only 4 years old but already has taken Atlanta by storm. For a full weekend each year, amazing music artists and their fans come from all over to enjoy good music and food. Some of the headliners for 2017 include The Pixies and LCD Soundsystem.

4. Get a Falcons Foam Finger

The Falcons are Atlanta’s NFL team — the team that barely lost the 2017 Super Bowl to the New England Patriots. (Pro tip: Think twice about mentioning this to your new friends in the ATL.) On most Sundays in the fall, much of the city dons red and black to support the Falcons. Pick up a Falcons foam finger to support your new home team; you’ll earn bonus points if you learn the Dirty Bird touchdown dance.

5. Book Your Lawn Service

You can’t forget the regular upkeep of your personal domain. To to give you more time to actually enjoy Atlanta, you need a good lawn service to take care of your yard. LawnStarter is a lawn care service in Atlanta that’ll come by at regularly scheduled times to mow and trim, and make your lawn one of the prettiest in Atlanta.

6. Eat at the World’s Largest Drive-in Restaurant

Varsity drive-in Atlanta

Photo: Serious Eats

The Varsity has been a mainstay in Atlanta for more than 75 years. The downtown location takes up almost 2 acres of prime ATL real estate, and the parking lot can accommodate up to 600 cars. On any given Georgia Tech (right across I-75) home game Saturday, the Varsity will accommodate more than 30,000 guests. That’s a bunch of burgers and fries!

7. Take a Taste of Atlanta

To enjoy the most Atlanta restaurants in the shortest amount of time, pick up a ticket to Taste of Atlanta, billed as the city’s “premier food+wine+beer+cocktail festival.” This festival brings over 90 Atlanta restaurants together for one weekend every October. Not only will you get to experience all that food, but you’ll also get to take in live cooking shows to see how top chefs prepare their favorite dishes.

8. Pick Up a Dominique Wilkins Jersey

Better known as “The Human Highlight Film,” Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star who played most of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. Dominique averaged more than 20 points a game during his time in the NBA and won two dunking contests. He’s a legend in Atlanta, so you’ll score some goodwill if you buy and actually wear a Dominique Wilkins jersey.

9. Groove to OutKast’s Greatest Hits

OutKast

Image: MTV.com

OutKast is an American hip-hop group from Atlanta. The pair pioneered a distinctly Southern style of hip-hop, experimenting with gospel, funk, psychedelic and even techno. The duo is one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time, earning six Grammys.

10. Hire a Mover to Unload Your Truck

Leave the heavy lifting to the pros while you enjoy this great city.  We’re partial to fellow tech-enabled companies like Bellhops, which lets you get an easy estimate and schedule online. We call them the LawnStarter of moving.  

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Tripp Stanford