24. Go on a public art scavenger hunt

Encountering vibrant murals throughout intown neighborhoods has been a happy surprise in recent years. But to really understand the magnitude of the Living Walls project that pairs local and international artists with brick and concrete canvases, set out on a quest to find as many 
as you can.

17. Cheer on the Yellow Jackets

After a $50 million renovation in 2012, Georgia Tech’s old ThrillerDome (aka Alexander Memorial Coliseum) has morphed into state-of-the-art McCamish Pavilion. If the old arena had a cozy high school–gym vibe, the new one feels like a spaceship.

16. Go backstage at the Fox

The ladies-lounge chairs are exact replicas of those in the throne room of King Tut’s tomb. You’ve probably taken such details of the Fox Theatre for granted, but won’t after signing up a guided tour.

11-13. Play tourist

“It’s like an adult Disney ride,” says Audrey. I’ve taken my girlfriend here, 723 feet above Peachtree, to show her Atlanta looks pretty from up high.

9. Binge on books

The annual book fest makes me so proud to be an Atlantan. A quarter of a million folks come together over Labor Day weekend for the AJC Decatur Book Festival to hear from renowned authors—and enjoy local musicians, craft beers, cooking demos, a children’s parade, poetry slams.

7. Feel the blues at Blind Willie’s

Atlanta’s venerable blues joint is named for one legend (Blind Willie McTell) and is the best place to see another: Francine Reed, whose soulful voice, feisty wisecracks, and dance-inducing songs mesh perfectly with the intimate dive bar’s New Orleans–inspired atmosphere.

6. Learn how to really put on a puppet show

The bonding that goes on during the Create-A-
Puppet workshops held after certain Center for Puppetry Arts performances is more about parent-and-child than glue–and–cutout shapes.

5. See a show—before it goes to Broadway

You don’t have to go to New York for adventurous drama. The Alliance Theatre and True Colors Theatre regularly stage brand-new works, U.S. premieres, or reinvented classics.

4. Bard-y hearty in 
Piedmont Park

Spring fever is never lost on the wily comedians of Georgia Shakespeare when the company breaks out of its Oglethorpe campus confines to play at Piedmont Park.

3. Stay for the fireworks at the Ted

In the predawn hours of July 5, 1985, in the eighteenth inning of a twice-rain-delayed game against the Mets, an unassuming Braves relief pitcher named Rick Camp smacked a two-out solo home run to send the game into the nineteenth.

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