Several years ago, a visit to Atlanta, Georgia for the weekend or a few weeks was in heavy rotation on the travel itinerary. It’s such an eclectic city with so much do, see and eat.

I recently visited the “A” to attend the Summit 21 conference and in between feeding my girl boss, learning how to be a better entrepreneur and vibin’ with some awesome Black women; I took the time to peruse the city that birthed some of my favorite reality TV shows, music stars and restaurants.

ATL is such a vibe.

Take in these 5 cool things to do the next time you’re in town.

Rent a car…or jeep

I love me some public transportation when I travel to far flung cities, but when there are roads I know I can navigate and tear up, renting a car is a must! For me, driving my way through a city gives me so much freedom to go at my pace, move on my own time and…stop for as many selfies as I’d like. I can’t tell you how many beautiful sites I’ve missed, how many amazing landscapes I didn’t get to see because I was a backseat rider with my head buried in my phone. Booking a car with Going Places Travel and driving myself around ensures I never miss the views that matter.

Headed to NYC? Check out these awesome food spots!

Ride the ferris wheel

Listen, BUCKET LIST! I rode my very first ferris wheel in May so when I peeped the Sky View Atlanta, a bigger, more modern ferris wheel, I had to hop on! The more than 200 foot wheel is beautiful, enclosed and air conditioned! I was so scared to go up that high, but being at the peak gave me the absolute best views of the city!

Visit Centennial Olympic Park

It was so dope to see that Atlanta has maintained and preserved the grounds used when the 1996 Olympic Games were held there. It’s really a serene and calming place to go. I visited on a Sunday and had the best time walking the grounds and taking in the water fountain show.

Visit the Red Phone Booth…if you can get in

This is one of the most unique and fun spots I’ve been to! So…you walk up to this actual red phone booth and dial the secret number. If you get it right, you get in; get it wrong…find another spot to hang out at. We stood there for about 20 minutes trying number after number, but eventually we got it right! The phone booth opens up into the swankiest, most dapper restaurant and bar I’ve ever seen; it almost looked like a bomb ass living room! Even better, the food and drinks were to die for. We visited twice during our stay and both times I ordered the “Postcard from Italy.” There are TV screens, a pool table and a cigar bar. DO NOT miss this spot if you’re in ATL.

Eat your way around town!

There are so many great restaurants in the city, here are a few good ones.

Ray’s in the City is cool bar with some amazing bites! I’m always appreciative of bars that take their appetizer menus seriously, and they do! From the calamari to the shrimp cocktail, to the loaded nachos and..something that kept coming from the kitchen smoking, the bar menu is impressive. The food was amazing and the drinks were superb…and they have a sexy jazz band playing all the tunes.

Old Lady Gang (OLG) was bomb AF! I was PLEASANTLY surprised at how delicious the food was, seriously. Usually I’m very weary of celeb-driven restaurants, especially when the celebs aren’t chefs, but let me tell you, Kandi struck gold with this one! Someone on Twitter suggested I visit and I obliged. Kandi’s aunts and mom (the real life old lady gang) are a force to be reckoned with on the show and according to her they throw it down in the kitchen too, so she created a restaurant around that chemistry. I literally watched the birth of OLG on Real Housewives of Atlanta, so to sit there and experience it for myself; again I had my reservations, but they surpassed my expectations. Everything was delicious! We had deep fried deviled eggs, chicken and french toast, rib tips and some amazing “dirty south” inspired drinks. And…if you’re lucky, you might get to meet Aunt Bertha!

Atlanta Breakfast Club (ABC) – Y’all know I love me some brunch! We decided to try out the uber popular spot with lines wrapped around the building and people literally camping out in the parking lot as they patiently waited for a seat. In our usual Google searching, we read that wait times at this joint stretch for up three hours or more sometimes, so we booked our table online. When we got there, I was so happy we did! So many people were waiting for a seat. If I’m being honest, the food here was…just ok! I really expected some bomb ass, scrumptious ass, Southern hospitality cooking. The food was aight, but I wanted to drown in the butter, syrup and shrimp and grits…I just floated in it.

Which of these spots will you visit on your next trip to Atlanta?