Atlanta Shopping and Travel Information

By Chris Saunders

Atlanta offers more shopping opportunities than any city in the Southeast. Whether you're shopping in downtown or visiting trendy Buckhead, you won't be disappointed with the variety of shopping options that are available in the city and the surrounding suburbs.

With more than 1,400 unique retail units and over $1 billion of a sales annually, Buckhead is the shopping mecca of the Southeast. Buckhead is truly a regional hotbed for shopping, with over forty percent of shoppers traveling from more than 100 miles away to visit the venues. Hundreds of specialty shops and two malls that are filled with dozens of familiar department stores and chain clothing stores are the main attractions.

The Lennox Square Mall has been one of Buckhead's premier destinations for more than forty years. Neiman Marcus, Macy's and Bloomingdale's are just three of the more familiar stores. Lennox Square features 230 specialty stores in all with choices like BCBG, Burberry, Brooks Brothers, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, St. John's Knits and Versace Jeans Couture. If you get hungry while dining, the mall has several upscale restaurants and a food court for quick and inexpensive food on the go.

Buckhead is divided informally into an East and West Village , with shopping opportunities spread evenly through both villages. You'll find dozens of tiny shops lining the streets, providing you enough unique destinations to fill an entire afternoon. Home and garden stores like C'est Moi and Planters, gift shops such as Peridot and a nice mix of thrift and upscale clothing stores are just a few venues that you may pass by while shopping the street of Buckhead.

Buckhead also has a slew of lodging options available to accommodate the thousands that visit the area each year. There is a hotel available for every budget and every occasion. Save time and money by staying at the Baymont Inn & Suites Lenox . Because of its convenient location, the Baymont Inn and Suites is the destination of choice for business and leisure travelers. This hotel is located right next to the Lenox Square Mall, making it an ideal destination for shoppers.

If price is not an issue, the elegant Grand Hyatt Atlanta Buckhead should not be overlooked. With well over 400 rooms on 25 floors, the hotel is one of the premier hotels in the city. Just two blocks from the Lennox and Phillips Malls, the Embassy Suites Buckhead offers plenty of shopping opportunities within walking distance of the all-suites hotel.

Shopping downtown wouldn't be complete with a visit to Underground Atlanta. The historic area that has ebbed and flowed over the years, but today you'll find a wide variety of shopping choices. Shops of note include Just A Dollar, Doubleday Books, Gap, Victoria 's Secret, Warner Bros. Studio Store, Sam Goody's, Stadium Stuff Super Store and The Nature Company. The food court has a good mix of casual sit down style restaurants and fast food joints. The open-air Kenny's Alley is a courtyard filled with popular bars and restaurants.

Howard Johnson Plaza Suites is located on the grounds of Underground Atlanta and is a strategically situated hotel that is only one block from Coca-Cola Museum and five blocks from the Phillips Arena and Georgia Dome. The Turner Stadium is a comfortable six blocks away from the hotel. The upscale comforts of the Four Seasons Atlanta and the Georgian Terrace Hotel are both great options when visiting the downtown area.

The Virginia-Highland area is packed with trendy boutiques and upscale gift stores. It's the perfect place for an evening stroll or a relaxing dinner in one of the city's newest trendy restaurants. There is no limit to creative style here, making it a popular weekend hangout for art lovers and shoppers. Unique stores such as 20th Century Antiques, is the place to find new home furnishings, while Back to Square One will satisfy the shopper looking for rustic furniture. Shop for music at Corner Compact Disc or create your own pottery at the artsy Wired & Fired.

East Atlanta may not have the same polished finish as Buckhead or the renovated downtown shopping venues, but the charming district does have its share of inspired shops, restaurants and bars. A stroll down the street will introduce you to the Dressing Room, home of hip vintage clothing for men and women; Bubbles for everything for your bath and body and Earthshaking Music for all of your needs.

Atlanta 's hottest new retail and restaurant destination is located on the west side, smack dab in the middle of an industrial section. The Westside, has been home for a few years to a small of home furnishings stores, artists' studios, and antiques shops. But most recently restaurants and shops have been invading the area. So far, the district has attracted two casual restaurants, an art gallery, a garden center, two furniture stores, and a handful of retail shops with many more scheduled to open in the coming years.

Lodging is also available close by at the Days Inn Atlanta Northwest and the Hawthorn Suites Atlanta NW. The Hawthorne Suites is tastefully appointed with all the modern amenities leisure and business travelers have come to expect of a first class hotel. The Hawthorn Suites recently completed a six million-dollar renovation that show in every corner of the hotel.