Atlanta My Way: ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting

Atlanta offers its visitors just about everything—from historic places, museums, and venues to restaurants and nightlife. We’ve asked a few ACR and ARHP staff members to share their favorite restaurants and things to do to help ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting attendees feel more at home in the ACR’s hometown.

Haag’s Recommendations

David Haag moved to Atlanta just eight months before the 1996 Olympics and has served as the ARHP executive director since November 2000.

Haag enjoys the Georgia Aquarium, with its impressive exhibits and numerous fish species; the Atlanta History Museum, which covers acres of woods, allowing you to see a working pioneer farm, the historic 1920s Swan Mansion, plus the many exhibits within the museum; and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Haag is always moved when he visits the King Center because it provides a chance to see Dr. King’s neighborhood, home, and church. Haag especially likes the exhibit of Gandhi and how his nonviolent protests against British control of India were the basis for Dr. King’s protests of the 1960s.

Haag also loves the Cyclorama in Grant Park—next to the Atlanta Zoo—because it provides a wonderful glimpse of how important Atlanta was before and during the Civil War; and the CNN tour, which is a great way to see the behind-the-scenes of how a major 24-hour news station works. Catching a Broadway show or other event at the Fox Theatre—a Moorish citadel—is another great experience Haag recommends.

In November, Haag says that you can’t miss an Atlanta Thrashers hockey game or an Atlanta Hawks basketball game in Philips arena.

Atlanta is known for its trees, hills, and beautiful old neighborhoods. The three neighborhoods Haag highly recommend for an enjoyable walk are: Virginia-Highlands, which has beautiful bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s, plus a small downtown containing shops and restaurants; Ansley Park, with giant mansions next to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Piedmont Park; and Grant Park, which has gorgeous Victorian homes.

Haag’s love for Thai cuisine keeps him visiting three of his favorite restaurants: Ma Li (Virginia-Highlands), Little Bangkok (Cheshire Bridge Road), and Nan (17th Street).

Damian Smalls, Ron Olejko, and David Haag (left to right) outside the ACR headquarters in Atlanta.

Olejko’s Recommendations

Ron Olejko, the ACR’s senior director of meetings and conferences, moved to Atlanta from New York in the late 1970s and has worked for the ACR for over 30 years.

One of things that Olejko enjoys the most about the Atlanta is historic neighborhoods like Inman Park.  During the Civil War, this land was the center of many skirmishes during the Battle of Atlanta and later became Atlanta’s first planned community and one of the nation’s first garden suburbs. The late Victorian architecture is a delight to experience, and the unique shops and restaurants in the adjacent Little Five Points area are a perfect destination for the artistic crowd.

For an exceptional five-star experience, Olejko suggests you visit Baccahanalia (Howell Mill Road). The inventive, delicious food, stellar service, and stunning decor are unsurpassed in Atlanta. Olejko also recommends the three establishments owned by Kevin Rathbun. Rathbun’s, Krog Bar, and Kevin Rathbun Steak House are all located in a trendy converted stove factory called the Stove Works building on Krog Street.

For a more casual dining experience, visit Six Feet Under (Grant Park), located across the street from Atlanta’s historic Oakland Cemetery, which is known to have the best fried catfish in Atlanta; or DBA Barbecue (Virginia-Highlands), which features live blues music on Thursday nights.

If you are an art lover, the High Museum of Art (Peachtree Street) is the leading art museum in the Southeast.  The Salvador Dali exhibit will be running at the High until the first of January 2011. Olejko also recommends the Tula Art Center (Bennett Street), currently home to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia.

Olejko enjoys attending performances of the Grammy award–winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. During the month of November, the Orchestra will be performing a selection of masterpieces by Mozart.

Smalls’ Suggestions

Damian Smalls, senior specialist of REF awards and grants, has worked for ACR for 12 years and has lived in Atlanta since the early 1990s.

Some of the things that Smalls likes about Atlanta include the art and music festivals held throughout the year, the great cuisine that can be found in every part of the city, and the city’s central location for travel. If you happen to be in Lenox Mall or Phipps Plaza, Smalls suggests that you pick up a complimentary copy of The Atlantan, which is a great resource for updates on Atlanta’s current events.

The Chomp and Stomp Festival is held annually in November in Cabbagetown Park and is one of Smalls’s favorite events. This festival is all about chili, blues, bluegrass, and folk music.

For art lovers, Smalls suggests the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery (Armour Drive), which hosts several exhibitions a year and showcases a wide range of work including interesting installations from around the world, the Apex African American Panoramic Museum (Auburn Avenue), and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, which is home to the world’s largest dinosaur and a five-story IMAX theater.

If you are looking for a trendy establishment with great food, Smalls recommends Bistro Niko (Peachtree Road), FAB (Ivan Allen Boulevard), and Rare (Piedmont Avenue). Smalls recommends JCT Kitchen (Howell Mill Road) and Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles (Peachtree Road) for great soul food, Yeah! Burger and Flip (both on Howell Mill Road) for the best hamburgers, Rolling Bones (Glenwood Avenue) for good barbecue, and Nuevo Largo for authentic Mexican food. Like Haag and Olejko, Smalls stressed that if you are looking for authentic Southern food, you have to visit The Colonnade.

If you are looking for a taste of Atlanta’s nightlife, Smalls recommends the WET Bar at the W Downtown, Thrive Restaurant, and the rooftop bar at the Hotel Glenn (both on Marietta Street).

If you are a sports lover, you are in luck. Collegiate and professional football, baseball, and basketball are usually in full swing in November.  STATS (Marietta Street), is a great sports bar located very close to the convention center.

We look forward to welcoming you to our hometown for this year’s annual meeting. From fine dining to barbecue, fine arts to sports, Atlanta has something for everyone. See you next month!