48 Hours In Atlanta With The Lost Girls

My friends-turned-travel partners and I made a pact that we would take a trip together every year for the rest of our lives. Jen, Amanda and I made this promise 19 years ago after we returned from the ultimate adventure: a yearlong, round-the-world journey in our 20s. (For more on that, check out our memoir, The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Conventional Detour Around The World.) Nearly two decades later, we have not missed an annual getaway.

For 2025, we headed to the capital of the South: Atlanta, Georgia. We chose it because of convenience (flights were both quick and affordable from New York) and it is also the hometown of our longtime friend from our first media job in Manhattan (Stephanie Davis Smith of Two Sided Southern). Moreover, we were drawn to the city’s vibe that is both historic and modern. 

I’d never before spent time in Atlanta, but it struck me as a place of dualities. It’s a city of urban landscapes with nature running through it, of work-hard energy mixed with making time for fun, of historic figures facing tremendous obstacles and rising up with resilience. 

Atlanta has been at the center of many cultural movements. The birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., the city has been called the “cradle of the Civil Rights Movement.” Atlanta is also a center of Black innovation and a musical hub that’s been dubbed as the capital of hip hop (it’s where artists such as Outkast, Ludacris, and Child Gambino got their start). Tax credits incentivizing production companies and filmmakers helped Atlanta score the title of “the Hollywood of the South.” The city is also a destination for sports, being home to the Atlanta Falcons (football), Atlanta Hawks (basketball), and Atlanta Braves (baseball), and it will host the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

Here are the highlights of how we spent 48 hours eating and walking our way through Atlanta during our annual getaway.

Where To Stay In Atlanta: Epicurean Atlanta

Where we choose to stay sets the tone for our trip, since the three of us treat our annual getaway as our sacred time to reconnect with one another (code for friend therapy) and recharge away from kids and work (code for sleep in past sunrise). This Autograph Collection Hotel in the heart of midtown Atlanta became our elegant-but-cozy home base. 

The Epicurean Atlanta was ideal for so many reasons.  First, the location. Atlanta is a sprawling city with many different neighborhoods that feel like cities unto themselves.  For us, staying in midtown Atlanta with its mix of high rises, parks, and museums meant we could explore the city by foot (a big selling point for me as I love to wander). Each morning, I’d grab a complimentary cup of coffee from the lobby bar and take a walk to see what I could find (I’m sure that Jen appreciated me picking up staples such as this magazine from the nearby Whole Foods so she was not without reading material by the pool).

As a culinary-driven hotel, the Epicurean is aptly named. Jen is probably the biggest foodie in our group, having worked previously at The Food Network, so she loved that there is an Epicurean Theatre where guests can learn from a curated lineup of chefs, winemakers, mixologists, and artists. 

All of us savored the three on-site restaurants, each with a uniquely curated menu and vibe. There’s the upscale Reverence with its award-winning wine list and seasonally-inspired menu based on ingredients local to Atlanta. We loved grabbing light bites and cocktails al fresco on the 9th floor’s Sky Terrace at the Aerial Kitchen & Bar. For a mix-business-with-pleasure vibe, The Office Bar is a hub for locals who work in the neighborhood or digital nomads who want to grab lunch or happy hour drinks (also don’t miss the truffle fries). 

For Amanda, a forever Florida girl at heart, a hotel with a pool is a big draw. So having a rooftop oasis with in-water chaise loungers and views of the city skyline was the perfect backdrop for us to chill and catch up. (I might have snuck away to the onsite gym with its floor-to-ceiling windows for a quick workout once or twice). 

Epicurean Atlanta: 1117 W Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, US, 30309

FRIDAY

1. An Elevated Girls Night Out I 6 p.m. 

We kicked off our Friday night in Atlanta in style by meeting our friend Stephanie at Brasserie Margot inside the Four Seasons Hotel. This isn’t your typical hotel restaurant: It blends Parisian chic with Atlanta charm in the heart of midtown. The vibe is intimate and playful, with moody lighting, plush banquettes, rich wood accents, and touches of gold.

Our server was quick to answer any questions we had about the menu, which included innovative twists on traditional French dishes (think: table side Crêpes Suzette flambéed with Grand Marnier). Even the cocktails were an experience in and of themselves: I ordered the Louvre Sour, which was served up with a mosaic of the Mona Lisa floating on top.

Brasserie Margot: The Four Seasons Hotel,  75 14th Street NE, Atlanta

2. Cocktails Al Fresco I 9 p.m.

We decided to walk off our dinner by heading to the Beltline, a 22-mile loop of trails and parks that’s lined with restaurants, shops, and more. Our destination? Lingering Shade Social Club, a cozy cocktail bar located on the Eastside Trail. Known for their creative cocktails, such as the Wild Bird (rum, Aperol, pineapple and lime), and small bites, such as collard dip and deviled eggs, we sat outside on the patio for people watching as dog walkers, Friday-night celebrators, and biker riders passed us by on the trail.

Lingering Shade: 660 Irwin Street NE, Atlanta GA 30312

This part of the Beltline is lined with many fun bars and restaurants. Afterwards, we wandered over to Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall at mile marker 9.25 of the trail. The parks-and-nature inspired design is set on more than 10,000 feet of outdoor space and features elevated campfire cuisine (I taste tested the s’mores pudding in the name of reporting and I report back that it is well worth it).  Crowds of people gathered to watch a sports game on one of the outdoor screens or toast together at one of the communal picnic tables.

Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall: 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE Unit J, Atlanta, GA 30312

SATURDAY

3. Waking Up To Comfort Food I 9 a.m.

In the morning, we wandered over to the Flying Biscuit Cafe, which already had a line forming outside. Once I tasted their famous biscuits and grits, I could see why. Though they have multiple locations, the restaurant retains a Southern-comfort-food-with-a-neighborhood-feel vibe.

Flying Biscuit Cafe Midtown: 1001 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309

4. A Historic Home With A Not-So-Simple History I 10 a.m.

The Margaret Mitchell House is home to the small apartment where former Atlanta Journal reporter Margaret “Peggy” Mitchell wrote her first and only book, “Gone With the Wind,” shortly after moving there in 1925. Managed by The Atlantic History Center, the museum set in the historic home built in 1899 attracts history, literature, and film lovers. 

It’s small and manageable yet steeped in complexity, illustrating the large cultural impact the book and film had on shaping portrayals of the American South, historic Atlanta, and the Civil War. It’s one of the highest-grossing films in history (when adjusted for inflation) featuring a powerful love story but, among many issues, ignores the role of slavery in causing the Civil War.  One of the signs in the museum states, “Atlanta History Center continues to present this story because examining Mitchell’s work and legacy illustrates how historical fiction influences our understanding of history—in ways that are profound and surprising.” The space is designed to make visitors think deeply about complex issues and offers a case study for how storytelling can shape our view of history.

Margaret Mitchell House: 979 Crescent Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

5. A Walk in The City Park I 12 p.m.

Walking and nature helps me to process and reflect, so we headed back to the Beltline, which connects 45 different neighborhoods across the city, and followed it to Piedmont Park, a nature oasis in the middle of the city. Originally the area was a forest before becoming farmland and then eventually the popular park it is today. We saw families fishing in Lake Clara Meer, kids playing ball, friends eating at the Park Tavern, and butterflies flitting around the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Piedmont Park: 1322 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30306

6. Finding Our Way Through A Bustling Market I 2 p.m.

We’d walked up an appetite so decided to wander over to Ponce City Market in the Fourth Ward neighborhood. Just 10 steps away from the Beltline inside the historic Sears building, it has a food hall and shops featuring more than 50 locally-owned businesses. Separately, you can also buy tickets to The Roof, which has rides, games such as mini-golf, and more dining options with skyline views. 

Ponce City Market: 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

7. Farm To Table Dining I 7 p.m.

By sunset, we were back at our home base for dinner at The Epicurean Atlanta. The Reverence restaurant, located on the first floor of the hotel with an outdoor patio, is elevated comfort. There is industrial lighting with dark tiles, wooden tables with textured chairs, and a show kitchen where guests can watch the culinary team create seasonally-inspired dishes. The ingredients tasted so fresh, from the produce to the seafood to the meats, which Reverence gets largely from local partners such as Joyce Farms in NC, Sarah Dodge Bread is Good in GA, and Kirk Halpern Farmers & Fisherman in GA.

Reverence was so inviting we lingered long after our meal was over, making our way to the wrap-around bar to sample the extensive wine selection (the restaurant is a winner of Wine Spectator’s 2024 Award of Excellence) and to chat with other hotel guests, many who were there for a wedding.

Reverence: 1117 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309

SUNDAY

8. Relaxing In A Private Cabana I 11:00 a.m.

Before we had to head back to the airport, and reality, we spent a few hours happily catching up in a private cabana on the Sky Terrace of the Epicurean Atlanta. Set against the backdrop of the Atlanta skyline in our cabana on the rooftop, we settled into comfy chaise lounges, and had a private bathroom and towel service. We periodically dipped our feet in the heated pool and ordered small plates such as tostones and shrimp ceviche from the onsite Aerial Kitchen & Bar (which closes for the winter season and re-opens in May). Cabanas are available to rent as a guest or general public. You can find rates and book a cabana here.

If we had more time, we would have checked out some of the famous attractions included with the Atlanta City Pass, such as the Georgia Aquarium or World of Coca-Cola. But with our vacation soon to come to an end, the three of us simply laid back but never stopped talking. 

We talked about business ideas and career transitions, swapped parenting stories as we’re the mothers of six pre-teens collectively, and imagined where we would travel when we hit our 80s. Life gets busy and we may not talk every day like we used to, but it’s as if no time at all has passed whenever we travel together. We may not know what the future holds, but we do know one thing for sure: We’ll stay committed to our annual trip tradition for life.

To read more about The Lost Girls original trip, check out our blog, book and read more about it on We Said Go Travel!

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