12 p.m.
Atlanta’s urban connector the BeltLine is still a work in progress, but it has a few elements ready for public use, and one of the most rewarding is the Eastside Trail. The trail runs from the intersection of Monroe Drive and 10th Street (at the southeast corner of Piedmont Park), all the way to Irwin and Krog Streets in Inman Park, and passes by quintessentially Atlanta sites like Freedom Parkway and the Historic Fourth Ward Park. Walk it, bike it, rollerblade it—no matter what, get out into the fresh air. In its entirety, the trail adds up to about 2.25 miles.
1:30 p.m.
If you’ve gone the north-to-south route on the trail, it’s a short jaunt over to Condesa Coffee (480 John Wesley Dobbs Ave) for your mid-afternoon caffeine fix. But Condesa’s not quite your average coffee shop: The baristas are dressed to the nines. They make latte art. They serve simple but elegant plates of breakfast food and sandwiches. And there’s a full bar. It’s still all about the coffee, featuring espressos and cappuccinos and all the other “o”s, but Condesa is certainly a step up from your neighborhood Starbucks. Plus, if it’s a nice day out (which hopefully it has been, if you’ve been walking for two miles), sit outside: facing east, you can see infinite green space; facing west, you’ve got a lovely view of the Atlanta skyline.
3 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site
No visit to the O4W/Sweet Auburn area is complete without an acknowledgment of the late great Dr. King and his life’s work—after all, this neighborhood was his stomping grounds for quite some time. Less than a half mile from the coffee shop, you can explore a multitude of aspects of Dr. King’s legacy: from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached, to the “I Have a Dream” World Peace Rose Garden, which features King-centric poems by Atlanta students, to the beautifully serene reflection pool outside the tombs of Dr. King himself and his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
Learn more about the King Center here.
6 p.m.
It doesn’t get much more American than this. Finish off your day at burger and beer hub The Corner Tavern, whose Edgewood location (464 Edgewood Ave) has a special every. Single. Day. Of. The. Week. On Thursdays, there’s breakfast for dinner and bar trivia. Friday is crab legs night. On Saturdays, stop in for live music. No matter what day you choose to have your O4W adventure, you can always find some excitement going down in the Corner Tavern.
Get a walk-through of the day’s spots with this map: