The Furry Weekend Atlanta staff wants you to have a enjoyable visit to Atlanta, so we will be compiling a guide to the downtown Atlanta area, which will be posted here in the not too distant future. Keep checking back here for more details on what you can do and see in downtown Atlanta while you are at Furry Weekend Atlanta.
If you need more information on local attractions or events, or directions to any place in the Atlanta area, just check with the hotel's concierge - the reason they are there is to help guests, and they tend to have an amazing amount of information at their fingertips.
Tipping and Gratuities
Please remember that it is common courtesy to offer a tip or gratuity for good service in many situations. These can include tipping the waitstaff at full-service restaurants, the bellhop who carries your bags, the housekeeping staff who clean your hotel room, the person who delivers your pizza, or the bartender who mixes your drink. If you are not sure when it is appropriate to tip or how much to offer, please refer to our full guide to gratuities.
Travel Safety
When traveling away from the hotel, always use caution, and travel with a group if at all possible. Downtown Atlanta is a large, busy, urban area, and you are likely to run into all kinds of people on the city streets. Always carry a map and a cell phone with you when you go out away from the hotel, so that you can get help should you get lost or get into an emergency situation.
A Word of Warning to Fursuiters
Do not go out to local businesses dressed in full fursuit! Georgia does have a law on the books against wearing a mask of any kind in public outside of certain special exceptions, so you do run the potential risk of a misdemeanor citation if you go away from the hotel in full fursuit or even just wearing a fursuit head. Wearing ears, tails, feet, gloves, etc., should be perfectly fine, though as with doing that in any locale, you might run into some people who will see that you are furry and might not be overly friendly to you because of that. Atlanta has fairly good southern hospitality, but there are always a few narrow-minded people in every locale.
Driving Information
If you are not an Atlanta resident, we strongly recommend you get a good map of the city. Some of our roads can be more than a little confusing, even to long-time residents. Just the number of streets named 'Peachtree' is enough to drive some people mad. Atlanta is a large city land-wise: the diameter of the perimeter road, I-285, is roughly thirty-five miles, and traffic can be heavy on all major roads in and around Atlanta during rush hour times, so if you are looking to visit someplace on the north side of town, be sure to give yourself at least an hour to get there.
Atlanta only has one toll road, GA 400, and it only has one toll booth located halfway between Buckhead and I-285. The toll is fifty cents for a passenger car. Chances are that you'll never even need to use this road, but if you're looking to visit the more affluent areas of town, such as Roswell or Alpharetta, it's the most direct route from the hotel.
Also be aware that I-75, I-85, and I-20 all have HOV lanes. These lanes operate 24/7, and unlike HOV lanes in other cities, these have specific points where you are allowed to enter or exit them, so watch the signage closely if you decide to use them.
For real-time information on Georgia's interstates, check out www.georgia-navigator.com, which reports on hazardous conditions and even lets you view the traffic video cams positioned up and down every interstate in Georgia.
MARTA System
If you don't want to drive to places in the city of Atlanta, MARTA provides bus and rail service within the city and to a few areas beyond. Check out their website for current schedules and fare rates.
Taxis
Unlike other big cities, Atlanta doesn't have taxi cabs waiting on corners - you typically have to phone for a taxi if you want one. Check the local phone book or ask at the hotel front desk for local cab companies (remember, the concierge is there to help you.)