Atlanta: Grant Park Neighborhood Guide

The Grant Park neighborhood is a historic intown Atlanta neighborhood known for its Victorian cottages and craftsman bungalows that date back to just before and after the turn of the 20th century. It is located centrally just southeast of Atlanta’s downtown. It is easily accessible from the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) and I-20. The neighborhood is anchored by a large public park in the center, which is also known as Grant Park. This 131 acre park is so large that it includes a zoo within it’s boundaries!

History of Atlanta’s Grant Park

Lemuel P. Grant moved to Marthasville (now Atlanta), Georgia in 1840 to work for the Georgia Railroad as a civil engineer. He purchased over 600 acres of land just outside of Atlanta and built an Italianate antebellum mansion. Grant enjoyed walking in his woods and he especially enjoyed the natural springs and the birds.

In 1883, Grant donated 100 acres of his property to the City of Atlanta to use a a public park. Then he began to subdivide and sell the land surrounding the new park. So did many of Grant’s neighbors. A trolley line connected the new neighborhood to the city, which allowed all Atlanta’s citizens and tourists to access Grant Park. The park became known as the “people’s playground.”

Grant Park’s wealthiest residents moved away when cars became available. Atlanta’s Grant Park was an upper middle class neighborhood until the 1960s, when I-20 cut the neighborhood in half. I’ve been told that the neighborhood’s finest houses once occupied that section of the neighborhood and their residents were the most vocal in opposition to the interstate’s construction.

The Grant Park neighborhood entered a steep decline in the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, urban pioneers began moving into the neighborhood and restoring its Victorian homes. My neighbors tell me that the movement picked up steam around the 1996 Olympics. The National Register of Historic Places recognized Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood in 1979. It is a City of Atlanta Historic District as well. These designations ensure that the neighborhood will maintain the historic Victorian charm that residents and visitors have come to love.

Grant Park Today

Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood is a thriving place today. Most historic homes are renovated and updated. You have an opportunity to see these Victorian beauties once a year on the Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes. New development brought new retail and restaurants to the neighborhood in the last 10 years.

Notice the Grant Park Sunbursts that adorn many of the houses. Typically used to mount addresses, these sunbursts, which are sold by the Grant Park Neighborhood Association, are the symbol of the Grant Park neighborhood.

It is a wonderful, walkable neighborhood that it is particularly loved by families. The Grant Park Parents Network is an amazing organization that connects families with playgroups for children the same age. They also host events throughout the year bringing families with young children together.

Atlanta’s Grant Park Restaurants and Retail

Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood never had a central retail district. Instead, grocery stores and other retail locations were built small nodes throughout the neighborhood. I will point out a few locations where they are concentrated below:

Memorial Drive Corridor and North Grant Park

Many wonderful restaurants and retail shops cluster around Memorial Drive near Oakland Cemetery. Dedicated parking is available at many of these locations, but you can also park on the street.

Restaurants

• Bomb Biscuit – breakfast & lunch
• Six Feet Under Pub & Fish House – lunch & dinner
• Little Tart Bakeshop – breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Ria’s Bluebird – breakfast & lunch
• Mezcalito’s Cocina & Tequila Bar – lunch & dinner
• DAS BBQ Grant Park – lunch & dinner
• Gather at the Grant Park Market – breakfast & lunch
• Firepit Pizza Tavern – lunch & dinner
• Birdcage – lunch & dinner – date night restaurant
• Estrellita – lunch & dinner – date night restaurant
• Grindhouse Killer Burgers – lunch & dinner

Retail

• Guilty Party – men’s clothing store
• Hawkins & Clover – gift shop
• Shep’s Grant Park Ace Hardware
• Garden*Hood – garden center

Masonic Temple Theater Area

I like to think of this retail node as “downtown Grant Park.” This small group of shops and restaurants is located just northwest of the Park itself. It has a true Mayberry in the city vibe.

• Grant Central Pizza & Pasta – lunch & dinner
• Dakota Blue – weekend brunch; lunch & dinner
• Loose Nuts Cycles – bike shop

East Grant Park

• Ziba’s Bistro & Wine Bar – dinner only
• Green Beans ATL – coffee and sandwiches for breakfast & lunch
• Lark & Sparrow – nail salon
• CVS – drug store

West Grant Park

There are a few good restaurants scattered around on the west side of Grant Park.

• Grant Park Coffeehouse – breakfast & lunch
• Mediterranea Restaurant & Bakery – dinner Thursday – Sunday – date night restaurant
• Maelu – women’s clothing store

The Beacon and the Beltline

The Beacon is a retail development on the southern edge of the Grant Park neighborhood just north of the Atlanta Beltline.

• Hotto Hotto Ramen & Teppanyaki – lunch & dinner
• Patria Cocina – lunch & dinner
• Grant Park Farmer’s Market – Sunday mornings
• Buteco – lunch & dinner – coffee & cocktails
• Mellow Mushroom Grant Park – lunch & dinner off the Beltline on the East side of Grant Park

Grant Park’s Greenspaces

Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood offers a variety of places to get out and enjoy nature from the pastoral paths in Grant Park itself to the formal Victorian gardens of Oakland Cemetery.

Atlanta’s Grant Park – the Park!

Grant Park is Atlanta’s oldest dedicated public park. The City of Atlanta contracted with the Olmsted Brothers to bring L.P. Grant’s vision to life. He desired a park where Atlanta’s citizens could enjoy the natural springs and stroll along shaded walking paths. Today, in addition to excellent paths for walking, jogging, and biking, Grant Park boasts a brand new playground (2025), tennis courts, basketball courts, ball fields, a rec center and a pool (open during the summer).

Click here to see a Map of Grant Park.

The Grant Park Gateway is the newest addition to Grant Park. It provides a parking deck (759 Boulevard S.E., Atlanta GA 30312) below for visitor parking and green space on the top. The upper level is a wonderful place for picnicking, roller-skating, and walking. It provides excellent views of the park below and the skyline beyond. Plus, you can see into Zoo Atlanta! The southwest corner of the Grant Park Gateway has views of the elephants, zebras, and giraffes!

The Grant Park Conservancy works to preserve and restore Historic Grant Park. The Conservancy restored the Milledge Fountain – including flowing water. More recently, the Conservancy refreshed Lion Bridge and the Erskine Fountain.

Ormond-Grant Park

Ormond-Grant Park is a small greenspace located on Grant Street between Ormond Ave and Atlanta Ave. The park is home a playground that is perfect for young children. It also includes picnic tables and greenspace. It is a wonderful spot to hang out or meet friends for playdates.

Oakland Cemetery

Oakland Cemetery is part of Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood and it serves as its northern border. This Victorian garden cemetery was established as the City of Atlanta’s first public park. It was always intended to have a dual purpose. Neighborhood residents and visitors alike are invited to spend time here enjoying greenspace with its walking paths, its thoughtfully landscaped gardens, and and its magnificent art and architecture.

Visit this link to learn everything you need to know about visiting Oakland Cemetery.

Atlanta Beltline Southside Trail

The Atlanta Beltline’s Southside Trail in the Grant Park neighborhood is currently closed for construction and is not expected to open until the early 2026. When the project is complete, the Beltline will feature a 14ft wide path with updated infrastructure including bridges. It will provide residents with a safe way to pass below 16 lanes of traffic on the Downtown Connecter (I-75 & I-85).

The Atlanta Beltline is a multiuse trail made from unused railroad tracks circling the city of Atlanta. When completed, the trail will connect 45 neighborhoods – including the Grant Park neighborhood. The concept was the brainchild of Georgia Tech architecture student, Ryan Gravel, who proposed the concept in his 1999 masters thesis.

Arts & Culture in Atlanta’s Grant Park

Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood offers a few opportunities for Arts and Culture including Oakland Cemetery, which is listed above as a greenspace.

Zoo Atlanta

Zoo Atlanta is an excellent small zoo and it is located in the southern section of Grant Park in the center of the neighborhood. Established in 1889, Zoo Atlanta is one of the oldest zoos in the United States. It was established by Grant Park resident, George Valentine Gress, who donated the animals from a defunct circus to the city of Atlanta. The city designated Grant Park as the zoo’s permanent home based on the park’s popularity. The zoo still occupies this location today!

Visit this link to learn everything you need to know about visiting Zoo Atlanta.

Grant Park Farmers Market

The Grant Park Farmers Market is a Sunday institution in this Atlanta neighborhood. It is open almost year round – with a break during the holidays and a Winter Market from January until March. You will find the Grant Park Farmers Market at the Beacon in Grant Park. It is open on Sunday mornings from 9am until 1pm.

At the Farmers Market, you will find fresh goodies to take home with you including local vegetables, meat, bread and other artisanal foodstuffs. If you are hungry, there will be plenty of goodies to enjoy at the market!

The Atlanta Preservation Center

The Atlanta Preservation Center is based in Grant Park. The Center makes its home in the remains of the antebellum L.P. Grant Mansion. This organization advocates for the preservation of historic structures and landscapes in the Atlanta area.

The Center offers wonderfully informative walking tours of Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods and sites. These tours allow visitors to understand the historical significance of each district and how history shaped what we see today. The outdoor tours are typically offered in March through November. The Center kicks off every season with Phoenix Flies in March. This annual historic preservation celebration offers free tours. Be sure to sign up early as the tours fill up quickly!

Signature Grant Park Events

Summer Shade Festival

The Grant Park Conservancy hosts the Summer Shade Festival in Atlanta’s Grant Park every August. This popular festival features food vendors and live music. The local artist market which features over 150 booths is also a big draw. The Summer Shade Festival typically is scheduled for the last full weekend in August. The 2-day festival takes place on a Saturday and Sunday.

Halloween in Grant Park

The Grant Park neighborhood is the place to celebrate Halloween! Even though Halloween is not an official neighborhood event, it deserves a spot on this list. Neighbors go all out on decorations and purchase huge quantities of candy. The most popular streets are Grant Street north of Georgia Ave and Ormond Ave. Cherokee Ave along Grant Park is popular as well.

Pro Tip: Visit smaller or less popular streets for more candy. Residents who live on the busiest Halloween streets get so many visitors that they are unable to give out more than one piece to trick-or-treaters.

Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes

The Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes is my favorite neighborhood event. Grant Park neighbors lovingly open their homes for tours during the holiday season. It is an incredible opportunity to see these Victorian gems decorated especially for the holidays.

The tour runs for 2 nights: Saturday and Sunday evening during the second weekend in December. Be sure to arrive early to pick up your tickets at St. Paul United Methodist Church. An Artist Market and Bake Sale is available inside the church. Outside, you will typically find Boy Scouts selling s’mores and hot chocolate plus a food truck in case you need something quick for dinner. It typically takes me 2 nights to see all the homes on the tour, but you should be able to visit more than half of the houses in a single night.

How to Get to Atlanta’s Grant Park

Driving

It is easy to drive to Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood. The neighborhood is large, so I recommend that you determine your destination before you depart. Street parking is typically available. Some shops and restaurants have designated parking lots. Parking for the Grant Park itself of Zoo Atlanta is available at the Grant Park Gateway: 759 Boulevard S.E., Atlanta GA 30312.

Ride Share: Uber of Lyft

It is just as easy to have someone else drive to the Grant Park Neighborhood! The neighborhood is large, so I recommend that you determine the destination for your ride share driver before you depart. If you are coming to Grant Park itself, the Milledge Fountain is a good place to be dropped off.

Public Transportation: MARTA

• MARTA King Memorial Station – at the north end of the neighborhood near Oakland Cemetery
• MARTA Bus Route 832
• MARTA Bus Route 9
• MARTA Bus Route 21
• MARTA Bus Route 49

A tweaked Bus Route 49 appears to be replacing Bus Route 832, which runs north on Grant Street and across Georgia Ave through Summerhill. This route will take you to Five Points Rail Station, which allows you to go in any direction on the train. Check the MARTA app for the most up to date routes.

The Atlanta Beltline

You can reach Grant Park by foot or bike via the Southside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline. Neighborhood access points are available at the Beacon and Boulevard SE.

Visiting? Places to Stay in Atlanta’s Grant Park

Grant Park does not have any hotels in the neighborhood. It offers one Bed and Breakfast. This is a great neighborhood to stay in, but in this case, your best bet is likely a vacation rental. Be sure to note the parking situation. If you need access to public transit, I recommend that you stay on the north side of the neighborhood near the King Memorial Rail Station.

If you are looking for a house to rent, keep an eye out for the Grant Park Sunburst. Every house in Grant Park does not sport this symbol, but if it does, you can almost guarantee that the vacation rental is located in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood!

• Vacation Rentals in Grant Park such as AirBnB or VRBO – this is your guide to everything you need to know about staying in Grant Park including grocery stores and restaurant recommendations
• The Social Goat Bed & Breakfast – this historic farm is located on the south side of Grant Park. I visited this house on a neighborhood tour and it looks very comfortable, however as I recall, they have cats. If you are allergic to cats, I recommend that you inquire further about them
• Vacasa in Grant Park – I saw this house on the Candlelight Tour of Homes. It is beautiful. The beds looked very comfortable and it is only a couple of blocks away from Zoo Atlanta. Perfect for a large or extended family.

Hanging out in Atlanta’s Grant Park

Grant Park is my favorite neighborhood in Atlanta. However, I am biased, because it has been my home for over 20 years. The greenspace of Grant Park – the Park is my favorite place to be. I also love to walk up to Oakland Cemetery or to one of the many restaurants. When my children were small, we visited Zoo Atlanta almost every day. In fact, my daughter was convinced that everyone had their own personal zoo just like us! In the end, it is the friendly neighbors make this neighborhood extra special.

Have you spent time in Grant Park? Let me know your favorite places to go in the comments!