The Ultimate Guide to the Atlanta Regional!

[chadwick]

Slow day at work, so I thought I would put together a little guide to the Atlanta Regional. Should hopefully be a great show and the Georgia Dome has been under some renovations…new seats and new colors outside and let's hope we don't have another pipe burst like two years ago! Word is ticket sales are going great! Last year over 12,000+, let’s see what we bring this year!

Driving Directions to the Red Parking Deck ($10/day):

*** Note that there is a re-paving project on the Downtown Connector I-75/I-85, click this link for up to date information on where the lane closures will be in effect (major delays expected):

Georgia DOT Construction Updates

I would avoid the Downtown Connector – I-85/I-75. See directions below.

From the Airport and the South:

From I-75 North, take I-285 East/North to I-20. Take I-20 West to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn right onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

From I-85 North, take I-285 West/North to I-20. Take I-20 East to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn left onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

From the North:

From I-75 South, take I-285 South/West to I-20. Take I-20 East to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn left onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

From I-85 South, take I-285 South/East to I-20. Take I-20 West to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn right onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

From GA 400 South, take I-285 East to I-20. Take I-20 West to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn right onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

From the West:

Take I-20 East to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn left onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

From the East:

Take I-20 West to Spring Street (Exit 56B). Turn right onto Spring Street and then left on to Marietta Street. Turn left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive and go past CNN Center and the Philips Arena. Turn right onto Andrew Young International Boulevard. Parking in the GWCC Red Parking Deck will be on the right.

*** I recommend parking in the Red Deck versus the private lots that may charge more than $10; there is constant security patrol and it is well lit at night.

MARTA

From the North/South line, go to the Five Points station Downtown and transfer to the East/West line going West. Go one stop to the GWCC/Philips Arena/Dome stop.

Where to Stay Overnight

There are several hotels Downtown, but some of these may be a little pricy. Send me a private message if you need advice on where to stay or have questions about the place you have already booked.

Where To Go During the Afternoon Break

1. Stay in the Dome – plenty of food options, but a little pricy

2. CNN Center at Philips Arena – this is located across the street from the Dome and beside the Convention Center. Food Court has lots of options for fast food. There is also a brand new Taco Mac (lots of TVs over 135 beers on tap). If you are used to going to Jocks & Jill’s, it is no longer there…it is being turned into a Dantannas.

3. There are a few deli type restaurants around Centennial Olympic Park & the Aquarium just down International Blvd from the Dome (past Philips Arena and CNN on the otherside of the Omni Hotel). If the weather is nice, this is a great park for a picnic.

4. STATS - kind of a high end sports bar, lots of TV's...very nice place...and huge..three floors! Service here can be a little off, and food is a little bit more pricy than Taco Mac, but you are getting better food. Directions: Walk out of the Dome and go up the ramp to the Upper Gates to International Blvd. Walk down International Blvd past CNN and the Omni and take a left at Marietta St. Walk two blocks, Stats is on the left...about a 10 min walk.

5. No Mas Cantina (Mexican) - typical Mexican place and decent margaritas...nice outdoor seating with shade and a LOT better than the Mexican restaurant inside CNN Center, yuk! Directions - Exit the Dome from the lower entrance at Gate D. Take a right onto Mangum St, cross over Mitchell St. (no traffic as this street is closed) and walk up to the first light at Chapel St. and take a left. At the next light, take a right onto Centennial Olypmic Park Drive/Walker Street. Walk past the new lofts on your left and through the next two lights, No Mas Cantina is on the next corner at Haynes St. It is about a 15 min walk. You may wonder where the heck you are walking to; this is in an area called Castleberry Hill which has a lot of artist galleries and is an up and coming part of the city.

6. Wasabi - Sushi restaurant with really good quality sushi and unique drinks. This is located next to No Mas Cantina....don't worry, there are two different restaurants (I would be afraid if it were a Mexican/Sushi combo place!)

7. If you want to drive to somewhere more unique, send me a private message; I know the area well and can help you pick something yummy!

Corps Housing (this will be updated as new info comes in)

1. The Academy – North Oconee HS - 1081 Rocky Branch Rd. Bogart, GA (1 1/2 hours east of Downtown)

2. Blue Devils – Chattahoochee High School - 5230 Taylor Road Alpharetta GA 30022

3. Blue Knights – Their website is updated through July 12th, nothing updated past that date

4. Blue Stars – East Cowetta HS – 400 Sharpsburg/McCollum Road Sharpsburg GA 30277 (southwest of Downtown)

5. Bluecoats – Woodland HS - 800 Moseley Drive Stockbridge, GA

6. Boston Crusaders – South Cobb HS - 1920 Clay Rd. Austell, GA 30001

7. The Cadets – South Gwinett High School - 2288 Main Street East Snellville, GA 30078 (1 hour east of Downtown)

8. Carolina Crown – McIntosh HS – Peachtree City, GA (south of Downtown)

9. The Cavaliers – Milton HS – 13025 Birmingham Hwy Alpharetta, GA 30004

10. Colts – Walton Academy – Monroe, GA (1 ½ hours east of Downtown)

11. Crossmen – Cedar Shoals HS - 1300 Cedar Shoals Dr. Athens, GA 30605 (about 2 hours east of Downtown)

12. Glassmen – East Jackson HS - 1435 Hoods Mill Rd. Commerce, GA 30529 - 1 1/2 hours northeast of Downtown off I-85

13. Madison Scouts – Duluth HS - Duluth, GA (about 30 minutes northeast of Downtown up I-85)

14. Mandarins –

15. Pacific Crest –

16. Phantom Regiment – McEachern HS - 400 New Macland Road Powder Springs, GA 30127

17. Pioneer – Staying in Birmingham Thursday night. Driving to Atlanta Saturday morning before heading to South Point HS in Rockhill, SC (not sure where they'll be Friday, but it is either Birmingham or South Carolina)

18. Santa Clara Vanguard – North Springs HS - 7447 ROSWELL ROAD Atlanta, GA 30328

19. Spirit - Ola High School – McDonough, GA

20. Troopers – Haralson County HS - 1655 Ga Highway 120 Tallapoosa, GA 30176 - located 1 hour west of Atlanta at the GA/AL state line

FAQ’s

1. Where do we enter the Dome? Gate D will be the only entrance open – this is adjacent to the Red Parking Deck.

2. When do gates open? 11am EST

3. Where is Will Call & Ticket Sales located? Both are located between Gate D and Gate A on Georgia Dome Drive.

4. Where do the corps warm-up? All corps will be warming up in the Yellow Parking Lot which is located on the opposite side of the Dome from the entrance at Gate D off of Northside Drive & Simpson Street.

5. Where will the Souvie Trailers be located? As in the past, souvie trailers will be located inside the Dome on the Level 1 concourse.

Should be a fantastic show!!

Edited July 25, 2008 by chadwick

[cmathis]

Thanks for the info!

[troopers1]

We drove from the Atlanta airport to Duluth, GA (NE suburb of Atlanta) last Saturday, and I can attest that you do not want to be on "the connector" (the section of highway where I-75 and I-85 merge) during lane closures. They were bad going northbound, but the backups / stoppages headed southbound extended all the way from a few miles north of the connector on I-85.

For anyone coming from the north of I-285 on I-85, it should take about the same amount of time to get to the GA Dome regardless of which direction you go on I-285.

Edited July 21, 2008 by troopers1

[CincinnatiGloryMello]

I am not familiar with the interstates in Atlanta... we are driving from Murfreesboro on Saturday morning... will this re-paving project effect the way we are coming in? I guess it would....

[ToferVis]

man, i'm not going to the show, but that was an awesome post, kudos

[oldsoprano]

I am not familiar with the interstates in Atlanta... we are driving from Murfreesboro on Saturday morning... will this re-paving project effect the way we are coming in? I guess it would....

You should be okay coming in on I-75 from the north, because you can exit before you get to the construction zone.

You'll need to exit at Northside Drive (Exit 252). The exit will be marked for Northside Drive and Howell Mill Road. The exit ramp will split, and you'll want to be in the left lane when Howell Mill exit splits to the right. After that split, get in the right lane to exit onto Northside Drive.

Turn right on Northside Drive, and it will take you straight to the Dome. There should also be signs pointing to the Georgia Dome.

If the backup at the construction zone becomes severe, I-75 southbound could end up jammed to beyond the Northside Drive exit. My advise would be to begin listening to WSB-AM radio (750 on the dial), beginning around Cartersville. They usually have traffic reports about every 10 to 15 minutes. If they are talking about a severe backup, you can take I-285 around on the west side of town to I-20, then I-20 east in and get off at Spring Street. From there, you can follow the above directions.

Also, you can dial 511 on your cell phone to get traffic updates from the Ga. DOT.

Edited July 21, 2008 by oldsoprano

[SC_Band_Fan]

We stay up near Perimiter Mall and then just take the Marta to the Dome. Did that for BOA last year and it was fabulous! Will never actually DRIVE to the Dome again!

[chadwick]

Bumping my own thread....

[CasualFan]

We stay up near Perimiter Mall and then just take the Marta to the Dome. Did that for BOA last year and it was fabulous! Will never actually DRIVE to the Dome again!

That's where I am staying too. $69/night, no parking fees, no using gas, and no traffic headaches. I highly recommend to everyone driving into Atlanta, to go to the nearest MARTA station and ride the subway. It's clean, safe and headache free.

I do have a question: is the Landmark Diner in Five Points within easy walking distance and would you recommend it?

[cmathis]

I'm staying at a Holiday Inn that's less than half a mile away from the dome, so I'm just going to walk to avoid all of the crazy traffic.