Local Information and Activities

Shopping

University Bookstore

For Emory paraphernalia, visit the bookstore in the Dobbs University Center.

Buckhead, Lenox Square & Phipps Plaza

For world class shopping twenty minutes from campus, visit Buckhead and these malls.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn left on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Clifton Rd.  Clifton will dead-end at Briarcliff; turn right.  Off Briarcliff, turn left on La Vista Rd.  Turn right on Cheshire Bridge Rd.  Note the street name will change to Lenox Rd once you have passed under Interstate 85.  Continue on Lenox until you reach Peachtree Rd.  Lenox Square is on the left, and Phipps Plaza is on the right once you cross Peachtree. 

Little Five Points

A gathering spot for the young, the hip, the cool, and the pierced, L5P has many interesting restaurants and shops.  From the main entrance, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  Briarcliff will change to Moreland Ave once you cross Ponce de Leon Ave.  L5P will begin once you pass Mansfield Ave.  It’s a ten minute drive from campus.

Virginia Highlands

Shops and restaurants are scattered along the length of Highland Ave; one may find a sizable clustering at the intersection with Virginia Ave.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  When Briarcliff meets St. Charles, turn right.  At the light, turn right on Highland Avenue.  The neighborhood is less than ten minutes from campus.

Museums and Attractions

Michael C. Carlos Museum, 404-727-4282

On the Emory University quadrangle.  The building, designed by Michael Graves, contains a noted collection of Egyptian, Near Eastern, Classical, and American antiquities as well as art from Asia and Africa.

Fine Arts at Emory

The following are additional spaces at Emory used for fine arts exhibitions and performances.   The Schwartz Center for Performing Arts provides space for Emory's music, theater, and dance programs.  The Schatten Gallery is located on level three of the Robert W. Woodruff Library.  The Visual Arts Gallery, 700 Peavine Creek Drive, typically highlights the works of Emory students and faculty. Some theater productions use the Mary Gray Munroe Theater in the Dobbs University Center.  Other performance spaces include the Burlington Road Building, Performing Arts Studio, Glenn Memorial Auditorium, and Cannon Chapel.

Carter Center of Emory University & Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, 404-331-3942

View an eclectic array of art, along with mementos from the Carter White House.  From the main entrance of Emory, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  Briarcliff’s name will change to Moreland Ave once you cross Ponce de Leon Ave.  At the second traffic light after you cross Ponce de Leon, turn right on Freedom Parkway.   Follow signs to Carter Center, located ten minutes from campus.

CNN Center & Centennial Olympic Park, 404-827-2300

Tour the studios of CNN, Headline News, and CNN International.  Centennial Olympic Park, created for the ‘96 games, today often hosts concerts and festivals.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  At Ponce de Leon Ave, turn right.  Drive three miles; turn left on Peachtree St.  Drive into downtown.  Turn right on Marietta St.  CNN is on the left; the park is on the right.

Fernbank Museum, 404-929-6300

The museum provides interactive exhibits, learning stations, and an IMAX theater.  From the of Natural History main entrance of Emory, drive forward on Oxford Rd.  At the first stop sign, turn right on CliftonRd.  At the next stop sign, go straight.  Clifton will bend to the right; continue.  Fernbank is on the left, five minutes from campus.

High Museum of Art, 404-733-4400

Part of the Woodruff Arts Center, the High is Atlanta’s museum of fine arts.   From the main entrance of Emory, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  When Briarcliff reaches Ponce de Leon Ave, turn right.  Drive three miles, and turn right on Peachtree St.  The museum is on the left just before 16th St and is twenty minutes from campus.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Sweet Auburn 404-524-1956 (MLK ) 

A memorial to Dr. King and his work, the King Center is the hub of a historic district encompassing his birthplace, tomb, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Sweet Auburn, once one of America’s most vital African American cultural and business districts.  From the main entrance of Emory, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  Briarcliff will change to Moreland Ave once you cross Ponce de Leon Ave.  At the second traffic light after Ponce de Leon, turn right on Freedom Parkway.  At the second light, turn left, and follow signs toward I-75/85.  When Freedom Pkwy meets Boulevard, turn left.  At Auburn Ave, turn right.  It’s fifteen minutes from campus.

Atlanta History Center & Swan House, 404-814-4000

The house, grounds, and museum highlight the people and events in Atlanta’s fascinating history.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn left on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Clifton Rd.  Clifton will dead-end at Briarcliff; turn right.  Off Briarcliff, turn left on La Vista Rd.  Turn right on Cheshire Bridge Rd.  Note the street name will change to Lenox Rd once you have passed under Interstate 85.  Continue on Lenox Rd for approximately 2 miles to Peachtree Rd, and turn left.  Continue for another 2 miles, and turn right on Pharr Rd.  Go straight through the 4-way stop.  Turn right onto Slaton Drive.  The Atlanta History Center is on the left.

World of Coca-Cola,  404-676-5151

Yes, it’s one huge Coke advertisement, but this is Atlanta; we love the stuff.  See all sorts of Coca-Cola-ana, and when you finish the tour, you may drink all the Coca-Cola beverages you can stand.  It is located twenty minutes from campus in the Underground Atlanta shopping complex.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  Briarcliff will change to Moreland Ave once you cross Ponce de Leon Ave.  At the second light after Ponce de Leon, turn right on Freedom Parkway.  At the second light, turn left, and follow signs toward I-75/85.  After crossing Boulevard, follow signs to Andrew Young International Boulevard.  Off International, turn left on Courtland St.  When Courtland meets Martin Luther King Jr Dr, turn right.  The attraction is on the right.

Zoo Atlanta & Cyclorama, 404-624-5600 (Zoo), 404-624-1071 (Cyclorama)

Zoo Atlanta is the city’s world-class animal park.  Next door, the Cyclorama is home to the world's largest painting, “The Battle of Atlanta.”  The battle is relived daily with the help of spectacular music, art, and sound effects.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  At the second light, turn left on Briarcliff Rd.  Briarcliff will change to Moreland Ave once you cross Ponce de Leon Ave.  At the second traffic light after Ponce de Leon, turn right on Freedom Parkway.  At the second light, turn left, and follow signs toward I-75/85.  When Freedom Pkwy meets Boulevard, turn left.  Boulevard will eventually cross I-20.  Proceed south on Boulevard another 1/2 mile to the first traffic light; turn right on Berne St, and follow the signs to the parking lot on Cherokee Ave.

Parks and Recreation

Lullwater Park - On Emory’s campus, Lullwater’s 185 acres include gardens, trails, a lake, and the President’s home.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens & Piedmont Park 404-876-5859 (Gardens)--Landscaped gardens, a conservatory, and Atlanta’s largest park are all located fifteen minutes from campus.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn right on North Decatur Rd.  When North Decatur crosses Briarcliff, the street name will change to East Rock Springs.  East Rock Springs will merge with Morningside Drive.  Continue on Morningside Drive, and turn left on Piedmont Ave.  At the second light, the gardens will be on the left.  The park is on the left at 14th St.

Chattahoochee Nature Center  770-992-2055--A beautiful preserve located along the Chattahoochee River which flows through metro-Atlanta. From Interstate-75 northbound, you will take exit 259, East I-285.  Off I-285, take exit 25, Roswell Rd.  At exit, turn left on Roswell Rd.  At the first traffic light after crossing the Chattahoochee River, turn left onto Azalea Dr.  At the second traffic light, turn left onto Willeo Rd.   CNC is located one-half mile on the right.  The center is about thirty minutes from Emory.

Chattahoochee River 678-538-1200--Beautiful natural preserves located along the Chattahoochee River which flows through metro- National Recreation Area                Atlanta.  From northbound GA 400, take exit 6 - Northridge Road.   Coming off the exit, stay in the right lane, cross over GA 400, and turn right onto Dunwoody Place.   Go one half mile to Roberts Drive; turn right; and proceed to the park entrance on your right.

Stone Mountain Park--Along with the world’s largest piece of exposed granite, the park is 200 acres of lakes, woodlands, attractions, and recreational facilities for golf, tennis, swimming, boating, and hiking.  From Emory’s main entrance, turn left on North Decatur Rd.  At Scott Blvd turn left, and follow signs to Stone Mountain Parkway, Highway 78.  Off Hwy 78, follow signs to Stone Mountain Park.  The park is approximately twenty-five minutes from Emory.

Updated March, 2007