Atlanta

A city of 5 million residents may not meet the small-college-town stereotype. Yet Atlanta combines urban life with low-key college hangouts that surround some of the nation’s top learning institutions. The sprawling metro area encompasses diverse neighborhoods, each with a unique personality that appeals to a certain collegiate mind-set. With some fifty colleges and universities, metro Atlanta is home to more than 200,000 students, who often can be found in these neighborhoods.

Boasting Georgia State University—one of the nation’s leading urban research schools—Downtown is a concrete jungle of activity. With its new dorms and spiffy student center, GSU is drawing younger students, a switch from its long history as a commuter campus. The university offers a number of venues such as the historic Rialto Center (80 Forsyth Street, 404-651-9849, rialtocenter.org), which hosts events such as the Atlanta Film Festival as well as international jazz, world music, dance, and cabaret shows. Students from across Atlanta enjoy the range of contemporary music acts booked at The Tabernacle (152 Luckie Street, 404-659-9022, tabernacleatl.com), a transformed historic church building that now hosts some of the hottest artists from hip-hop to alternative. Many students frequent the bars and clubs in Underground Atlanta (50 Upper Alabama Street, underground-atlanta.com), while cheap, eclectic lunch spots draw crowds to the Fairlie-Poplar area near the heart of Downtown. Standouts include Rosa’s Pizza (62 Broad Street, 404-521-2596), Alibaba’s Turkish and Mediterranean Delights (61 Broad Street, 404-681-3997), and Dania’s Gourmet (26 Peachtree Street, 404-588-0069). Open twenty-four hours, Landmark Diner (landmarkdiner.com) is appealing for late-night study sessions or after-concert fare and has two Downtown locations, one at Luckie and Forsyth streets in Fairlie-Poplar and one at the base of the GSU dorm at Piedmont and Ellis streets.

West End 

As historic as it is progressive, this area of town is home to Atlanta University Center, a consortium of historically black colleges that includes Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine. The area is known for arts venues that highlight works by African American artists, such as the Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries inside Trevor Arnett Hall (Greensferry Street, 404-880-6102) and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art (350 Spelman Lane, 404-270-5607), known for its focus on works centered around African American women. The Mall West End (850 Oak Street, 404-755-1001) is also a popular destination for students on the weekends. The Grounds coffeehouse at Sky Lofts (898 Oak Street, 404-753-7063), a chilled-out cafe specializing in boutique coffees and tea, provides free wireless access and is a calm place for students to study.

Home to Georgia Institute of Technology, Midtown also serves as a mecca for students from around the city because of its vibrant nightlife scene. For a little taste of it all, some students take public transit (itsmarta.com) to Atlantic Station, a development with plenty of dining, shopping, and clubs built on the grounds of the historic Atlantic Steel Company. Tech’s campus doesn’t lack things to do. Technology Square is a perfect example; Fifth Street Ribs n’ Blues (86 Fifth Street, 404-249-8808, ribsnblues.com), The Tin Drum (88 Fifth Street, 404-881-1368), and The Globe (75 Fifth Street, 404-541-1487, globeatlanta.com) are popular eateries on this newly developed extension of Tech’s historic campus. Cosmopolitan Lava Lounge (45 Thirteenth Street, 404-873-6189, cosmolava.com) draws students for late-night dancing. Dubbed “Cosmo-Lava” by the locals, this club conglomerate offers a variety of rooms spinning techno, hip-hop, and everything in between. 

Not far from the hustle and bustle of Downtown life are the verdant streets of Druid Hills, home to Emory University and Decatur, the small city that is home to Agnes Scott College. Decatur offers a small reprieve from urban life with its lush foliage and homey streets. Downtown Decatur (decaturga.com) is very walkable and is lined with dozens of restaurants, including easy-on-the-budget Raging Burrito (141 Sycamore Street, 404-377-3311, ragingburrito.com) and the adjoining bar/club Azul. A few miles up the road, Book Nook (3073 North Druid Hills Road, 404-633-1342) is a great place to relax and offers spend-thrifty reading material for the collegiate budget. Nearby, a popular hangout for students is Maggie’s (2937 North Druid Hills Road, 404-636-5300), known for its shabby, low-key atmosphere. Emory Village is the site of student-friendly dining and shopping, ranging from longtime favorites such as Everybody’s Pizza (1593 North Decatur Road, 404-377-7766, everybodyspizza.com) to newcomers such as eco-friendly boutique Evolve (1581 North Decatur Road, 404-474-3244, evolve-boutique.com).

On Tuesdays, books at Emory slam shut while students head to nearby Virginia-Highland to hit locales such as Fontaine’s Oyster House (1026 North Highland Avenue, 404-872-0869) or Moe’s & Joe’s (1033 North Highland Avenue, 404-873-6090, moesandjoes.com) for a relaxed pub experience and escape from studying. With live music venues such as Blind Willie’s (828 North Highland Avenue, 404-873-2583, blindwilliesblues.com) and 10 High at the Dark Horse Tavern (816 North Highland Avenue, 404-873-3607, darkhorseatlanta.com), this neighborhood has drawn students from across Atlanta for decades. 

Known as Atlanta’s bohemian nook, Little Five Points—with a mix of bars, boutiques, tattoo parlors, concert venues, and restaurants—is a destination for students from throughout the region; it’s an easy drive or accessible by MARTA from Georgia State, Emory, Tech, the AU Center, and other campuses. The Junkman’s Daughter (464 Moreland Avenue, 404-577-3188) is a venerated purveyor of funky clothes and quirky gifts while Envy (1143 Euclid Avenue, 404-525-3689) is a source for sleeker styles (local hip-hop stars such as Ciara and André 3000 have been spotted there). For live music, Variety Playhouse (1099 Euclid Avenue, 404-524-7354, variety-playhouse.com) is a venue frequented by fans from all around thanks to its eclectic roster of performers. Little Five Points Pizza (422 Seminole Avenue, 404-525-2530) and The Vortex Bar & Grill (438 Moreland Avenue, 404-688-1828, thevortexbarandgrill.com) are also great places to grab a bite and watch the unique crowd that frequents this part of the city. 

Like Midtown, Buckhead draws college students—and young professionals—from all corners of Atlanta. The community’s party reputation may be waning slightly as major redevelopment gets under way. Most of the nightlife places in the area known as the “Buckhead Triangle” were bulldozed, including CJ’s Landing, which had been a staple for college kids for years. However, there are still plenty of favorite destinations, such as Moondogs (3179 Peachtree Road, 404-231-4201), where drinks are very cheap and the crowd is mostly University of Georgia and Georgia Tech students and alums. One side of the bar plays eighties rock and the other side has a dance floor (with hip-hop music on the weekends). Pool tables are scattered throughout the bar, along with dartboards and a couple of arcade games. In the same building, The Peachtree Tavern (404-842-1700, peachtreetavern.com) has one of the bigger stages in Buckhead, with larger bands and music every week. Churchill’s British Pub (3223 Cains Hill Place, 404-263-5633, churchillsofbuckhead.com) is a chill place if you like to play games (pool, darts, foosball, Golden Tee). The large patio is a great place to meet people in the summertime. East Andrews (56 East Andrews Drive, 404-869-1132, eastandrews.com) is tucked away from the street madness of the main strip. Most of the regulars are college-aged, and it’s got a little bit of everything, from late-night food to multilevel bars.

For shopping, Lenox Square (3393 Peachtree Road, 404-233-6767, lenoxsquare.com) is a major draw. One of the largest and busiest malls in the Southeast, its array of shops includes The Apple Store, J.Crew, Urban Outfitters, Lush, Sony Style, Anthropologie, Zara, and Steve Madden.