How to Get to Sports and Music Venues in Atlanta Without a Car
Adam M. Young
| March 2, 2023
If you live in Atlanta, which is known for its sprawling systems of highways and traffic jams, you might be wondering how to get to your favorite venues for sporting events or concerts without having to drive. We have put together a comprehensive list of venues with a guide for how to get in and out quickly and easily using public transportation.
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, and it is also located on the school campus, across the street from the world-famous Varsity restaurant. Take the red or gold line train to North Avenue Station, and the stadium is a 10-minute walk away. Or, take bus 1 or 26, which also depart from North Avenue Station and stop at the stadium.
Chastain Park Amphitheatre is a beautiful venue a little more than 12 miles from downtown that has hosted concerts by everyone from James Brown to Willie Nelson. There isn’t a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) station near the park, but you can connect to bus 5 and get off at the intersection of Roswell Road with Interlochen Drive, where the amphitheater is a short walk away. Or, take the red line to Buckhead Station and grab an Uber from there.
Located northwest of town in the Cumberland/Galleria edge city neighborhood, the 10-year-old Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a premier home for touring concert acts. It is about 11 miles from downtown. There are no MARTA stations near the venue, but you can take MARTA to Medical Center Midtown Station or Dunwoody Station and grab an Uber from there. You can also connect with bus 12, which stops near the center, from Medical Center Midtown Station.
The beautiful Fox Theatre opened in 1929 as a movie theater and has been converted to host a variety of cultural events, including the ballet, touring Broadway shows and concerts. Take the train to North Avenue Station, and the theater is two blocks away. North Avenue Station is also a transfer point for many bus routes in the city.
The Gas South Arena is in the Atlanta metropolitan area, although it is about an hour from the center of the city, just outside of the suburb of Duluth. If you’re downtown, take bus 103 to the Sugarloaf Mills Park stop, where you are just a few minutes’ walk to the arena.
Built specifically to host state-of-the-art concert tours, Lakewood Amphitheatre has been rocking the Lakewood Heights neighborhood for nearly 30 years. To get there, take the red or gold line train to Lakewood Station. From there, hop on bus 42 or 178 to the venue, or take a ride-sharing service.
The McCamish Pavilion, aka the Thrillerdome, is the home for Georgia Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and is located right on the Atlanta campus. You don’t have to drive your ramblin’ wreck to get there — you can use one of the many public transportation options. Take a train to Midtown Station and you’re nearly there — the venue is a short walk away. Bus numbers 12, 27, 109, 110, and the blue line also have stops near the stadium.
The crown jewel of the Atlanta sports and entertainment venues, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium just opened in the fall of 2017 to great critical and popular acclaim. To get there, hop on MARTA and head to GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center Station, the preferred station for the stadium. There are also designated pickup and drop-off areas for ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft right by the venue.
State Farm Arena, home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, also hosts concerts and other major sporting and entertainment events throughout the year. It is less than a mile from the center of the city and has a MARTA stop on the blue/green line right outside the door. There is also a partnership with Uber in place, with a dedicated pickup area right outside the arena.
Located on Battery Avenue in the Cumberland neighborhood about 10 miles from downtown Atlanta, Truist Park is the shiny new home of the Atlanta Braves. It also hosts other events — in fact, the first baseball game played at the Park was between the University of Georgia and the University of Missouri in April 2017, just days before the Braves season started. Getting there is easy: CobbLinc provides bus services to the park, and MARTA connects to the neighborhood with Route 12. It also has easy pickup sites with Uber and other ride-sharing services.
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, and it is also located on the school campus, across the street from the world-famous Varsity restaurant. Take the red or gold line train to North Avenue Station, and the stadium is a 10-minute walk away. Or, take bus 1 or 26, which also depart from North Avenue Station and stop at the stadium.
Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Chastain Park Amphitheatre is a beautiful venue a little more than 12 miles from downtown that has hosted concerts by everyone from James Brown to Willie Nelson. There isn’t a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) station near the park, but you can connect to bus 5 and get off at the intersection of Roswell Road with Interlochen Drive, where the amphitheater is a short walk away. Or, take the red line to Buckhead Station and grab an Uber from there.
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Located northwest of town in the Cumberland/Galleria edge city neighborhood, the 10-year-old Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a premier home for touring concert acts. It is about 11 miles from downtown. There are no MARTA stations near the venue, but you can take MARTA to Medical Center Midtown Station or Dunwoody Station and grab an Uber from there. You can also connect with bus 12, which stops near the center, from Medical Center Midtown Station.
Fox Theatre
The beautiful Fox Theatre opened in 1929 as a movie theater and has been converted to host a variety of cultural events, including the ballet, touring Broadway shows and concerts. Take the train to North Avenue Station, and the theater is two blocks away. North Avenue Station is also a transfer point for many bus routes in the city.
Gas South Arena
The Gas South Arena is in the Atlanta metropolitan area, although it is about an hour from the center of the city, just outside of the suburb of Duluth. If you’re downtown, take bus 103 to the Sugarloaf Mills Park stop, where you are just a few minutes’ walk to the arena.
Lakewood Amphitheatre
Built specifically to host state-of-the-art concert tours, Lakewood Amphitheatre has been rocking the Lakewood Heights neighborhood for nearly 30 years. To get there, take the red or gold line train to Lakewood Station. From there, hop on bus 42 or 178 to the venue, or take a ride-sharing service.
McCamish Pavilion
The McCamish Pavilion, aka the Thrillerdome, is the home for Georgia Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and is located right on the Atlanta campus. You don’t have to drive your ramblin’ wreck to get there — you can use one of the many public transportation options. Take a train to Midtown Station and you’re nearly there — the venue is a short walk away. Bus numbers 12, 27, 109, 110, and the blue line also have stops near the stadium.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The crown jewel of the Atlanta sports and entertainment venues, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium just opened in the fall of 2017 to great critical and popular acclaim. To get there, hop on MARTA and head to GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center Station, the preferred station for the stadium. There are also designated pickup and drop-off areas for ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft right by the venue.
State Farm Arena
State Farm Arena, home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, also hosts concerts and other major sporting and entertainment events throughout the year. It is less than a mile from the center of the city and has a MARTA stop on the blue/green line right outside the door. There is also a partnership with Uber in place, with a dedicated pickup area right outside the arena.
Truist Park
Located on Battery Avenue in the Cumberland neighborhood about 10 miles from downtown Atlanta, Truist Park is the shiny new home of the Atlanta Braves. It also hosts other events — in fact, the first baseball game played at the Park was between the University of Georgia and the University of Missouri in April 2017, just days before the Braves season started. Getting there is easy: CobbLinc provides bus services to the park, and MARTA connects to the neighborhood with Route 12. It also has easy pickup sites with Uber and other ride-sharing services.
