Where to Go on a Date in Buckhead
Here’s where to impress someone special.
Some neighborhoods in Atlanta are overflowing with attractions and special experiences that make for awesome dates, while others, like Buckhead, require a little more ingenuity to pull off the perfect date. However, don’t let that deter you from taking your boo uptown every once in a while. From a creative way to utilize Lenox Square Mall to the low-down about a top-secret speakeasy, here are 10 fun and romantic ideas for dates in Buckhead.
Although some argue that entertainment—whether it be a movie or a sporting event—doesn’t make for great dates, those people are 100% wrong. There’s no better ice breaker than hearing live music together, and that’s why one of the best dates in Buckhead is attending a concert at the iconic Buckhead Theatre. Artists from all genres perform there, but regardless of who you two ultimately decide to see, every concert is arguably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If all goes well, you and your date will already have a special memory to cherish, and if things don’t work out, at least you got to see one of your favorite artists perform live.
Unless your crush has talked at length about how much they hate Starbucks or any of Atlanta’s best local coffee shops, it’s probably a safe bet to meet for coffee. Whether you consider it a precursor to a first date or a real-deal relationship starter, coffee dates are both delicious and a great way to get to know the person sitting in front of you. Buckhead’s premier coffee shop, Brash Coffee, takes that meaningful date concept one step further by positioning you and your date right at the Atlanta History Center, so after you two link up for some lattes, you can travel back through time and learn about Georgia’s intriguing history.
A tried and true date that will bring you closer to your date—and help you save some money in the process—is taking a romantic stroll through a park, and Chastain Park is the perfect place to do that in Buckhead. With tennis courts, soccer fields, a playground, and, most importantly, plenty of walking trails, the 268-acre outdoor recreation area makes for a really fun place to explore, so just make sure your date is wearing good walking shoes! Plus, if either of you gets hungry, you can also grab food nearby at The Chastain, which sits right on the edge of Chastain Park’s western border.
For more serious relationships—or hell, entanglements too—sometimes the best date is just getting away from the monotony of everyday life and being pampered for a little bit. If you can relate to that sentiment, surprise your significant other with a romantic staycation at one of Buckhead’s gorgeous hotels. Hotel Colee, The Whitley, The Westin, and the Kimpton Sylvan Hotel are among the many great options in Buckhead, and for an even more relaxing experience, you should book a stay at the Waldorf Astoria. An aesthetically pleasing spa and a heated indoor pool await you there, so you can check those amenities out in between all the rest you’ll be getting during your stay.
The Kimpton Sylvan Hotel is a great example of why hotel restaurants have become some of Atlanta’s hottest spots. The Buckhead hotel boasts three different options for food and drink: The Betty, Willow Bar, and St. Julep. Bond over an extravagant dinner at The Betty, and afterward, go bar hopping between Willow Bar and St. Julep, The Kimpton Sylvan’s respective garden and rooftop bars.
Bookworms need love, too, and if both you and your date can take a break from what you all have been reading over the past week, you two can bond over a shared love for books at Lucian Books and Wine. A mashup between an expertly curated bookstore and a wine shop, Lucian is the perfect place to go during the early dating phase, and after enjoying a glass of wine or two, you and your date can pick out a book that you can take on together.
Whether you’ve worked at a mall in the past or been unwillingly dragged to one before, you may think that a trip to the mall is just a chore, but for people of the more fashionable variety, it can also make for a surprisingly great date. Lenox Square Mall has everything to satisfy all of your retail wants and needs, from nice, yet affordable shops like Urban Outfitters, Guess, and Zara to luxury, high-end stores such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and MCM. If you’re interested in learning more about your date’s style and offering some fashion suggestions of your own, you two can go shopping—or just window shopping—in Lenox Square Mall’s vast assortment of retailers. And for those 21+, you can enjoy a beer or glass of wine at Peachtree Pint near the food court whenever you need a quick break from trying on clothes.
Whether or not you’re actually one of the coolest and most in-the-know people in Atlanta, your date doesn’t have to know that right away. If you’re looking to impress them with your local knowledge, take them on a trip to Red Phone Booth, an exclusive and top secret speakeasy that only allows entry if you correctly present its password. You can apply to be a member of Red Phone Booth online to guarantee access, but if you’re down to do some detective work, you can secure the current password from an active member, concierge, or friend. Once you’ve got it, just dial it into the restored London antique red phone booth outside and introduce your date to a side of Atlanta that they’ve never seen before.
Whoever came up with the unofficial rule that dates are supposed to take place later in the day must not have heard about brunch. In addition to keeping your date on their toes by taking them on an adventure before noon, going on a brunch date is the perfect move for breakfast foodies. Luckily, Buckhead has an impressive assortment of brunch-worthy spots—from South City Kitchen to Toast On Lenox—so all you have to worry about is whether you and your date are up for bottomless mimosas.
The only downside of drink-inspired dates is that one of you has to step up as the designated driver and skip out on all of the spirited activities. Thankfully, Southern Culinary Tours thought about that and started offering tours of local breweries in which they’ll do the driving for you. The classic Atlanta Brewery Tour, for example, takes guests to SweetWater Brewery, Atlanta Brewing Company, and Monday Night Brewing, and throughout the course of the tour, they are treated to a private tasting at SweetWater, an complimentary pint of beer at each of the next two stops, and a light snack. Pickup and dropoff is at Iron Hill Brewery Buckhead.