Best of Atlanta 2024: Do

New Wellness Studio: Sweatheory

The Roswell location of this national franchise specializes in whole-body wellness. Think yoga and HIIT classes, infrared sauna appointments, and a shot bar, where IV infusions administered by a nurse can help with everything from energy levels to achy joints.

Buzziest Pilates: Pêche Pilates

A private instructor turned entrepreneur, Hanna Sellers opened Pêche Pilates in the heart of Buckhead in the fall. The design-forward, referral-based studio focuses on athletic reformer–style Pilates instruction and comes on the heels of Sellers’s successful run of rooftop mat classes at Palo Santo.

Most Viral Spa Treatment: Gaia Head Spa

Thank TikTok for the recent proliferation of head spas—treatments for your hair and scalp. Carolina and Arturo Salgado experienced the luxury treatment firsthand in South Korea and brought the concepts home when they opened Gaia Head Spa in Alpharetta. The offerings include scalp analysis with a microscope, among the first in metro Atlanta.

New Recovery Spot: Do Not Disturb

Drag your postworkout sore muscles to this new restorative facility that offers sessions of 25 or 50 minutes for a physical and mental recharge. Over 2,300 square feet of space includes private cold plunge pools and saunas. Marietta native Bradley Chubb, who plays
for the Miami Dolphins, founded the Ponce City Market studio with his brother, Brandon.

New Treatment: Sculptural Facial at Artisan Beauté

In this new 90-minute facial at the practice’s Westside Provisions District location, aesthetician Meaghan Kimble performs deep-tissue facial massage on the cheeks, lips, and jawline to contour the face, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and relieve tension without needles. A buccal massage—a massage on the inside of the mouth—finishes the treatment.

New Aesthetics Practice: Muse

Skin care and antiaging come together in one sleekly designed package at Inman Park’s Muse. Atlanta native and owner Ansley Branch, NP-C, MSN, offers injectables, facials, laser treatments, and more in the 7,000-square-foot space designed by Atelier Davis.

Most Needed Maternal Care: Haven Postnatal Retreat

The Thompson Atlanta–Buckhead is home to the Southeast’s first postpartum retreat. Luxury services include a 24/7 nursery, lactation support, emotional support, and physical recovery support, all focused on new mothers during one of life’s biggest transitions.

New Franchise: Squeeze Massage

Created by the Drybar founders, the Midtown franchise offers a customizable massage experience that’s convenient and hassle-free. Pressure preferences, scents, lighting, payment, and reviews are all done in the app, making it easy to float out of there without disrupting your blissful stupor or speaking to a human.

New Workout: Pvolve

One of Manhattan’s sweatiest workouts—and allegedly Jennifer Aniston’s favorite—is now available at Westside Provisions District. The low-impact workout includes resistance training and functional movement to sculpt, tone, and define.

New Therapy Concept: Ecotherapeutic Garden at Oyun Botanical Gardens

East Point’s Oyun Botanical Gardens has been around for two decades, but new co-owner Yennenga Adanya is adding the benefits of ecotherapy to the mix. This year she began offering such activities as community gardening, horticultural therapy, outdoor meditation, yoga, sound baths, and more formal work with therapists.

Art du Jour: Atlanta Art Fair

Organizers of The Atlanta Art Fair hope the event will turn into our version of Miami’s Art Basel. Its inaugural edition was impressive, with The High Museum of Art as the lead institutional partner and more than 50 gallery exhibitions at Pullman Yards.

Fond Adieu: Rachel Van Buskirk

Rachel Van Buskirk has been a star in Atlanta dance for two decades. She performed with elegance in such Atlanta Ballet productions as Dracula and Carmina Burana, then left in 2017 to cofound Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. Van Buskirk danced her grand finale in September ahead of a move to Houston with her husband and young son.

Worth Celebrating: Jimmy Carter’s 100th Birthday

Jimmy Carter’s love of music is legendary. When he was Georgia’s governor, he rubbed shoulders with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and the Allman Brothers Band. So it was fitting that a host of music stars—Southern rock icon Chuck Leavell, the Drive-By Truckers, the B-52’s, Grouplove, and many more—gathered on September 17 before a sold-out crowd at the Fox Theatre to celebrate Carter’s centennial birthday.

Atlanta on Film: Fight Night

The hit Peacock series Fight Night wasn’t just shot in Atlanta. It focuses on a robbery that took place at a private gambling party in Collier Heights in the hours after Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight in the city. The series packed a punch with an elite cast—Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, and Don Cheadle—and was produced by Atlantan Will Packer.

Rising Star: Danielle Deadwyler

To those who have followed her career in Atlanta, it’s no surprise that a critic called Danielle Deadwyler’s performance in The Piano Lesson “quite stunning.” Deadwyler’s character stands at the center of the Netflix film that is based on the August Wilson play and builds on her unforgettable performance in Till.

Theatrical Triumph: The Wash

Kelundra Smith’s haunting debut play, The Wash, chronicles a seismic moment in Atlanta history: the 1881 Washerwomen’s Strike that nearly brought the city to a halt. The play debuted at Synchronicity Theatre, then Impact Theatre at The Academy Theatre in Hapeville, before productions in St. Louis and Chicago.

Major Move: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

With Nathalie Stutzmann at the helm, the ASO released its first major-label record in over 10 years, playing Dvorak’s From the New World symphony and his “American Suite.” While the ASO has released music on its in-house label, this album had the push of the Warner Classics and Erato label, which have an exclusive recording contract with Stutzmann.

Comeback of the Year: The Decatur Book Festival

The Decatur Book Festival took a year off in 2023 to regroup after Covid, and management shifts left it on the brink of writing its final chapter. Thankfully, the festival regained its mojo this fall with a two-day event marked by a keynote conversation with author Joyce Carol Oates.

Finest Worksong: The Atlanta Opera

It was a landmark year for The Atlanta Opera. With an annual budget that now tops $15 million, it became a Top 10 American opera company for the first time. It staged the second part of the four-part Ring cycle, the epic opera by Richard Wagner. And it ended the year at Pullman Yards with twin productions of La bohème and Rent. Bravo!

Art in A-Minor: Giants

Music royalty (and power couple) Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Daoud Dean) brought their Giants exhibition to the High Museum of Art. The expansive show—just 10 percent of their private collection—features works by such Black artists as Gordon Parks, Amy Sherald, and Barkley L. Hendricks. The exhibition runs through January 19.

Keep On Rolling: Atlanta Roller Derby

Roller derby has come a long way since its heyday as a pro ’rassling–influenced sports exhibition. Atlanta Roller Derby celebrated its 20th season with a new home at the Woodruff Athletic Complex at Agnes Scott College and a trip to the Global Championship Series in Portland.

Listening Rooms Come of Age

Amid the infinite configurations of food, drink, and music, a new trend seems to have won Atlanta over: listening rooms. Not a nightclub, and not quite a live music venue, a listening room elevates the vinyl-spinning DJ to the evening’s starring role, their music selections accompanied by food and drink. Several such spots have opened in Atlanta this year. At Commune in Avondale Estates, a superlative wine selection and short-but-sweet food menu pairs with a futuristic-looking sound system, amplifying eclectic sets by a rotating cast of DJs. Stereo on DeKalb Avenue is a coffee shop by day and transforms by night into a listening room where you can enjoy wine, cocktails, and live DJ sets in a retro space. Block & Drum, a sprawling new venue in Chamblee, offers live music events in addition to its well-appointed hi-fi vinyl listening room, open Wednesday through Sunday evenings. Meanwhile, at Propaganda in Smyrna, a groovy ’70s style infuses everything from the decor to the cocktails; the speakeasy-style bar hosts live vinyl DJ sessions as well as other music shows. Whether you come for the food, the drinks, or the record-spinning, you’ll find something to love about this new gathering trend.

Quirkiest New Parade: The Upside Down Parade

Chantelle Rytter and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons conjured up the wild things this October with the first-ever “Where the Weird Things Are: An Upside Down Parade.” It included an opening ceremony at The Vortex, story time, music by the Black Sheep Ensemble, and a conga line around the “most glorious storm drain,” the Historic Fourth Ward Park pond.

New Museum: ADAMA

The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA), founded by beloved artist and scholar Fahamu Pecou, is not new, but it now has a permanent brick-and-mortar location in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. Expect the same contemporary art and immersive experiences celebrating the African diaspora as in past pop-up locations.

Most Enduring Art Spot: Whitespace

A fixture in Inman Park since 2006, Susan Bridges’s contemporary art gallery features various cutting-edge and experimental artists working across myriad mediums, including painting, photography, video, and performance art. Be sure to check out the art in sister spaces Whitespec and Shedspace.

Most Unique Atlanta Experience: Unexpected Atlanta

Akila McConnell offers a unique perspective on Atlanta through walking tours, such as a 1.2-mile food-focused journey through Grant Park’s history, or the Prohibition Progressive Dinner, a three-hour culinary experience with food from Polaris and Alma Cocina, among others.

New Art Gallery: Black Art in America

In late 2023, artist Najee Dorsey made his website showcasing Black art a concrete experience by opening the Black Art in America gallery in East Point. His gallery is a designed experience, with a garden entrance to welcome patrons with sculptures by Dorsey depicting Black women, children, and farmers. Inside are gems from Gerald Lovell, Traci Mims, and Jamaal Barber. The gallery had a strong presence at the Atlanta Art Fair and will hold special exhibitions throughout the spring.

Comedy Comeback: Jon Carr and Dad’s Garage

After a successful tenure at The Second City in Chicago, Jon Carr returned to Dad’s Garage in Old Fourth Ward as executive producer in 2024. It’s reunion for Carr, who joined Dad’s Garage in 2013 and became the first Black main cast member of the improv ensemble. This year, Carr and Dad’s Garage bring back the fan-favorite Y’allmark Christmas, and a kids show, Adventure Playhouse!, is slated for 2025.

Count on Kirko: The Falcons Redefined

A spring of bizarre moves (signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, then drafting fellow quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth-overall pick in the NFL draft) has turned into a fall of wins. The Falcons got off to a fast start with multiple comeback wins led by Cousins, with Penix Jr. waiting in the wings and learning.

New Game Night Out: Painted Pickle

Indulge yourself in America’s new pastime at this “compeatery” in Armour Yards. In a 32,500-square-foot warehouse, there are eight pickleball courts and a full-service bar and restaurant that features a menu of small plates, sushi, and charcuterie to snack on while playing. If pickleball isn’t your speed, Painted Pickle also offers cornhole, an indoor putting green, darts, and more bar games to help you find your strong suit.

Nightlife Scene: Underground Atlanta

As plans for development stick, Underground Atlanta has played host to more and more events this year. In 2024, 1NIGHT Productions brought Diplo and Tiësto for concerts, Pigalle by Paris on Ponce took up a speakeasy residency, and the Haunted Underground pop-up Halloween bar returned for its second year. This fall, a $160 million, 30-story tower of apartments was announced for the Underground’s plaza on Peachtree, which would be the area’s first new development in decades.

Gold Rush: Atlantan Olympians

Atlanta showed up and showed out in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Gabrielle Thomas dominated the track with three gold medals in three events, the highlight being the electric 200-meter race that she controlled from start to finish. Chris Bailey had a strong first leg for the USA in the men’s 4×400-meter relay, turning in an Olympic record and gold medal performance. In team sports, Emily Sonnett was a lockdown defender for USA women’s soccer on their way to a gold medal, and Anthony Edwards played a key role off the bench for the gold medal–winning USA men’s basketball team.

New Place to Stop Traffic: West End to Grant Park

After its usual summer on Peachtree, Atlanta Streets Alive returned in the fall with a new route connecting the West End to Grant Park via Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and extending to Georgia Avenue. The free monthly event blocks normal traffic for a few hours so Atlantans can flood the streets by foot, bike, or skate. Keep an eye out next spring for its Midtown iteration.

Read with Friends: Silent Book Club Atlanta

Silent Book Club went viral on social media this year and has popped up across metro Atlanta in a host of coffee shops and public spaces, such as Ponce City Market and Westside Paper. The club meets on weekend afternoons three times a month, with a firm reading schedule for the dozens who come: Arrive at 1:00, read silently from 1:30 to 2:30, then chat with your neighbors at 2:30.

New Luxury Dog Park: Off Leash Dog Park

Fido and friends will love a trip to downtown Alpharetta’s poshest dog park. Pups can roam a dog-friendly patio and turfed acre of yard while adults chow down on burgers, tacos, and more. A Decatur location is in the works for early 2025.

New Community Living: The Goat Farm

The Goat Farm Arts Center reopened in the summer of 2024 as a campus. The 12-acre property in West Midtown still utilizes its original 1880s factory space and added three new apartment buildings with artist studio spaces as part of its $250 million renovation. Goat Farm joins a trend of art organizations funded by rent. Expect more news from the complex in 2025, with a coffee shop, a new space for the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, and hotel set to open.

New Club: V12

Quavo partnered with Vinny and Kelan Watson (Sovereign Sweets) on an upscale restaurant/sports bar/lounge that opened in May in Midtown. V12, true to its name, is located above a BP gas station and Tim Horton’s on Spring Street. It’s the new place to see and be seen at big events, with regular celebrity cameos from Gucci Mane, Lana Del Rey, Megan Thee Stallion, and its rapper co-owner. Plus, V12’s delectable food justifies the price tag.

Throwdown with Words: Write Club Atlanta

After a pandemic pause, Write Club Atlanta returned in 2024 with a residency at Dad’s Garage. Nick Tecosky and Mykal June are behind the revival of the monthly performances that pit writers against each other on topics like “reap vs. sow” and “pencil vs. paper.” The club has a host of successful alums, such as Jon Carr and Topher Payne.

See all Best of Atlanta 2024 winners

This article appears in our December 2024 issue.

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