Atlanta’s popularity as a weekend and vacation destination is based largely on its variety and abundance of things to do. The peak tourist season, despite the summer heat, is May through September, when many of the city’s outdoor festivals and other events are scheduled. Atlanta is especially popular with families too at this time.
Though not usually visited for the charms of its landscape – in contrast to other southern cities such as Savannah or Charleston – Atlanta, like any other place, has its more attractive seasons. Atlanta’s impressive tree canopy makes the spring and fall, when the trees are budding and then turning autumnal shades, its most visually appealing seasons.
If you are primarily visiting for the city’s cultural and historic attractions, the cooler months of late fall through early spring may be a better choice.
See also:
– Traveling to Atlanta by train
– Piedmont Park events and festivals
→ See also: Atlanta’s weather by month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November or December
Weather-wise, the ideal time to visit Atlanta is in either the spring or the fall, avoiding the heat and humidity of the southern summer and the cooler winters.
In the spring and autumn months, it is warm but not too hot. Average highs in spring are in the mid to upper 70s. The weather generally is nice at this time of year, although there is a possibility of rain and storms. Fall is sunny with daily high temperatures beginning around the low 80s and falling to the mid 60s by the end of the season.
Rain is a year-round feature of Atlanta’s weather, with monthly rainfall in the range of 3-6 inches. With the exception of July, which is one of the wettest months of the year (around 5 inches), June through October is the slightly drier season, averaging around 3 or so inches of rain per month. December to May are the rainiest months of the year, with around 4.5 inches. March provides another rainfall peak, averaging more than 5 inches.
Summers are hot and humid, with average high temperatures approaching 90°F and average lows not much below 70°F. Atlanta, however – benefiting from its higher altitude – is a few degrees cooler in summer than the central and coastal parts of state.
If you like visiting parks and sitting in outdoor cafés, winter is not an ideal time to visit, despite the South’s reputation for mild weather at this time of year. In inland, piedmont Atlanta, winters can often feel very cold, with daytime temperatures sometimes below freezing. On the plus side, however, it can often be clear and sunny, and snow is a rarity.
Atlanta’s festival season is almost year-round, with something on at most times of the year. The greatest concentration of major events begins in spring, continuing through summer (when smaller southern cities are often winding down their events calendar) and into the fall. For the best of Atlanta’s outdoor festivals, concerts and activities, visit May through August.
See also:
– Concerts in Atlanta
– Comedy shows in Atlanta
– Atlanta music festivals
– Atlanta food festivals
– Beer, wine and drinks festivals
– Musicals in Atlanta
Spring marks the start of Atlanta’s main events season. The St Patrick’s Day parade is a favorite (although not as big as Savannah’s); other spring cultural and arts festivals include the Jewish Music Festival in March, then the Atlanta Film Festival, one of the biggest film festivals in the southeast, and the Dogwood Festival, featuring art, music and food.
Spring is also a time for Atlanta’s neighborhood events, with the Druid Hills Tour of Homes and the Inman Park Festival, both in April, and the Sweet Auburn SpringFest in May. The Atlanta Jazz Festival, usually held over the Memorial Day weekend, rounds out the city’s spring event calendar.
Summer is the time for some of Atlanta’ biggest outdoor events, with lots to do in the evenings, when it is cooler. In June are the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival and the Virginia-Highland Summerfest.
Other summer events include the 4th of July celebrations, and free outdoor concerts and movies in city parks. August brings several more big events in Atlanta’s historic parks, including Grant Park’s Summer Shade Festival and the Piedmont Park Arts Festival.
Music and arts festivals make up a large part of Atlanta’s autumn events calendar, such as Music Midtown, the Atlanta Greek Festival, with food, music and dancing, and the Out On Film LGBT film festival.
Another food-and-drink-themed event is October’s Taste of Atlanta, and look out too for the city’s Oktoberfest celebrations.
Fall is also the time to celebrate LGBT pride in Atlanta, with Black Pride’s Atlanta Pride Weekend usually held over Labor Day weekend and the Atlanta Pride festival and parade, one of the biggest LGBT events in the country, in October.
If you don’t mind a chance of cold weather, the holiday season can be a good time to visit Atlanta, with dozens of special seasonal events, holiday lights and more, one of the highlights of which is the Children’s Christmas Parade. The city also hosts the largest New Year’s Eve celebration in the southeast, the Peach Drop, and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl college football game.
Martin Luther King, Jr Day in January is a focus of several events, including charity runs and a parade. Cultural events in the new year include the Jewish Film Festival, followed by Black History Month in February, with events throughout the month culminating in the Black History Month Parade.
In terms of tourism, Atlanta’s high season is May to September. January through April is the low season, with the months of October to December falling somewhere in between.
Broadly speaking, if you want the best chance of avoiding big crowds, visit in late fall through early spring (but not during the holiday season, when Atlanta fills up with shoppers). Be aware, however, that huge conventions can clog up Atlanta’s transport, hotels and restaurants at any time of year, although convention attendees will usually stay clear of most of the tourist attractions.
Atlanta’s status as one of the country’s biggest convention destinations complicates the matter of choosing the cheapest time of year to visit, as conference attendance does not follow the usual seasonal tourism trends. Certain large festivals can also fill up flights and hotels at any time of the year.
As Atlanta is both a major convention city and one of the largest air travel hubs in the world, it has very high hotel and flight capacity. On the one hand, this is good news for visitors and vacationers year-round, as it is almost always possible to get a good deal on accommodation and flights irrespective of when you plan to visit.
On the other hand, as the timing and attendance of conventions hosted in Atlanta is difficult to predict – and some events can bring thousands of additional visitors into the city – it is difficult to know in advance the periods in which demand for hotels and flight will be heaviest, with no obvious period in which to travel for lower prices.