Discover DeKalb County Georgia – You’ll Be Happy You Did!

I visited DeKalb County, Georgia as part of Travel Media Showcase. I was provided accommodations and meals. All opinions are my own.

When someone says they are heading to DeKalb County, Georgia, do you automatically know where it is and where they are going to visit? I didn’t! But I sure was happy I found out!

DeKalb County is actually part of the greater Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia and is Georgia’s most diverse county. Because of the diverse population you can find some of the best ethnic food around!

As the most ethnically diverse county in the Southeast, DeKalb has over 64 spoken languages represented in the area:  Asian, Latin American, European, and African cultures and languages are just a few. The area is full of major attractions, multi-cultural festivals, a thriving arts scene and great shopping.

Where to Stay

DeKalb offers more than 70 hotels with a variety of amenities to fit every budget. The area is approximately 10 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Atlanta Marriott Northeast/Emory Area Hotel was a delight. This hotel offers whatever you need to enjoy your stay including a lobby bar, restaurant, coffee shop, sundries shop, outdoor pool, and fitness center.

It’s got a gorgeous atrium lobby that you can enjoy a view of each time you take the glass side elevator up to your room.

The hotel offers free parking and shuttle service, as well as the perfect location near Emory that provides guests easy access to Brookhaven, Atlantic Station, Georgia Tech, Buckhead, the CDC and other nearby attractions.

They offer standard rooms, king rooms and suites so every visitor can find an accommodation that’s just perfect for their needs. All of the employees definitely know how to treat guests right. They are courteous, fun and helpful.

What to See and Do

DeKalb County is home to Georgia’s No. 1 attraction, Stone Mountain Park. Stone Mountain Park. Pictures don’t do this magnificent site justice. It’s enormous. The carving began in 1923 and continued on and off throughout the years until 1972!

Stone Mountain activities are suitable for all ages:

• Take a cable car to the top of Stone Mountain for amazing views of the city.
• Play in the spray or stay high and dry on the Geyser Towers.
• Trek through the treetops on SkyHike, one of the nation’s largest family adventure ropes courses.
• Enjoy a scenic train ride 5 miles around the base of the mountain.
• Stay on-site at the Marriott Stone Mountain Inn or Evergreen Marriott resort.
• Camp at the park and spend the night in a Tent, RV, Safari Tent or Yurt at the Stone Mountain Park Campground.
• Enjoy the world’s largest laser light show featuring a fantastic fireworks finale – what a way to end your visit!

Stone Mountain Park is open year-round but hours and attractions vary depending on the season and the weather.

The Fernbank Museum of Natural History is full of permanent exhibitions, educational and entertaining films on the biggest screen in Atlanta and offers a calendar full of traveling special exhibitions. 

The museum also offers a variety of family-friendly activities available on weekends and holidays. Some of these include animal encounters and live science shows.

The museum is full of dinosaurs, live animals, cultural artifacts and hands-on science explorations is definitely a spot for families to spend the time exploring..

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, a community arts center, offers classes and workshops for all ages in visual, literary and performing arts. Special performances, gallery exhibits, outreach programs and fundraising galas are presented throughout the year. 

The mansion known as “Callanwolde” was built by Charles Howard Candler, President of The Coca-Cola Company in the early years(1916, 1920-1923).

During the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta in 1996, the house was transformed into “Casa Italia,” the official hospitality headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee. Guests attending lavish parties hosted by the Italian delegation included such luminaries as Prince Albert of Monaco, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrew Young, Alberto Tomba, and a host of famous Italian fashion designers, chefs, Olympic athletes, artists and entertainers.

Callanwolde has also served as a filming location for several Hollywood films, including “Sharkey’s Machine,” starring Burt Reynolds, and “Bear,” a feature film about the life of legendary football coach Bear Bryant. In 2003, Callanwolde served as the backdrop for several scenes used in the feature film “Stroke of Genius, the Bobby Jones Story,” starring Jim Caviezel.

What to Eat

Buford Highway is definitely the road to deliciousness! International restaurants line the roadway for miles and miles – more than 125 restaurants concentrated within an eight mile stretch. Love ethnic cuisines? DeKalb and Buford Highway is the place for you!

There is definitely a large Asian influence when it comes to food in the area. My favorite? The Food Terminal for sure.

The restaurant is based on Asian food stalls, with a mostly Malaysian menu. The huge array of Asian street food-style items on the menu, along with the contemporary design of the sprawling space, make it a great eatery to visit.

And . . . you can actually watch the noodles being made!

The Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe

OMG! Not only is this place full of sweet treats and tasty quick bite items you can hold in your hand, the prices are phenomenal! They offer hundreds – yes hundreds of different things and it is definitely difficult to choose just one (or two or three)!

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Roll It Up Ice Cream

The ice cream is delicious and watching them create some amazing sundaes is an attraction and entertainment in itself!

Matthews Cafeteria was another favorite of mine because of the good old fashioned down-home meals! Who doesn’t love fried chicken and mac & cheese!

Matthews Cafeteria is a family owned restaurant that opened in 1955. The restaurant offers from scratch southern comfort food.

Why You Should Discover DeKalb County – Conclusion

There are too many reasons to name and I know I can’t name them all! Since it is basically part of Atlanta, you can enjoy all that Atlanta has to offer without staying in the middle of the big city.

Things around Atlanta like the Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta Botanical Gardens and World of Coca-Cola are just a short ride from the DeKalb area.

The food couldn’t be better! If you’re an ethnic food lover, this is definitely the place to visit. The family friendly museums will have you spending your day visiting dinosaurs and artifacts! DeKalb County, Georgia is definitely the place to visit when you head to the Atlanta area – You’ll be happy you did!