Our Road Trip to Atlanta (with a Columbia Detour You’ll Want to Repeat)
📍Downtown Atlanta
📆 August 2024
It’s tempting on a road trip to drive as fast as possible to the destination rather than take any time for exploring breaks along the way.
But we’ve discovered taking an hour to discover a small town and a local restaurant rather than rushing through a drive-through is worth extending the arrival time.
Here’s a road trip philosophy to adopt: Drive TO instead of drive THROUGH.
A few weekends ago, our little family decided to drive to Atlanta to see the GOAT soccer player, Messi, play for Miami against Atlanta United.
Where to stay in downtown Atlanta
We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Downtown Atlanta, went to the World of Coca Cola, watched Miami lose to a thunderous Atlanta United crowd and everyone but my hard-core soccer fan daughter was Ok with the loss because the experience was SO. MUCH. FUN.
Atlanta Marriott Marquis – Great Hotel for Downtown Events
We’ve stayed at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis many times to walk to the Mercedes Benz center for special events – we love that we can walk to the Aquarium, restaurants, special events. The hotel rooms are pretty spacious, the restaurant has a great buffet, and the bar is great for a nightcap. The fitness area is pretty large, too. Great choice if you’re visiting ATL and want a downtown hotel!
Watch our video:
Atlanta is about six hours from Myrtle Beach. It’s always tempting on a road trip to put the pedal to the metal and just drive straight and true and fast as the wind to get home.
Instead, we stop rather than drive through.
This has led us to places like Skipper’s Fish Camp in Georgia, Big Al’s Pub and Grub in North Carolina, Glamping in Tipis in Virginia.
TO Atlanta / Mill Pond Steakhouse Stop
On our visit to Atlanta from Myrtle Beach, we went down a dark road in the middle of seemingly nowhere South Carolina and arrived at fine dining establishment Mill Pond Steakhouse.
Nestled just outside Camden, South Carolina—a small town with a population of 8,431 (thank you, Google)—this steakhouse is a destination that’s truly hidden. Camden is only about 30 minutes from Columbia, but Mill Pond feels a world away.
The menu? Fantastic. The service? Impeccable. And if you’re dining with kids, they’ll be endlessly entertained by the alligator swamp out back, complete with a spotlight to help spot the wildlife. Oh, and let’s not forget the wine list—it’s top-notch.
Our family of four went all out, ordering steaks (obviously) and far too many sides. It wasn’t a mistake, per se, but we may have gone a little overboard with the creamed spinach, succotash, and scalloped potatoes.
Read our full post + photo album of Mill Pond Steakhouse review
FROM Atlanta / Old Mill Brewing in Lexington, SC
On our trip from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach, we discovered Lexington, South Carolina and Old Mill Brewing. This was a fun experience to break up the trip back!
Check out our photo album + review of Old Mill Brewing in Lexington, SC
More road trip ideas / Foodie Weekend Getaway Guides
