Cool Things To Do in July in Atlanta

By Mary Welch

Published June 14, 2023
Last Updated July 22, 2023

July in Atlanta. Put on your sunscreen, get out and explore. There’s much to see and do so let’s get the party started.

Taste of Atlanta: Grand Tasting Westside

Taste of Atlanta plans the Grand Tasting Westside for July 20 at the Foundry at Puritan Mill. Your ticket entitles you to unlimited tastes from more than 25 of Westside’s popular restaurants plus more than a dozen wine, beer and craft cocktail tastings. There will be cooking demonstrations, live music and a variety of interactive experiences. A portion of the proceeds support Second Helpings Atlanta, Atlanta Ronald McDonald House and Giving Kitchen.

Look Up Atlanta

The country’s largest metropolitan fireworks celebration, Look Up Atlanta, takes place July 1 at Centennial Olympic Park. Enjoy performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and winners of the Georgia Music Showcase along with food and beverage options and fun, family-friendly experiences from the city’s sports teams. Even if you don’t go to Centennial Olympic Park, remember to look up.

Dip a Toe

Yes, Atlanta has great public pools that you can enjoy. But if you want a more adult pool experience there are several fabulous hotels that offer day passes. Try the Epicurean Atlanta, Midtown’s only culinary-focused hotel, which is now renting cabanas for its ninth-story Sky Terrace. Overlooking the resort-style pool, each secluded cabana comes with swanky sofa seating, a TV, mini-fridge, privacy curtains and an overhead fan. With private air-conditioned bathrooms and showers, its own dedicated server, a complimentary bottle of Veuve Clicquot or non-alcoholic wine and a fresh fruit basket, cabana guests are able to spend the day painlessly pampered. Pool access is available exclusively for hotel guests and cabana rentals.

Another great place to spend the day in your bikini is L.O.A. Atlanta, located in the Interlock in West Midtown. The 38,000-square-foot rooftop features a signature restaurant, 360-degree sunset pools and a fabulous central pool. You can get a day pass for the pool, and you can also rent cabanas.

Other hotels where you can buy a day pass include: The Starling Midtown, the W Atlanta Downtown, the Whitley Hotel, Thompson Hotel, Moxy Atlanta and the InterContinental Hotel.

Is it Bowling? Football? It’s Both.

The Fowling Warehouse Atlanta is the place to play this one-of-a-kind game that combines football, bowling and horseshoes. Two teams alternate throwing a football, aiming to knock down all 10 pins before the opponent does. An entertainment destination, the Fowling Warehouse, located on the Westside, features 20 Fowling lanes, more than 40 televisions, a 70-foot bar including a $2 Mystery Beer Machine and a sunken lounge with additional games.

There’s also a great food menu featuring American gastropub favorites such as house-made potato chips, wings, cauliflower bites and pizza. There is also a new courtyard where furry friends are welcomed.

Rappers’ Delight

The Elements of Hip Hop Festival takes place July 29, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. Enjoy DJs, musicians and breakdancing, as well as food trucks and graffiti artists.

Jollof Festival

Jollof rice is a dish from West Africa. Try it at the second annual Jollof Music & Food Festival at Piedmont Park July 15 and 16. The festival celebrates the unique vibes of the Afro-Caribbean music, dance, fashion and food. And, of course, there will be a rice contest for bragging rights. 

Enjoy a Picnic

What’s more American than a picnic? Luckily, there are plenty of places to set down a blanket or find a picnic table and enjoy a meal in the great outdoors. If you don’t want to cook, grab some take-out fried chicken, sandwiches or fancy to-go dinners that are perfect for a candlelight dinner under the stars. Some of our favorite picnic spots are: Piedmont Park (too easy), Historic Fourth Ward Park, Winn Park, Sweetwater Creek State Park, Candler Park, Grant Park, Orme Park, Little Nancy Creek Park and John C. Howell Park. Oh yes, you can also have a lovely picnic at Oakland Cemetery.

Beat of the Drum

The African Deli Cultural Institute is presenting the Atlanta African Dance & Drum Festival, featuring a diverse range of music and movement workshops, an African-inspired craft market, food vendors, children’s camp and finale concerts. The festival will highlight African dances as well as some of the most sought after instructors who will teach a lineup of dances from West Africa, Cuba and Nigeria. Among the confirmed artists are Djeneba Saks and Diadie Bathily. The festival takes place July 21-23 on La France Street.

Light ’em Up

When walking around town, look for Extension of Nature, a digital exhibition presented by Arts & Entertainment (A&E) Atlanta that will be up until July 31. Curated by Birney Robert, works by 10 Atlanta artists are featured on four A&E Atlanta digital signs throughout downtown Atlanta. The exhibit is presented by Arts & Entertainment Atlanta and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District in partnership with Orange Barrel Media, and BIG Outdoor, with project support provided by Dashboard.

Extension of Nature addresses what it means to be sustainable in a digital and urban environment, focusing on four themes: plants and seeds, plastics and waste, imaginary environments and relationships. This exhibit highlights artists working in environmental activism and how they communicate through art.

More Fun at Pullman Yards

Pullman Yards is certainly the go-to place for fun. You can go roller blading, see exhibits and concerts, eat at Fishmonger and Dailies & Sides, shop at night markets and play pickleball. You can also experience AlcoHall, a drinks-only take on the ubiquitous food hall. There are seven craft spirts, wine and beer booths ready to serve a cocktail as well as lots of fun and games.

Virtual Venture into the Jungle — at Zoo Atlanta

Venture into the jungle of Rwanda and observe gorillas in the wild – without ever leaving your seat at the Zoo Atlanta. “Gorilla Trek,” A 360° Ride Film, is a virtual reality experience presented in partnership with Immotion. Housed with a message of sustainability inside a giant repurposed shipping container, “Gorilla Trek” is a VR Theater featuring 12 cinema motion seats on a motion platform. VR goggles and moving seats provide the experience of being delivered via helicopter into Rwanda.

A virtual trek 10,000 feet up into the jungle introduces a live-action adventure as you have the opportunity to observe a family group of elusive and endangered mountain gorillas up-close in their natural habitat. “Gorilla Trek” is presented in partnership with Immotion and narrated by Tara Stoinski, president and CEO/chief scientific officer of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

Are you a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

Find out the true story about the “Wizard of Oz” witches in the Broadway touring company’s production of “Wicked.”  Atlanta’s most popular musical returns to the Fox Theatre July 5 through the 30 as part of the Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta 2022/2023 season.

The Broadway sensation “Wicked” looks at what happened in the Land of Oz — but from a different angle.  Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships, until the world decides to call one “good” and the other one “wicked.”

With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” the musical is now the fifth longest running show in Broadway history, has been seen by more than 60 million people worldwide and has amassed more than $5 billion in global sales. 

Game, Set, Match

The Atlanta Open returns to Atlantic Station July 22-30 with action-packed matchups to kick off the U.S. Open tennis series. Among the tennis stars on hand will be six-time Atlanta Open champ John Isner and rising stars Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka. Atlanta’s own Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez also will play.

Screen on the Green

Atlantic Station kicks off its summer tradition of Screen on the Green. On July 20, the star attraction will be “Sonic The Hedgehog.” Bring blankets and chairs, set up your own picnic and watch the film. Also a take advantage of Wellness Wednesdays and take a free outdoor wellness class — everything from yoga to intense bootcamps

For more things to do in Atlanta, check our calendar of events.

Journalist Mary Welch writes business and lifestyle stories for local and national publications.