Things To Do in Atlanta This Weekend

By Discover Atlanta Editorial Team

Last Updated July 28, 2026

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Team Discover Atlanta has suggestions for things to do in Atlanta this weekend, July 31, Aug. 1 and 2.

Weekend Highlights

• It’s Buckhead Restaurant Week.
• Atlanta Braves welcome Washington Nationals.
• High Museum opens new exhibit about trees.
• Spend Friday night with T. REX at Fernbank.

Happenings

High Museum of Art Opens ‘Paper Trees’ Exhibit

The exhibit “Paper Trees” opens on Friday at the High Museum of Art and remains through Feb. 21, 2027. Featuring nearly 50 prints, drawings and sculptures from the High’s collection as well as loans from the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking and Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, the exhibition traces different schools of thought in the depiction and representation of landscape and the natural world.

In addition to a selection of 19th- and 20th-century prints and works on paper from the High’s American collection, the exhibition features modern and contemporary works from across the museum’s collecting areas, including folk and self-taught art and decorative arts and design. Together, the works put forth the tree as the primary visual vehicle for the study of nature, from unfinished sketches to finished works.

Visit Fernbank Friday Night for ‘Later: REX Factor’

Experience Fernbank Museum of Natural History Friday night with hands-on activities, a film in the Giant Screen Theater and games designed for curious minds during “Later: REX Factor.” Sips (including alcoholic beverages for those 21+) and a full prehistoric feast from Firefly Catering will provide the fuel as you explore the museum or hang out in the Great Hall with DJ SLW & Steady. “T. REX” plays on the Giant Screen at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Encounter Butterflies at Chattahoochee Nature Center

Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Butterfly Encounter is ongoing through Aug. 30. Step inside the tent and be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies. Don’t forget your camera.

Family

Woodruff Arts Center Presents ‘The Lion and the Mouse’

Woodruff Arts Center’s Music for the Very Young theater presents “The Lion and the Mouse.” Through musical storytelling featuring a string quartet of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians, children discover that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference. The show is for youngsters ages 3 through 8. It is on stage through Sunday.

Relive American Tall Tales at Center for Puppetry Arts

Remember Paul Bunyan? John Henry? Relive America’s favorite tall tales at Center for Puppetry Arts through Sunday. Fall in love again with Doctor Bigelow’s Wild West Puppet Show, Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill and John Henry in this celebration of American stories. 

T. REX Exhibit Open at Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Fernbank Museum of Natural History has opened the exhibit, “T. REX: The Ultimate Predator.” Meet the entire tyrannosaur family and learn the truth about the most iconic dinosaur in the world through life-sized models, specimens and interactives. Explore how a T. REX grows from a small, fluffy, turkey-sized hatchling into a towering, bone-crushing predator. See the exhibit through Sept. 7.

Children’s Museum of Atlanta Exhibits ‘Wild Kratts Ocean Adventure‘

The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is exhibiting “Wild Kratts Ocean Adventure.” The exhibit, created by Minnesota Children’s Museum in collaboration with the Kratt Brothers Company, enables kids and families to explore various animal habitats and the creatures within them. The exhibit focuses on cultivating STEM skills in children ages 3 to 9 and invites guests to explore animal habitats from around the globe, discover creature powers and go on missions to foil the villains’ nefarious plans. The exhibit continues through Sept. 13.

Theater

See ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Shakespeare Tavern

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is on stage at Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse through Sunday. The story: A fairy king and queen come across four runaway lovers and a gaggle of amateur actors trying to rehearse a play in the forest. The magical royal couple meddles with their mortal lives, culminating in a comical cluster of confusion. (But don’t worry, we’ll get to the “Bottom” of it.)

Dining

Buckead Restaurant Week Runs through Saturday

Now’s your chance to try a Buckhead restaurant that has been on your to-do list. Why? Because all week long, through Saturday, it’s Buckhead Restaurant Week. The Americano, for example, is offering tuna crudo, tagliatelle Bolognese and salted caramel budino.

Grab a Meal at Golden Girls Kitchen

Through Friday, dine at The Golden Girls Kitchen in Pullman Yards. Expect Golden Girls–inspired bites and desserts, mini Cuban sandwiches, tiramisu cups, Sofia’s meatball skewers, cheeseballs and Miami style cookies,

Live Music and Entertainment

Center Stage Theater

Friday, 8 p.m. Luh Tyler, hip-hop, rap

Saturday, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Man of the House, traditional Irish reel

City Winery

Friday, 8 p.m. Ce Ce Peniston, house music, dance-pop and R&B

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. J. Anthony Brown, comedy

Sunday, 8 p.m. Preashea Hilliard, gospel

The Eastern

Saturday, 8 p.m. Passion Pit, indi pop, synth pop

Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park

Friday, 7 p.m. Bob Dylan

Saturday, 6:30 p.m. O.A.R. alternative rock, roots rock

Underground Atlanta, Masquerade

Friday, 6:30 p.m. The Dear Hunter, progressive and indie rock plus orchestral pop and jazz

Saturday, 6 p.m. No Cure, hard core, metal core

Saturday, 7 p.m. Felicity, rock

Variety Playhouse

Saturday, 8 p.m. Smithsonian, The Smiths tribute band

Sports

Atlanta Braves Welcome Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals will be in town Thursday through Sunday for a four-game stand with the Atlanta Braves. Thursday’s game, which brings an Andruw Jones National Baseball Hall of Fame bobblehead giveaway, begins at 7:15 p.m. On Friday, Olympics theme night, the game also begins at 7:15 p.m. There will be a Braves Block Party on Saturday, when the first pitch occurs at 7:15 p.m. The Sunday game, featuring a novelty shorts giveaway for the first 3,000 kids in attendance, begins at 1:15 p.m. The Braves are in first place in the NL East; the Nationals are in third place.

Big3 Basketball Comes to State Farm Arena

The professional half-court basketball league, Big3 Basketball, fast breaks into State Farm Arena Sunday at 3 p.m. Each team puts three players on the court for what is known as 3-on-3 basketball.

Ongoing Events

See New Exhibit about the Civil War at Atlanta History Center

Atlanta History Center has opened an exhibit about the Civil War. “More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era” goes beyond stories of the battlefield to explore how the Civil War defines American identity — from the seeds of conflict sown at America’s founding, to how the war reverberated through all aspects of American life and to how its resolution continues to impact the present day.

The exhibit includes one of the most comprehensive Civil War collections in the world. Many artifacts have never before been displayed publicly. Among the featured objects are an original copy of Frederick Douglass’ speech, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?”, the Confederate flag that flew over Atlanta at the time of the city’s surrender and the battle flag of the 127th U.S. Colored Troops bearing the words “We will prove ourselves men.”

Learn all about Salt at Museum of Design Atlanta

MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta) has opened an exhibit about salt. The exhibit, open through July 12, traces salt from the terraced salt ponds of Peru to the ancient mines of Austria, from kitschy salt and pepper shakers, to the Morton’s Girl who has been walking in the rain since 1914. “SALT: A Design Story” includes a tasting station.

Atlanta Welcomes the World with Murals

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs commissioned 17 murals for downtown Atlanta to welcome the world to the city. Four more murals were added by Downtown Atlanta Inc. Here’s a sampling: Nick Turbo Benson created “ATL Nighthawks at the Diner,” on display at the Waffle House on International Boulevard. Muhammad Yungai created a mural depicting the 1966 parade welcoming the Atlanta Braves to Atlanta. It is located on Andrew Young International Boulevard. On Freedom Parkway, Larkin Ford created “The Golden Thicket,” which depicts a woodland scene.

Center for Puppetry Arts Explores Stop-Motion Animation

Center for Puppetry Arts has opened the special exhibition, “Frame by Frame: The Art of Stop Motion Animation.” The exhibition, running through Nov. 1, explores how stop motion combines puppets, scenery, human hands and patience to bring still artwork to life.

High Museum Presents Playful Exhibit on Carroll Slater Sifly Piazza

The High Museum of Art presents on Carroll Slater Sifly Piazza, “Los Porfiados” (The Stubborns). It is a group of monumental, interactive sculptures by Chilean creative studio gt2P, the 10th in the High’s multiyear series of inclusive and playful projects on its outdoor space.

Inspired by the classic roly-poly wobbling toy, known in Chile as “mono porfiado,” the installation comprises a landscape of 14 inflatable, limber sculptures, some measuring up to 17-feet tall, and invites visitors to interact with their pliable surfaces. These sculptures come to life through human interaction and play, transforming the Piazza with collective movement that explores collaboration and the construction of public space. When activated, the sculptures become a living metaphor for resilience, understood not as rigidity but as adaptability: The capacity to move with others, to be displaced and to return to balance through shared effort, persistence and care. Each sculpture responds to individual action while also becoming part of a larger whole, created by accumulated gestures. The exhibit will remain through Nov. 29.

Amy Sherald Works on Display at High Museum of Art

The High Museum of Art has opened an exhibit of Amy Sherald paintings. “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is the largest exhibition of her work to date. Featuring a broad range of paintings made from 2007 to 2024, the presentation includes many of Sherald’s most iconic works, along with rarely seen paintings spanning her career. See it through Sept. 27. To enjoy the exhibit with smaller crowds, consider the museum’s VIP Nights.

Born in Columbus, Ga., Sherald has deep ties to Atlanta and to the High. She trained as a painter in the city and graduated from Clark Atlanta University. In 2018, the High awarded her its annual David C. Driskell Prize in African American Art and Art History,

See Niki in the Garden at Atlanta Botanical Garden

Niki in the Garden, a sculpture exhibit at Atlanta Botanical Garden, remains open through Sept. 6. The exhibit features 42 works in what’s believed to be the largest showing of Niki de Saint Phalle’s outdoor work ever presented in North America. The late French-American artist was best known for her massive, playful sculptures, particularly her “Nanas” – voluptuous works of women that celebrate femininity — as well as whimsical animals, mythical figures, totems and even sports heroes. The sculptures range in size from the 2,000-pound “Grand Step Totem” and 16.5-foot “Large Yelling Man” to small wall hangings of reliefs only 2 feet square.

Glow Nights Returns to Georgia Aquarium

Glow Nights is back at Georgia Aquarium where it will continue through Aug. 9. Beginning at 4 p.m. each day, Glow Nights includes immersive entertainment, live performances and glowing moments inspired by the magic of the ocean after dark.

Experience Life as an Astronaut at Pullman Yards

Open through Aug. 13 at Pullman Yards, “Space Explorer: THE INFINITE” gives guests the opportunity to explore life as an astronaut without leaving the ground. They will be able to venture around the International Space Station, see real astronauts in their element and experience first-hand the “overview effect” – the powerful cognitive shift astronauts describe when seeing Earth from orbit.

This article updates weekly with brand new things to do in Atlanta for the weekend. Feel free to bookmark it for next weekend. For more weekend events, check our calendar.

Originally Published January 5, 2026