Virginia-Highland Shopping
Virginia-Highland is touted as Atlanta’s cute, hip, walkable neighborhood for shopping, dining, and nightlife. I’ve seen it called the Greenwich Village of Atlanta.
Located a few miles east of midtown on North Highland Avenue, “The Highlands” recently voted 2006’s “Best Shopping District to Maintain its Character” by creativeloafing.com (a fun site, by the way). It is full of independently-owned shops, including clothing, accessories, arts and antiques, home decor, and more.
While I kept reading about Virginia-Highland, none of the articles or guidebooks told me how to get there without a car! But I finally figured it out, and spent a couple daytime hours checking the area out for you.
Here’s my take on Virginia-Highland, from the fun-seeking woman traveler’s point of view:
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Virginia-Highland is a charming neighborhood, and worth a visit for shopping.
However, the clusters of shops are spread out over about 2 miles, interspersed with with more blocks of pretty bungalow homes. It’s time-consuming and challenging to cover the whole thing on foot.
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There is no MARTA subway stop near Virginia-Highland, so you’ll either need a car, or a combination of subway, bus, and/or taxi (see below).
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The area is even livelier at night with lots of interesting restaurants and bars.
You might consider late afternoon shopping, followed by dinner, or just drinks and tapas.
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For a girlfriends’ getaway day of pleasant strolling, shopping and lunch, you might consider lovely Decatur instead.
Decatur is easier to get to by subway, has a lovely atmosphere, and all the shops are concentrated within a few easily walkable blocks.
But Virginia-Highland is definitely hipper and funkier, so it all depends on what you’re after!
GETTING THERE
Virginia-Highland is not located near a MARTA rail stop, so you’ll need to use some combination of MARTA subway, MARTA bus, and/or taxi.
- MARTA subway + taxi (I did this on the way out.)
- Take the North/South MARTA line to the Midtown (N4) station.
- Exit the station, and look for a taxi which will almost always be parked nearby, alongside the station. Tell the driver to take you to the corner of Virginia and Highland. It’ll take about 10 minutes and cost around $10.
- Be sure to get a business card from the driver, so that you can call him or her for a ride back. Don’t count on just finding a taxi in Virginia-Highland, although I was told they are more prevalent in the evenings, near the bars and restaurants. Or, you can always just take the bus back to Midtown, which is what I did (see below).
- MARTA subway + bus: (I did this in reverse on the way back — it was so much easier than I expected!)
- Take the North/South MARTA line to the Midtown (N4) station.
- Exit the station, and transfer to the #45 bus. (If you’re not sure where to find the bus, just ask. All the MARTA stations seemed to have friendly, helpful staff.) Transfers are free. The bus I took was clean and modern, and the driver was helpful.
- Take the #45 bus to the large intersection of Virginia and Highland. It’ll take about 10 minutes. If you’re not sure where to get off, just ask the driver.
- To catch the #45 bus back to Midtown: Wait by the benches outside La Tavola restaurant on Virginia Ave, at the corner of Highland. I waited about 10 minutes.
ONCE YOU’RE THERE: Where to wander, and a few favorite shops:
- Pick up a neighborhood map and guide from one of the shops on North Highland.
- The most concentrated cluster of shops is right near the intersection of Virginia and North Highland. You’ll find shops with trendy clothing, gifts, accessories, paper goods, home decor, art, antiques, and gourmet food.
Favorites here include Festivity (hip gifts, home decor, clothing, and accessories; other locations too); the hugely popular Mitzi & Romano (hip, contemporary women’s clothing and accessorites), Mitzi’s Shoebox, and M III, Eco-Bella (organic lifestyle boutique), South of Market (sophisticated, rustic French-inspired home decor), and Mooncake (Edgy, upscale womens’ clothing). There are plenty more shops right around here; just explore.
- A bit south on North Highland, near St. Charles Ave., you’ll find another smaller cluster of shops, including Bill Hallman (young, trendsetting, mens and womens clothing) and Mel Rose (fun, fashion-forward, stand-out women’s clothing). That’s as far as I made that day, however …
- There is one more cluster of shops and restaurants a little further south, near Ponce de Leon Ave. This area is also called Poncey Highlands.
- About a mile north of the Virginia-Highland intersection, at North Highland and Morninside Drive, there’s a most promising-sounding group of shops and salons, as well as Alon’s, voted Best Bakery in Atlanta. Everyone told me it was fabulous for baked goodies and sandwiches. (Alas, I ran out of time and energy, so didn’t make it that far.) One shop owner told me you can catch the #16 bus down Highland to get there.
TAKE A BREAK Favorite spots for coffee, lunch, dinner, or drinks
- Murphy’s When I asked where to have lunch, everyone mentioned this long-time neighborhood favorite restaurant, bakery, bar, and wine shop serving contemporary, creative American cuisine in a charming bungalow right at the corner of Virginia-Highland.
- Alon’s Rave reviews for pastries and sandwiches. But it’s about a mile north of Virginia, in a cluster of shops on Highland near Morningside.
- Paolo’s Gelato Italiano Everyone loves this fabulous genuine Italian gelateria.
- San Francisco Roasting Company Truly local coffee house, roasts its’ own coffee. Two Virginia-Highland locations: One north, near Amsterdam; the other south, near Ponce de Leon.
FOR MORE INFO on shopping in Virginia-Highland
CitySearch: Best of Virginia-Highland Shopping
Virginia-Highland.com
Go Have Fun exploring Virginia-Highland!
Please share your own favorites, or any feedback, using the Comments box below. Or just email me carol@lipstickgetaways.com.
