Inman Park on a Saturday When the Porches Are Full

Inman Park on a Saturday When the Porches Are Full

Inman Park is Atlanta's oldest planned suburb, and it wears its 1890s Victorian architecture with the unselfconscious pride of a neighborhood that was beautiful before anyone was paying attention. Euclid Avenue is the main drag — a tree-lined curve of Queen Anne and Craftsman houses with wraparound porches deep enough to host dinner parties, which they frequently do.

Barcelona Wine Bar on North Highland Avenue serves Spanish tapas and a gin and tonic that arrives in a goblet the size of a fishbowl, and the patio overlooks the Beltline trail with a view that includes joggers, murals, and the downtown skyline rising above the tree canopy like a city announcing itself over the trees. Krog Street Market, a converted warehouse on the Beltline, holds food vendors ranging from Gu's Dumplings (Sichuan pork with chili oil that will make you sweat and order another) to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (Brambleberry Crisp, end of discussion).

The Atlanta Beltline runs through the neighborhood on a converted rail corridor, and the Eastside Trail section through Inman Park is the busiest and most vibrant stretch — public art every hundred yards, murals on every overpass, and the particular energy of a city that is genuinely excited about its own pedestrian infrastructure, which is a rare civic emotion and a valid one.

Insider tip: The Inman Park Festival in late April is the city's best neighborhood party — a two-day street festival with a parade, live music, and the "Tour of Homes" that opens some of the grandest Victorians to the public. The parade includes a drill team of lawn-mower riders. Atlanta doesn't take itself as seriously as it could, and Inman Park is where that quality is most charming.