ATLANTAboy’s Matt Burkhalter
If you are looking for the old south, look again, Atlanta, the belle of the south, is getting an extreme makeover. Today’s Atlanta has a thriving and diverse gay community, trendy neighborhoods and new restaurants and bars are popping up everywhere.
Here at GayCities, we’re constantly adding to our Atlanta Guide and one source we always turn to is Matt Burkhalter. An Atlanta native, Matt is a graphic designer by day, sings and volunteers with the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus by night, and still finds time for “fine food with fine friends” and a drink or two around town.
Matt, recently wrote GLBT Atlanta’s first ever gay guide. ATLANTAboy: An Insider’s Guide to Gay Atlanta is a fun and witty take on all that there is to see and do in town. Matt also runs ATLANTAboy.com which features celebrity interviews and the latest events in Atlanta.
We recently caught up with Matt to hear some of his “Insider Tips” on Atlanta.
What inspired you to write ATLANTAboy?
My friend Jordan called me one day when I was in the local gay bookstore, Outwrite, and he asked me if I could find a book about gay life in Atlanta… but there wasn’t one! Our city, commonly known as HOTlanta, had been left out and we decided it was time to show everyone what we really have to offer and that we really do have a gay culture here!
Atlanta’s gay scene seems to be very mixed and relaxed…there’s plenty to do!
How would you describe Atlanta’s gay scene to an out-of-towner?
Atlanta’s gay scene seems to be very mixed and relaxed. Most of the time it’s just a t-shirt (tight, of course) and jeans crowd. I’ve heard that a lot that people thought that there was not a lot to do here, especially for the GLBT community. We wrote a whole book about it, there’s plenty to do!
What’s new in atlanta’s gay scene now?
Amsterdam is the newest bar in town, it’s great and has a really interesting crowd there. It’s like a neighborhood bar combined with a sports bar, a restaurant and a dance club. They play host to DJs on the dancefloor, but if dancing isn’t your thing you can play pool or darts or watch a game on TV, or when the weather is nice head out to the patio. With two full bars and everything else - it’s packed on the weekends! There’s also WETBar on Fridays they are the spot for Charlie Brown’s Cabaret - it’s Atlanta’s longest running drag show! They have a HUGE dancefloor, a VIP area, five full bars and a patio with a great view of the city.
What’s your favorite part of town to hang out with your gay & lesbian friends?
Definitely Midtown, but if what we want to do isn’t in Midtown, it’s usually just a 5 or 10 minute drive to what we want! Most of the in-town neighborhoods (the original “suburbs” of Atlanta) have had a great revitalization over the last 15 years and are gay-friendly, but the “gayest” neighborhood would have to be Midtown and the area surrounding Piedmont Park.
If a friend was coming to Atlanta for a weekend, where would you take him/her?
The Georgia Aquarium would have to be in the plans, it’s absolutely beautiful, I’m already wearing out my own season pass! The Fox Theatre is always hosting a great Broadway show or play. There’s always shows playing at a number of local play-houses as well. We would definitely go to the High Museum to see what exhibits are on display with the Louvre exhange program that month.
As far as nightlife, we’d probably head to Jungle for a night of dancing, or Mary’s for a little more of a low-key scene with a beer and some fun watching, listening and laughing to people singing Karaoke! AND we would have to swing by Blake’s and Wet Bar for a drag show and some Martinis!
Where would you tell your visiting friend to stay?
If my friend wasn’t staying with me, I’d recommend a hotel or bed and breakfast in Midtown.
What’s your current obsession in Atlanta right now?
The restaurant Two Urban Licks has been open and the talk of the town for a while, but I just never made it there. Finally I did… I realized what everyone was raving about. The food was fantastic, great ambiance and good service. We even bumped into Atlanta’s biggest little gay celebrity, Leslie Jordan.
For the morning after an all night dancing binge, Thumbs-Up Diner serves the best breakfast in town! I am ALWAYS raving about this place and I’ve been eating there for several years.
The aquarium is really a big hotspot still, it’s been open for just over a year and has had well over 3 million visitors! Plus their ballroom space is prime for events!
What experience/place do most out-of-towners miss that they shouldn’t?
The best and most moving experience that I wasn’t aware of until we wrote the book was visiting the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The entire quilt is housed here in Atlanta. At the time we visited, it was just a block away from my home and I never knew it was here. It’s very touching to see the panels and read the stories behind them.
What’s the best time of year to visit Atlanta?
The best time in Atlanta is definitely the warmer months. I love to pack a picnic and a bottle (or two) of wine and go to Piedmont Park for Screen on the Green when they show movies outside, or for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts or for Improv in the Park when Whole World Theatre puts on an improv sketch comedy show. Plus, Pride is in June in the park too… it’s great!
Your book focuses on “insider tips” for Atlanta, give us one.
Atlanta is a huge city and very spread out. There are a lot of places to go for fun and they can be miles apart. There are even gay bars that are 20 miles apart from each other, so be prepared and pick up resources to help you get around. Of course, you need a copy of ATLANTAboy, which contains city maps!! There’s also a couple of great free publications - Southern Voice Newspaper lists events and news in the city and David Magazine has a great nightlife calendar bar map.
Also, to get to your destination be prepared to drive, take a taxi or map out your route using Atlanta’s transit system MARTA. Keep in mind that weekdays rush hour from about 5pm to 6:30pm can be a bit stressing, Jeremy Piven from Entourage was here for a radio inteview and said that Atlanta traffic is worse than LA’s! But if you know where you’re going and you plan your evening ahead of time… you’ll have a great time!
Thanks for all the great tips Matt!
- See all of ATLANTAboy’s Reviews on GayCities
- GayCities Atlanta’s guide to bars, clubs, hotels and restaurants
- Atlantaboy.com
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great insight.. makes me want to book my flight now… and experience that southern hospitality first hand!
Thanks, Dan! We hope you have a blast!!
Thanks for the great article. I like this new feature.
I was staying at the Westin and walked to the Thumbs Up diner for breakfast. The path was sometimes through depressed areas, but the restaurant surroundings appeared quite safe. The food was great. Got a biscuit and pecan pancakes for $5 -and- they serve pure maple syrup. Then it was a short walk through the historical district and the Martin Luther King Jr. birth home and the museum was a couple blocks further. Lots of repairs going on in the city due to March tornado. Not much obvious gay scene during my afternoon visit but at least there were some shirtless boys frolicking in the Olympic fountain.
Hi!
My name is Aron and I study Master’s) history and sociology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At this moment I’m attending a course about ‘live and developement in American metropolitan areas’. To pass this course I’ve to write an 20 page essay about a topic in the american metropolitan area. I’m specially intrested in demographic topics. According to Gary J. Gates; Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community- Survey. Atlanta is the city with the 3rd most gay population.
I’m sorry I’m not American but to me it was suprising: In Europe we know about San Fransisco, New York City and Chicago as being the gay- mecca’s, but Atlanta?
Well, I’m still thinking about my ‘questions’. But one thing is clear: I want to write about gay live and gay culture (and the developements (historical and sociological) in Atlanta. My question to you dear reader: Can you give me titles of books (academic or educational) with author. Or websites (names) of Atlanta institutions.
Thank you so much,
I visited Atlanta last year for GayPride and had to come back again this summer, bringing a friend with me this time.
Atlanta and I go wayyyyyyyyyyy back…….. I lived here MANY years ago, in the early 1970s. Things have changed a lot since then, including me, but not my fondness for this city.
We’ll see you all, the last full week of July!
Dan
PS: Thanks, Mark, for being a wonderful cousin and host! You’re the BEST!!!!!
I lived in HOTlanta in the early 80’s. Midtown was all the RAVE then too. I plan on coming back to visit later this month - looking forward to seeing what is going on there now.