Georgian Terrace Hotel

"Give us the background. Where are we and what is it like?In a city short on historic hotels, the Georgian Terrace offers a rare glimpse into Atlanta’s glamorous past. Built in Midtown in 1911, the Beaux Arts building is across the street from the Fox Theatre, where Walt Disney watched his first Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Steamboat Willie," premiere in 1929. Ten years later, when Gone With the Wind staged its first showing in Atlanta, the Georgian Terrace hosted a gala for the event, welcoming Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Vivien Leigh, and Laurence Olivier. (Coincidentally, the hotel is just a few blocks from the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, where the Civil War epic was penned in the late 1920s.) Over the decades, the Georgian Terrace has also welcomed everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Elvis Presley to Calvin Coolidge. Pulling into the circular drive, you’ll notice the building’s Palladian-style windows and wrap-around terraces. In the expansive lobby, families dressed up for the theater take photos, their voices echoing in the vast space. Stand beneath the glass atrium and look up: You’ll see all the way to the 10th-floor ceiling. More than a century since its opening, this iconic hotel still makes a stunning first impression. Nice. What’s the crowd like?Expect visitors in town for a show at the Fox, families on holiday, and the occasional celebrity. (Hi, Matthew Fox.) The good stuff: Tell us about your room.The hotel has everything from standard rooms to two-bedroom, apartment-style suites, complete with a full kitchen, washer, and dryer. Across the board, you'll find pillow-top mattresses, 300-thread-count bedding, and extra-large closets. Only downside: The bathroom products are generic to the point of seeming cheap. Any insider tips?If you’re staying in a suite, you can request to have your kitchen stocked prior to your arrival—an amenity you won’t find in many Atlanta hotels. What should we order to our room for a late-night feast?Room service comes from Livingston Restaurant and Bar, the hotel’s upscale-Southern restaurant. Try the George’s Bank scallops or the grilled Berkshire pork chop with roasted mushrooms. You’ll also find sixteen kinds of wine available by the half bottle. My little treat was the bottled Moscow mule: Made with ginger beer, premium vodka, and lime, all it needed was a glass and ice. Any other standout features on the property?Named for early Atlanta mayor Livingston Mims, Livingston Restaurant and Bar offers a glamorous place to enjoy a pre-theater dinner. Take a moment to admire the sweeping staircases and crystal chandeliers before diving into Southern-style fried chicken breast served with jalapeño-bacon cornbread. If you’re planning on having dinner on a Fox Theatre show night, be sure to make reservations well in advance. After the show, sip a private-label “Edgar’s Truth” bourbon at Edgar’s Proof and Provision, a groovy speakeasy on the hotel’s basement floor. (Hungry? Try the chicken-and-waffle sliders.) Bottom line: worth it, and why?If you're in town to see a show at the Fox, there’s simply no better place to stay." - Allison Weiss Entrekin