Special report: 24 hours of living it up—randomly—in Sandy Springs

Asked his opinion of living in Sandy Springs, the 20-something Lyft driver’s eyes brightened, a smile bent up, and he said, peering out through the windshield of his Volkswagen, “There’s a lot of nice stuff here.”

That echoes the opinion, based on occasional visits, this scribe has always held about a pleasant inner suburb of rolling hills and big roads (and bigger houses) with cosmopolitan sensibilities: It seems pretty nice.

When a daylong “staycation” was pitched to this publication as a means of showcasing how Sandy Springs has evolved—and what was remarkable about the pioneer in Fulton County’s sovereign city movement all along—the thought was, “Okay, sure. That sounds nice.”

The result was a surprisingly good time, a refreshing dose of nature (without the long drive to, say, Blue Ridge or Clayton), and the discovery of some of the best restaurant dishes (brunch and dinner) to ever pass these scruffy, undiscerning lips. It felt like stopping to consider a renovated, expanded house in the next neighborhood over that you’d only driven by before.  

Devout intown urbanists could knock Sandy Springs for its concentration of parking lot-heavy shopping centers, traffic pinch points, prohibitively expensive real estate (median home sales price today: $665,000, per Redfin), and its exclusionary stance on new multifamily development. But traditionally speaking, Sandy Springs has been doing something right for a long time.

The 2020 U.S. Census ranked it as Georgia’s seventh largest city, with more than 108,000 residents—a population boost of more than 25 percent this century. It counts three MARTA rail stations, Georgia’s largest medical center in Pill Hill, and recent corporate wins that include Mercedes-Benz’s sleek North American headquarters.

In post-pandemic years, the Interstate 285-straddling city—it spans a huge swath of the metro from just north of Chastain Park up to the southern reaches of Roswell—has become a magnet for millennials in particular, according to Sandy Springs officials. Last year, it was named by SmartAsset as the No. 10 city where millennials are moving in the U.S., with recent, younger arrivals representing almost 11 percent of the overall population. (More than 11,200 millennials flocked to Sandy Springs in 2022 alone, per SmartAsset’s findings.) Projects such as the sizable, handsome Aria community—it’s billing as a residential “oasis” is probably justified, as a drive-through tour proved—and the forthcoming Wayfern Apartments are popping up to meet demand.

So what’s that influx of people and investments, both public and private, look like at ground level? Let’s see.

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The random, 24-hour excursion began at Westin Perimeter North Hotel, a towering concrete-and-glass lodge that overlooks the giant “Perimeter Pretzel” (forgive the cringe) where I-285 knots with Ga. Highway 400. The hotel stands in the literal shadow of Sandy Spring’s most recognizable landmarks, the King and Queen buildings, which are among the tallest suburban high-rises in the country.

Our party came in two separate vehicles on a Friday afternoon and feared traffic-congestion Armageddon—but we slid right through Buckhead and into the Central Perimeter area, no problem. According to the aforementioned Lyft driver, who moonlights as a Grubhub food transporter in the area, WFH policies on Fridays have made traffic around Sandy Springs a relative breeze. Anecdotally, he noted his food deliveries to office buildings nosedive at the end of each week.

The Westin, which wrapped a multi-million-dollar refresh last summer, is marketed as the only hotel in all of Atlanta with a lake view. From the ground-floor lobby and bar to the upper-level suites, the property certainly feels new. Our room afforded a view of State Farm’s glassy headquarters complex, the high-rise royalty next door, and a garden of other office towers jutting up from the tree-line. That prompted a 10-year-old urban-planning enthusiast to wonder where the heck she was, because she’d never seen all of that in her city before.

From there it was off to experience a big (free) concert at City Springs, the 14-acre municipal, arts, and social centerpiece that opened in 2018, striving to give Sandy Springs the centralized gathering place it had always lacked. The ride-share fee from the Westin—and likely from nearby MARTA stations, for those who prefer not driving on Friday evenings, or ever—was about 10 bucks.

But first came dinner at The Select.

For the uninitiated, it’s an approachably upscale restaurant with an American South take on French cuisine that nods to the legendary Le Select brasserie in Paris, a favorite haunt of Hemingway, Picasso, Fitzgerald, and other troubled geniuses. The Select opened five years ago with patios that overlook City Springs’ main greenspace—and a jazzy, spectacular interior buildout by Smith Hanes Studio that feels like portions of the Bellagio in the hippest library of all time. Plants and decorative elements drip from ceilings. By 6 p.m., the place was at capacity.

Down went a perfect Old Fashioned, and another. We feasted on decadent French onion soup—the consensus best we’ve ever had, and the soup that “beat Bobby Flay,” they say—along with shrimp and lobster linguine. Crowds flocked to the green with lawn chairs and coolers to catch the opening band. We bid au revoir to what itinerary providers called one of Atlanta’s most beautiful and Instagrammed eateries—neither smacks as an exaggeration—and headed toward the music.

Let’s be honest: If you don’t feel comfortable in a concert setting without a sea of tat sleeves, inebriated buffoonery, and pre-roll haze, a Friday evening at City Springs might not be your scene. But if you’re looking to catch a talent like soulful Louisiana blues and rock musician Marc Broussard—without paying a damn thing for lawn seating—in a setting where kids can kick off shoes and spin cartwheels on lush fake grass, City Green Live on summer nights is the jam.

As the sun dipped and heat lightning flashed somewhere near Stone Mountain, hundreds packed the green, from a row of porch-swing seating in the back to squirming masses in front. By the end of a 90-minute set, Broussard had turned the dubious VIP section into something resembling the Johnny’s Hideaway dance floor on retro night, only with tykes bouncing around like popcorn in the glow of a huge, permanent stage.  

(Side note: A second mixed-use phase of City Springs remains in the works, with Regent Partners and Morris and Fellows picked as development partners. City officials tell Urbanize detailed designs will be revealed in coming months, but plans generally call for an upscale boutique hotel, “limited residential options,” more eats, experiential retail, office space, and more parking facilities to join the current underground garage, along with additional greenspaces.)

Another ride-share back to the hotel (tip: set a pick-up point at least a block from closed streets around the green), some brief nightcap ceremonies at the Westin’s Savor Bar and Kitchen, and it was time to rest up for Saturday.  

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The cloudy, caffeinated morning was perfect for a stroll around the Westin’s flowery lakeside pathway. Then the itinerary called for packing up and heading back west to see City Springs in a different light.

Arranged in a large crescent around the central green, the Sandy Springs Farmers Market is open Saturdays between early April and late November each year, with two hours of free parking in the garage below.

One obnoxiously pushy vendor aside, the market’s ambiance and selection are great, with everything on display from delicious artisan breads, full-on breakfasts, rare mushrooms, a bonanza of hot sauces, cheeses, grass-fed beef, CBD concoctions, pottery, dog treats, soy candles, and of course fresh veggies. More than six dozen local vendors are showcased on any given Saturday. At one point, a live rendition of “Georgia on My Mind” was being strummed under a tent as a folksy, acoustic singalong with kids dancing had broken out near the stage. Good vibes.

Next the Sandy Springs itinerary called for venturing back ITP for brunch at a cozy, Northern Mediterranean spot by Succulent Hospitality called Under the Cork Tree. It’s like a tapas-focused, cheat-meal paradise tucked along an unassuming row of shops off Roswell Road, with attentive, pleasant service and can’t-miss Greek donuts with saffron honey and pistachios.

The bread-pudding French toast—basically big melty slabs of cake, dished with bacon—was from some other gluttonous planet (and terrific cold the next day, by the way), while the mushroom omelet stuffed with gruyere, Italian sausage, and oyster mushrooms was hands down the best omelet in a life full of things-wrapped-in-eggs highpoints. Who knew?

Itching to burn off that frenzy of powdered sugar and syrup, the crew headed back north for an outdoor excursion—a category where Sandy Springs shines. The city counts 22 miles of frontage along the Chattahoochee River, with more than 20 parks providing options for fishing, hiking, kayaking, wildlife-spotting, and scouting historical sites. With obligations back intown, we opted for a quick kayaking adventure at Morgan Falls Overlook Park, a hilltop, 30-acre greenspace considered one of the city’s best efforts at nature preservation.

Murphs Surf is the go-to outfitter for renting gear at the park. One hour on a kayak ($25 for a single; $35 for a double) or paddleboard ($25) is ample time for exploring the Chattahoochee-fed Blue Sluice Lake, which the park overlooks. Paddle out to grassy little islands, spy geese, blue herons, and osprey, or wade through refreshingly chilly waters—and forget that Buckhead, or any form of civilization, is just a few minutes down the road.

It speaks to the options metro Atlanta has to offer that a rabid city geek has never felt compelled to drive 25 minutes from the eastside and thoroughly investigate how one of Georgia’s largest municipalities is forging its identity.

Nonetheless, is a Central Perimeter staycation pretty random? Probably. But is it worth a repeat visit—or a day trip—for a change of pace with minimal travel cost and hassles? Absolutely.

Editor’s note: Most of the experiences detailed above were either comped or reimbursed, which had no bearing on opinions expressed here. For more photos from the trip, see the gallery above.

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