Virtual ATL: Making the Most of Staying Home

While we are all hunkered down during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Destination South team is pleased to share with you our top ten best things to do while staying home. From virtual history exhibitions and comedic performances to ideas for how you and your family can pass the time together, there is bound to be something on this list that will pique your interest and keep you entertained, learning, and growing during your time at home!


Tastes of ATL

Want to try local restaurants and keep social distance at the same time?

Bring an Atlanta Food Walks tour into your home with their ATL Food Box Tour! Delivered to your doorstep, you’ll taste five hearty samples from three incredible Atlanta restaurants, watch stories of phenomenal local restaurateurs via an exclusive video link, cook an easy antebellum cornbread recipe, and learn lots about the unexpected side of Atlanta with our passionate guides from the comfort of your home.

In addition to supporting Atlanta small businesses, a portion of your purchase goes directly to Atlanta’s own Giving Kitchen. This is not just any old dinner—this is an hour and a half experience that shares the love of our city and its incredible people without you ever having to leave your dining room.

Atlanta in 50 Objects

In 2015, Atlanta History Center asked the public to submit what objects they thought best represented their town. After receiving hundreds of submissions, the museum staff assembled a collection of fifty pieces that represented the themes identified by Atlantans. Items from Atlanta History Center’s own collection as well as items that were loaned to the museum for the exhibition allowed for a successful and community-driven opportunity to tell the story of the city.

Now, from the comfort of your own sofa, you can take a dive into this virtual exhibition and discover the people, places, and things that make up the A-T-L. Learn about the history of the iconic Peachtree Road Race (and why there are so many streets named Peachtree). Find out what businesses started in Atlanta and what their global impact is. Ever wanted to know why Hip Hop and Atlanta are synonymous with one another? Discover the answer to that question and more in Atlanta in 50 Objects!

Quarantine Cuisine

While our new normal is only temporary, we have all adjusted to how we can engage with each other even while distanced in our homes in ATL and Charleston. One of the many things the Destination South team has been doing to keep our spirits up is participating in a recipe share amongst ourselves!

From passed down family recipes to easy crockpot dinners, it has been so much fun to see what everyone likes to cook—and, how much salt they use! Be on the lookout for a blog post about our favorites coming in the next week!

Party with the Puppets

Stuck with kiddos at home? One of the great things about having them home is all the quality family time afforded to us, even given the circumstances!

The Center for Puppetry Arts has come to the rescue for families who are unable to leave their homes and are offering free virtual performances of some of their most fun and interactive puppet shows! What’s even better? They are free and live-streamed on their Facebook page. Check the weekly schedule on their website for more details!

Your Daily Moment of Zen

If you are like most of us at Destination South, you are missing your standard gym or yoga routine. It’s important to each of us to have a thing that we look forward to doing to either kick-start our day or wind us down before bed. While COVID-19 might be putting a damper on us participating in our normal weightlifting or mountain pose, we are very fortunate to live in the Digital Age where we can easily hop on Google and search “free online yoga class.”

Our go-to way to channel our inner yogi at home? Yoga with Adriene on YouTube! She’s funny, she caters to amateurs and yoga pros alike, and you’ll feel so Zen after a session!

Support Local

Tired of your usual meal prep routine or scouring Pinterest for new recipe ideas? Order delivery or curb-side pickup from your favorite local restaurant or try somewhere new. So many restaurants operate on a small margin of profit and these unprecedented times have required many establishments to close their dining rooms and adopt limited hours for service. Save the time it takes to create your evening’s menu and order dinner from your favorite local restaurant!

Already prepped your dinner for tonight? Purchase a gift certificate to use later at your favorite spot for grub! You will be supporting a local business and have a gift certificate that you’ll be able to use in the future when Shelter in Place orders are lifted!

Live From ATL, It’s…

Webcams. Live feeds. Streaming. These are the ways we can stay up to date on what’s happening in real-time throughout the city. Some of our favorites are the live webcams at Georgia Aquarium. Check out the jelly fish tank, or dive into Ocean Voyager to be mesmerized by sights under the sea.

Virtual Happy Hour

Social distancing might be the buzz phrase for now, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop being social all together!

Reach out to family and friends to schedule a virtual happy hour via Zoom, Google Hangouts, or FaceTime to catch up with one another to share what shows everyone is watching (Tiger King on Netflix, anyone?) or what books everyone is currently reading.

Want to include the kids on Virtual Happy Hour? Ask them if they’d like to read a book to the group! It’s a  great opportunity for the kids to practice reading aloud and, at the very least, everyone will be entertained listening to the kiddos.

Always Say, “Yes!”

The first rule of improv is to always say, “Yes!” What better way to say “Yes!” than by checking out Dad’s Garage and their virtual line up of shows. Personal favorites of the Destination South team include Next Week Today with Legend and Secondhand Show & Tell.

With so much to worry about in the world today, it’s nice to sit back and laugh a little.

Quarantine and Chill

Another great way to use this time is to disconnect from the digital world from time to time. Just because you are stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t be transported to a different state of mind or storyline. Our team has been excited to find the silver lining during the national #stayhome moment by finding ways to walk away from the screen and give our eyes a rest.

From reading books we’ve been meaning to read for months to pulling out puzzles on the dining room table and working on them as a family, we have found ways to busy our minds. What things have you done to #quarantineandchill?

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