Atlanta’s Best Arts & Lesisure

Best Ancient Artwork: Hidden in plain sight on Emory’s campus, the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University (571 S. Kilgo Circle, 404/727-4282, www.carlos.emory.edu [1], Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m., $7) features one of the most impressive collections of Egyptian funerary artifacts in the nation.

Best Underground Arts Venue: Expect the unexpected at Eyedrum Art and Music Gallery (290 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 404/522-0655, www.eyedrum.org [2], Fri. 3–8 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 1–6 p.m.), an off-the-beaten-path setting for envelope-pushing art shows and performances.

Best Small Theater: With a reputation for excellence, Actor’s Express (887 W. Marietta St., Ste. J-107, 404/875-1606, www.actorsexpress.com [3]) has been producing daring stagecraft for two decades.

Best Regional Theater: After more than 40 seasons, the Alliance Theatre (1280 Peachtree St., 404/733-5000, www.alliancetheatre.org [4]) is one of Atlanta’s most acclaimed cultural institutions. The season typically includes recent Broadway favorites, classics, and world premieres.

Best Music Venue: The intimate Little Five Points landmark Variety Playhouse (1099 Euclid Ave., 404/524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com [5]) lives up to its name, featuring a killer line-up of indie rock, folk, pop, and alternative acts.

Best Neighborhood Festival: In a neighborhood that appears so refined from the outside, the Inman Park Festival (Euclid Ave. at Elizabeth St., 770/242-4895, www.inmanparkfestival.org [6]) gives residents a chance to let their freak flags fly, with a colorful costumed parade that’s always a highlight of spring.

Biggest Arts Festival: The National Black Arts Festival (404/730-7315, www.nbaf.org [7]), held in July but with events year-round, has grown into one of the city’s most heavily programmed events, with a mind-blowing schedule of performances, art shows, lectures, and film screenings happening all over town.

Best Recreation Trail: The Silver Comet Trail (Starts at S. Cobb Dr. and East–West Connector in Cobb County, 404/875-7284, www.silvercometga.com [8]) is a paved multiuse path suitable for walking, biking, and inline skating. The heavily forested corridor runs along a former railroad track and ends in Alabama.

Best Get-to-Know Atlanta Tours: For a first-rate lesson on local history, the Atlanta Preservation Center Walking Tours of Historic Atlanta (327 St. Paul Ave., 404/688-3350, www.preserveatlanta.com [9], $10 adult, $5 child and senior) offer thought-provoking explorations of area sights and neighborhoods.

Best Ball Game: A day watching the Atlanta Braves (Turner Field, 755 Hank Aaron Dr., 404/522-7630, http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com [10]) can be an exhilarating — and also exhausting — affair, thanks to the many distractions at Turner Field.