No place like Dome...

Won some tickets a few weeks ago to the Falcons-Packers game at the Georgia Dome on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Ms. Slappy is excited, cause she's never been to an NFL game and I've never been to an event at the Georgia Dome.
Soooo.... where do I park? Park and ride MARTA in since I'm coming in on I-20 west?
Coming in that morning and leaving after the game, so we won't be sightseeing/shopping (other than maybe a side trip for her to Ikea)... but where's the best/safest place to park and head in?

 

As someone who lives along I-20 in Atlanta's western suburbs, I wouldn't mess with MARTA. The west line doesn't go very far outside the city and it stops in some of the shadier areas of town. IMHO it's just as easy to drive the extra 5-10 minutes into Atlanta (Dome is on west side of downtown as it is) and park in one of the parking lots around the Dome. Northside Drive is a good thoroughfare that runs next to the Dome and Ikea.

 

There is parking around the Dome, just depends on how close you are to a MARTA station. There is a stop at the GWCC/Dome/phillips so that's nice.

Personally I take the train in to avoid traffic getting out.

 

For Falcons games, MARTA is a pretty easy way to do it. But if you're coming in on I-20, the farthest station west is Holmes and you might as well drive 6 more miles in to the city and park at the Dome.

I always had considerable luck finding street parking -- it's all free on Sundays, of course -- trolling up and down between Luckie St. and Marietta Ave. and the neighboring side streets before Falcons games. There's plenty of pay lots across the street from Centennial Park, too, so you shouldn't have trouble finding a spot. But street parking can be kind of a high-risk, high-reward strategy for those who know the area well.

 

My earlier response assumes you're coming in from Alabama. If you're coming in from east Georgia, disregard my MARTA advice on getting to the Dome. MARTA is definitely more convenient from a traffic standpoint. Cost is going to be close to a wash with MARTA fares at $2 each way and parking in the $10-20 range. There is a nice lot adjacent to the Dome/Philips/GWCC that we usually park in. IIRC, there are no MARTA stations close to IKEA ... the closest one is the Arts Center stop ... I do know there is a free shuttle that runs from Arts Center stop to Atlantic Station where IKEA is.

 

If you are coming in from the west (i.e. Alabama), another option would be getting on I-285 south and heading to the airport area to hop on MARTA. I've used College Park (the first stop north of the airport ... tons of free daily parking there) several times and never had a problem despite the area's reputation.

If you are coming in from the east (i.e. South Carolina), there is a direct MARTA exit on I-285 on that side of town.

 

ikea is super crowded on the weekend, esp. since that's a holiday. and it's just plain huge to get in and out of. good luck!

 

I find out you're coming in from a post on the board? The nerve.

 

Hey, if we were staying you'd be the first.
But since I A) hate Atlanta traffic, B) hate traffic from NFL games thanks to memories of the Silverdome and C) have work to do that night -- we're in and we're gone...