Concert Venues, Record Stores, Rap Landmarks

Few places have had a larger cultural impact on Atlanta than Cascade Skating Rink has in the past 25 years. From being featured in the cult classic film ATL to appearing in shows such as Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and in music videos such as City Girls and Usher’s 2023 collab, “Good Love,” the skating rink has remained a favorite for locals and tourists alike.

Many music fans know the cultural significance of The Dungeon in launching production trio Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family into Southern hip-hop history. Located in southwest Atlanta, the original home where the collective set up shop in the basement to make albums such as Outkast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is now on Airbnb. 

This is the only landmark on our list with an age requirement. The legendary strip club is known for more than its chicken wings and dancers. For years, the club has been a breeding ground for Atlanta’s buzzing rap scene, serving as the place where artists including Future, 2 Chainz, Drake, Jeezy, T.I. and Latto have networked and tested out hit songs before they eventually landed on the charts. 

If you’re looking for a traditional tourist experience, visiting a museum might be a great way to get a snapshot of the city’s music history. The Trap Music Museum doesn’t tell the city’s history with soul, R&B, rock and other music genres, but it does zoom in on the rise and impact of trap with interactive exhibits and an escape room. If you want to get a wider glimpse at the impact Black entertainers have had on the city, the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame have been recognizing notable figures with plaques in downtown Atlanta since 2021. Inductees hail from all over, but include Georgia legends James Brown, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, TLC, Usher and more

A former church that opened in 1911, the Tabernacle has been a staple concert venue in Atlanta since 1996. The venue boasts a capacity of 2,600 people, with a pit that allows fans to see their favorite artists up close, as well as balconies that offer seating. Fans can marvel at the ornate architecture while also seeing their favorite artist.

Located in downtown Atlanta, Center Stage boasts three music venues, ranging from the 300-capacity room Vinyl to the 650-cap The Loft to 1,050-capacity Center Stage Theater. Superstars such as Adele, Jay-Z, Beck and 21 Savage have performed here. 

One of several outdoor music venues in Atlanta, Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood has been home to music festivals such as ONE Musicfest as well as live shows for artists ranging from Tim McGraw to Lil Wayne. Fans can enjoy coveted seating closer to the stage or lounge on the lawn picnic-style. 

Despite being one of Atlanta’s newer music venues, The Eastern has already become a fan favorite. Located inside the Reynoldstown neighborhood, the venue is the perfect place to see artists like Clipse or Addison Rae before extending the night at a nearby restaurant or bar.

Atlanta doesn’t lack for live music venues. This includes the beloved Eddie’s Attic, which has a capacity of less than 200 people but has had artists such as John Mayer and Collective Soul grace its stage, as well as State Farm Arena, which can hold nearly 20,000 people in downtown Atlanta. Masquerade hosts general admission, standing room only shows in its three venues that are tucked inside Underground Atlanta, while Coca-Cola Roxy offers a chance for fans to see a concert in a mixed-use development complex that also has restaurants, bars and the Atlanta Braves’ home stadium. 

A staple in Little Five Points since 1976, Wax ‘N’ Facts is often credited among a handful of businesses that helped to develop the eclectic neighborhood’s identity as we know it today. The store used to house the record label of co-owner and Georgia Music Hall of Famer Danny Beard. DB Recs released records such as the B-52’s 1978 debut single “Rock Lobster” before shuttering in the ‘90s. The store no longer has the record label component, but it does still maintain the beloved, intimate crate-digging experience.  

Originally founded in Athens in 1976, Wuxtry Records opened a metro Atlanta location in Decatur two years later. Notably, the store counted Peter Buck of R.E.M. as an employee before he was transferred to the Athens location and met the band’s lead singer Michael Stipe. (Stipe and Buck were both enrolled at the University of Georgia at the time.)

Since 2018, JB’s Record Lounge has offered a large selection of vinyl records from within the city’s historic West End neighborhood and at pop-up events throughout the city. The store features an extensive collection of R&B, soul and hip-hop records, but it also features jazz, rock and pop offerings. The record lounge regularly hosts events for music lovers including live performances on its stage or vinyl parties where attendees listen to records and play music trivia. 

There are several other stores that sell vinyl throughout the city, too. Locally owned Criminal Records is walking distance from Wax ‘N’ Facts, as well as the movie-theatre-turned-music-venue Variety Playhouse. You can shop the store’s collection of new and previously owned vinyl, CDs, cassettes and comic books in store or online. 

In Buckhead, Fantasyland Records once offered a collection of more than 50,000 rare and beloved vinyl. Today, it remains in the neighborhood, offering 70-year-old classics, new releases and everything in between. “We were here before it became our ‘Beverly Hills’,” owner Mark Gunter once said of the store’s location inside one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods.

Shaky Knees has been a staple in Atlanta’s music festival scene for more than a decade, offering locals a chance to see their favorite indie and alternative acts. The three-day event recently announced plans to move from the spring to fall and relocate to the city’s historic Piedmont Park. The festival’s 2025 lineup boasts acts such as Deftones, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, Lenny Kravitz and Alabama Shakes. 

Each year in October, ONE Musicfest offers locals an opportunity to see their favorite R&B and hip-hop acts over two days. Janet Jackson and Kendrick Lamar shared headlining duties in 2023. Other standout performances have included reunions for Dungeon Family and Three 6 Mafia, plus The Isley Brothers and Kirk Franklin. 

Festival organizers for Atlanta’s longstanding Music Midtown announced the event would be taking a hiatus in 2024, leaving a large void in the city’s festival scene. The Atlanta Jazz Festival remains a staple in the city, highlighting a variety of artists in the genre and boasting stars such as Herbie Hancock, Samara Joy and André 3000. The annual spring event is held in Piedmont Park and is free to attend. Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash is no longer an outdoor music festival, but the concert has showcased the best of Atlanta’s (as well as the larger southeast region’s) rap scene for about three decades. Recent headliners have included GloRilla, Latto, Kodak Black and 2 Chainz.