Bring the whole group. Atlantic Station is the shopping answer when everybody wants something different. Atlantic Station doesn't need to be the best at any one kind of shopping. Its strength is that almost everybody can find a reason to come. Dillard's. Nike Unite. H&M. Sephora. The Athlete's Foot. Repeat Atlanta for streetwear. Target if somebody forgot something. IKEA if you're somehow furniture shopping on vacation. The current retail mix covers enough ground that you can bring people with completely different budgets and tastes without somebody immediately asking when you're leaving.

But Atlantic Station works this high on our list because shopping is only part of the outing. You can shop, eat, catch a movie at Regal, bowl at Lucky Strike, visit the Museum of Illusions or just walk around Atlantic Green. Go to the gym at LA Fitness and get a few laps in the pool. That's particularly useful on vacation. You don't have to convince everybody that today is a shopping day. Drop the group at Atlantic Station and let everybody figure out what they want to do.

And for travelers, it's easy. The district is walkable once you're there, the parking deck gives you the first two hours free, and Atlantic Station says there's a free shuttle connection from MARTA's Arts Center Station. This isn't the Atlanta shopping experience with the most history or the most personality. It may be the one with the fewest objections.