Neighborhoods - Emory

If you’re not a student and can afford to live there, the Emory University/North Druid Hills area provides a kind of middle ground to the landscaped estates of Buckhead and the casual atmosphere of Decatur. Druid Hills features such lovely neighborhoods and large homes, it provided the location for the title character’s mansion in Driving Miss Daisy. Plus, a variety of funky shops and restaurants, conveniently located to Emory’s staff and student body, offer such necessities as inexpensive books and savory pizza. Bonus: The main office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is located adjacent to Emory on Clifton Road, so if there’s an outbreak of zombification, you’ll know exactly where to go to - or flee from - as the case may be.

Things to do in Emory

Get prehistoric (or tipsy) at Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Kids will goggle at the enormity of the long-necked Argentinosaurus battling the toothy Giganotosaurus in the museum’s Great Hall, as well as its new interactive exhibit NatureQuest. Adults will dig Friday night’s Martinis and IMAX screening, which makes a great date, as long as the mix of alcohol and vertiginous photography doesn’t make you sick.

Walk South Peachtree Creek Trail PATH

Emory University’s sprawling Lullwater Park is undeniably idyllic, but the South Peachtree Creek Trail recently opened a must-see section of the PATH featuring woodsy walkways with views of creeks and the backyards of huge homes, as well as a fascinating restoration of part of the Old Decatur Water Works, featuring a fountain and colorful graffiti decorating the remnants of old walls.

See mummies at Michael C. Carlos Museum

Housing the largest ancient art collection in the Southeast, including Greek, Roman, African, Asian, early American, and, most famously, coffins and mummies for both humans and animals, which can be at once kind of gross and totally cool.

Peruse the stacks at Eagle Eye Bookshop

One of the Atlanta area’s best used bookstores - which also covers the major new releases - Eagle Eye fosters a sense of community with its frequent author events and book clubs. Plus, the shop offers a decent sell-for-store-credit policy, so you can convert some of your old books into, well, additional books.