Castleberry Hill

This part of town has been transformed into an arts mecca. Living and working in this area is an artists dream. Apparently, in the 1980s artist began transforming the warehouse space into living and work spaces. Then loft living became all the rage and Castleberry Hill began it's transformation from industrial complex to urban living center.

The historic value of Castleberry Hill was enough to get it recognized as a Landmark District. Railroads as old as the city of Atlanta run through the neighborhood. After the Civil War, Castleberry Hill grew and thrived as a business district. A century later businesses began relocating leaving the warehouses empty until the 1980s.

Now the neighborhood is thriving with lofts, restaurants, and bars, not to mention art. Each year there is a street arts festival which brings in thousands of visitors. Since it's located near the Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena, and The World Congress Center, there is no slowdown in traffic on the weekends.

This neighborhood also sits near the downtown business and legal district so there are city workers living in the area as well. I would not try to raise children in this area as there is not enough green space for kids to play and be relatively safe.

The historic Castleberry Hills area is a quaint up-and-coming neighborhood. It is located just minutes away from the Atlanta University Center (AUC), and provides a nice place for students to hang out. The area is moreover comprised of a mixture of art aficionados, college students, urban music lovers, small business owners, and young professionals. To reflect this eclectic audience, there are a variety of art galleries, unique shopping boutiques, and restaurants in close proximity.

Although there is not much activity here during the typical weekday, at night (and on weekends), the restaurant scene comes to life and is a great hang out spot. Slice is a tasty pizza joint that occasionally has a live dj, which adds a nice ambiance. There are also several other restaurant-style lounges such as: M Bar, Cloud IX Restaurant and Lounge, 255 Tapas Lounge, and Pearl Restaurant and Lounge.

Art aficionados and music lovers will delight in several local art galleries, as well as a vibrant tattoo shop called City of Ink. Local hip-hop celebrities and hipsters occasional swing through the area if they are in need of a creative colorful tattoo. The building structures in this area are artsy in their own right. Many are older foundations that look quite plain on the outside, but have high ceilings and lovely exposed bricks on the inside.
This is a great place for small business owners because the property value is not as overpriced as similar more modern neighborhoods (like Buckhead). Some of the buildings actually provide cozy live-work spaces- so you can go straight from working to relaxing in your lofty haven. This is a great place to swing through if you are in the area.

I really like Castleberry Hill; probably for all the reasons others do not. It is still relatively unknown which means, you don't have to fight major traffic once you get in the general vicinity; there is still available parking especially lots near the art galleries, and you don't have to wait days to be seated in a decent restaurant. Castleberry Hill is one of the only places I am aware of in the major metropolitan area where you can take a leisurely stroll, day or night, and not bump into someone every few steps. I think that is fantastic!

It's nice to have another burgeoning art district in Atlanta. Castleberry Hill is kind of sophisticated and the lofts and displays are done very tastefully. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I certainly appreciate it. Besides the fantastic art, trendy and contemporary lofts and warehouses, and great restaurants, Castleberry Hill has a pretty advantageous location next to major interstates and downtown Atlanta.

When I first visited the Castleberry Hill neighborhood, I immediately noticed how bizarrely quiet it is. Because of the area’s reputation as a growing arts district, I had pictured a gritty, hip enclave, not unlike Little Five Points, where smokers’ eyes linger on you for too long outside of dark dive bars and the walls are littered with graffiti and old concert fliers.

What I found was cleaner, more upscale – and utterly deserted. I attended the launch party for Dodekapus, a collective aimed at supporting emerging local artists. I wandered around a few blocks, beginning to wonder if I had missed the memo about an imminent zombie apocalypse, when finally I stumbled upon the crowd spilling out onto the street from the entrance to the party at the Raw Space Gallery.

This kind of experience is typical for Castleberry Hill. By day, restaurants such as Wasabi or No Mas Cantina are popular spots for people from all sides of town looking to get out of their own neighborhoods. By night, the scene tends to thrive in pockets – focused around parties or events, usually with an artsy theme and aesthetic to match. Seek out these spots, and you’ve likely found the bleeding edge of cool, where artists display their creations in warehouses or converted lofts and everyone grooves to a local band on a makeshift stage while drinking cheap beer. Miss these shindigs, however, and the area is a relatively quiet urban ‘hood where the lit windows of spacious lofts show signs of life, but shops are dark not much later than 9 p.m.

It’s an area that’s definitely worth checking out, night or day, for the art alone, but also for its offerings of decent restaurants and daytime activities. I’m willing to bet that in just a few years, the social scene will ignite as well, and a bona fide new Atlanta arts & culture district will explode into being. For now, it’s still relatively underappreciated. Though it’s worth finding a launch party and dragging your friends along – if for no other reason than to prove your art cred doesn't end with the High. Cheers!