Old Fourth Ward

Old Fourth Ward is the best part of Atlanta for eating, walking and people-watching. It feels safe in busy hours, and it needs some care at night when the trail and side streets empty out.

Old Fourth Ward has the most to do on foot of any neighborhood in Atlanta. Ponce City Market, a huge former Sears building now holding a food hall and shops, sits on the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, with restaurant-lined streets, murals and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park nearby, where Dr. King was born and is buried. The trail and market are busy from morning until late evening with joggers, families and groups of friends, so a woman alone fits in easily. The food hall has dozens of counters and plenty of casual seating, which makes it one of the easiest places in the city to eat solo. Krog Street Market and Inman Park are a short walk down the trail. Some blocks outside the BeltLine and market are quiet and mixed in character, and the trail itself is less comfortable after dark, so use rideshares for longer evening trips.