In October 2024, the travel and lifestyle magazine Fifty Grande named Underground Atlanta one of the city's essential fall destinations, pointing readers toward the historic district's nightlife scene as proof that the century-old landmark was, in writer Caroline Eubanks' words, "having another moment in its long history."
The feature traced Underground's arc from its origins as the literal underground level of Atlanta — created when a series of 1920s viaducts lifted the city's streets above the old railroad grade — through its Prohibition-era run as a speakeasy haven, its 1970s peak as an unofficial Bourbon Street drawing three million visitors a year, its 1982 closure, and its family-friendly relaunch ahead of the 1996 Olympics. Ownership changed hands roughly half a dozen times over the following decades before Atlanta developer Shaneel Lalani bought the 400,000-square-foot property in 2020.
Fifty Grande's list of where to go centered on the venues filling that footprint. The Masquerade, the multi-room concert hall in Kenny's Alley known for its Heaven, Hell and Purgatory stages, made the list for a run of shows stretching from Nirvana and Radiohead to the first Vans Warped Tour and the first Shaky Knees Music Festival; its newest room, Altar, had just opened. MJQ Concourse, the late-night dance club that spent three decades on Ponce de Leon Avenue, earned a mention for its 2024 move into Underground's basement — the same space that once held live alligators during the district's Bourbon Street days. The piece also highlighted Future, a two-level LGBTQ+ nightclub with drag and cabaret programming; Inner Space, a DIY music venue under a disco ball; and Mom Said It's Fine, one of several galleries anchoring Underground's growing arts corner alongside neighbors Artlanta and EMMCDEE for the monthly First Friday gallery crawl.
The recognition landed as Underground kept building momentum a few blocks from South Downtown's own renewal, where historic buildings along Mitchell and Peachtree streets were filling with new restaurants, hotels and housing ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Together, the two districts made the case that downtown Atlanta's oldest blocks were becoming some of its liveliest.
Original reporting by Caroline Eubanks for Fifty Grande.
