The Grant Park Tea Scene
Grant Park — the intown neighborhood built around the 131-acre park and Zoo Atlanta — is a relative newcomer to the Atlanta tea map. The anchor arrived in April 2025, when Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party relocated from its twenty-year Candler Park home to a corner of Howdy ATL on Cherokee Avenue, directly across from the zoo. The move expanded the space without diluting the soul: mismatched teacups, lived-in gift shop, tiered weekend afternoon tea service, and the same founder-led mission that funnels profits to The Learning Tea, a nonprofit supporting women's education in Darjeeling, India.
Dr. Bombay's books heavily for weekend seatings — Mother's Day and holiday weekends fill out several weeks ahead. Weekday drop-ins can still order by the pot from the regular menu, browse the retail shelves (loose leaf, teawares, curios), and settle into the quiet room before the weekend crowds arrive. Fridays remain the easiest walk-in day.
Beyond Dr. Bombay's, the neighborhood runs light on dedicated tea programs, but its position next to Zoo Atlanta and the park itself makes it a natural afternoon destination — a visit to the zoo followed by tea is one of the most obvious Grant Park pairings in the city.
Getting Here
Grant Park sits just south of I-20 and east of I-75/85, about ten minutes from downtown by car. Cherokee Avenue is the spine; Boulevard runs north-south along the park's western edge. Parking is a mix of a free lot at Howdy ATL and street parking on Cherokee and the surrounding residential streets — expect crowds on zoo-event weekends and during the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival.
MARTA's King Memorial Station (blue/green lines) is the closest rail option, about a fifteen-minute walk to the Cherokee Avenue corridor. The neighborhood is also reachable by bike via the Eastside BeltLine extension — plans are in motion to connect it more fully to the existing trail network.
A tea stop at Dr. Bombay's pairs naturally with a zoo visit, a stroll through Oakland Cemetery (a few minutes north), or a longer afternoon in the park itself.