Few intown retail strips have as many people living within walking distance as North Highland Avenue does. Even so, Urbanize Atlanta opened its March report on the Va-Hi commercial district by calling it "long been pockmarked with vacancies." Between now and Winterfest, the neighborhood's event calendar works as a response to that problem. The Clean-Up, the Candy Crawl, the Sunday market and the Virginia Row block party all bring people to particular blocks, at times of day the district has said it wants to fill.
The nonprofit Virginia Highland District is working with property owner Third & Urban on retail and safety improvements, "with a goal of attracting more daytime traffic and boosting existing businesses," according to the same Urbanize report. Seen that way, this fall's events follow a route through the district.
The dates, in order
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Community Clean-Up along the North Highland corridor
- Sundays through Nov. 22: VaHi Farmers Market, 8:30 a.m. to noon, at Highland Woodworking
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: Candy Crawl
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Milk & Maple Coffeehouse grand opening
- Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 and 8: Virginia Row Fall Block Party
- Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12 and 13: Winterfest & Tour of Homes
The Clean-Up starts at the block's newest restaurant
The Virginia Highland District's Community Clean-Up on Saturday, Oct. 24 covers trash pickup and graffiti removal along the North Highland corridor. Its Eventeny signup page lists 1017 N Highland Ave NE as the location and says volunteers should meet in the parking lot beside Kinship. The signup page gives a 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. window, but the District's own calendar shows an afternoon slot. Look at the signup page again Saturday morning before you head out.
That address is a good place to start. 1017 N Highland used to be Farm Burger, and since July it has been So. Fox, a 50-seat restaurant from Chef Myles Moody and sommelier Rachael Pack, the couple who run Kinship Butcher & Sundry next door. The name comes from the muscadine, or scuppernong, a grape native to the Southeast that is also called the "Southern Fox." The menu pairs low-intervention wine with hyper-seasonal cooking.
So. Fox is set up to serve the same goal the district has. Pack told Rough Draft Atlanta that the couple want it to suit a neighborhood where people move from one bar or restaurant to the next:
"We want people to stop in and have a glass of wine and a snack, or grab dinner without a reservation. We are planning on taking reservations earlier in the night for only half the dining room, but we really want to make So. Fox accessible."
So. Fox's website lists dinner Thursday through Monday, 5 to 10 p.m. Holding half the dining room for walk-ins means a table can depend on who happens to be on the sidewalk that night, which is the kind of street life the Clean-Up is meant to support.
The Candy Crawl covers the whole strip
The Candy Crawl on Wednesday, Oct. 28 covers the most ground of any fall event. The Virginia Highland District describes it as trick-or-treating at local businesses, followed by "a block party, pumpkin-smashing contest, and plenty of fall fun for all ages." Doc Chey's describes the route as running along North Highland from Morningside Village to Atkins Park, which takes in the full length of the commercial corridor.
Each business sets its own hours. Here are the two stops that have posted theirs:
| Stop | Address | Posted hours | What they list |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASH Coffee | 1189 Virginia Ave NE | 4 to 8 p.m. | Candy, libations, retail discounts |
| Doc Chey's | North Highland | 4 to 7 p.m. | Trick-or-treating stop for costumed kids |
ASH Coffee sits on Virginia Avenue, not North Highland, and that matters for the next weekend on the calendar. The Crawl is a weeknight event, but it starts in the late afternoon, the hours the district has said it wants to fill.
Virginia Row gets its own weekend
The Virginia Highland District describes Virginia Row as a quieter stretch of shops off the main drag, at the corner of Virginia Avenue and Rosedale Drive. On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 and 8, it hosts the Fall Block Party. ASH Coffee's event page says "all the shops on Virginia Row" are hosting, with twenty vendors on Virginia Ave. NE, art, live music and community activities, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Those hours run entirely during the day, and the event is organized by the shops themselves. A stretch with less passing traffic than North Highland is putting on its own weekend instead of waiting for people to come over from the main corridor. On Saturday the 7th, the District's calendar also lists a Trees Atlanta Arboretum Tour, so a walk under the canopy fits easily into the same afternoon.
Sunday mornings at 1045 N Highland
The VaHi Farmers Market runs every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Highland Woodworking, 1045 North Highland Ave., through Nov. 22. The District's market page lists farmers, makers, artisans and live music. That gives you about five Sundays left after this post publishes. Sunday mornings are traditionally slow for bars and restaurants, so the market brings people to the corridor at a time they might not otherwise be there.
The market page also advertises free street parking in the neighborhood. That follows a City of Atlanta resolution adopted Sept. 2, 2025, which asked for parking meters to be removed in the Atkins Park commercial district. Urbanize reported that the goal was to reverse the vacancy trend and bring customers back to the district's shops, eateries and bars.
What's opening, and what's still in progress
The market's last Sunday is three weeks after the first new opening on this list.
Milk & Maple Coffeehouse. The coffeehouse's website announces a grand opening on November 1, 2026, which is a Sunday. Rough Draft Atlanta's June roundup placed it at "Eastside Beltline, Virginia-Highland" and expected it in summer. The November date is the current one.
Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint. Jack Brown's has 1006 North Highland Avenue Northeast, the former Taco Mac space, as its first Atlanta location. As of mid-October, its location page still says "Coming Soon."
780 North Highland and the Atkins Park Collection. This one could change the most. In March, Third & Urban announced plans for more than $3 million in building and streetscape upgrades across a 61,120-square-foot group of properties on three blocks of North Highland, which it calls the Atkins Park Collection. The plan for the largely vacant 780 North Highland section adds an indoor-outdoor courtyard, with leasing aimed at "community-focused food and beverage tenants," according to Urbanize Atlanta. Rough Draft Atlanta reported in April that the search for food-and-beverage tenants was still underway. No tenant has been announced publicly.
One part is already finished. The 842 North Highland building has new signage, railings and lighting, plus a new mural by local artist Janice Rago on the Intown Hardware side. Third & Urban cofounder Hank Farmer, who lives in the neighborhood, put the goal this way in the announcement Urbanize covered:
"By refreshing the streetscape and buildings and filling the vacant space with new life, our goal is to provide lasting value to our neighbors and visitors who care as much about the area as we do."
Winterfest closes out the year
The calendar ends with Winterfest & Tour of Homes on Dec. 12 and 13. The Virginia Highland District's events page lists a parade, the Jingle Jog 5K, a gift market, a kids corner and a tour of homes decorated for the season. It describes the weekend as a chance to "shop local, and experience the charm of the district." By then, Milk & Maple's November 1 opening date will have passed, and the Atkins Park Collection may have more news to share.
If you'd like to talk about what these changes along North Highland and Virginia Row mean for a home nearby, Melanie Smith is glad to walk the blocks with you. Let's Connect.
