For millions of Americans are going to be traveling over the Memorial Day Weekend 2019, be it by plane, train or automobile. If it’s by car, you my want to know what to expect along with the turkey, parades and all the trimmings.
Atlanta travel tips: Memorial Day Weekend 2019
Google Maps is a great resource for travelers to see trends about traveling around the holidays, including insights on when to hit the road, and the best times to stay off the highways.
Most popular places visited during the Memorial Day holiday:
Compiling data about the number of times users requested directions to a location using Google Maps, the tool was able to show when Georgia’s holiday rush will hit, determined by the state’s most popularly searched place categories:
Nationally, the most uniquely searched place categories in Google Maps during the Memorial holiday period are: outlet mall, tree farm, scenic overlook, video game store and place of worship.
Memorial Day travel traffic trends:
Because the holidays skew everything, the travel trends are all different for the city when it comes to rush hours. For Atlanta, here are the best and worst times to leave for and return from that Memorial Day road trip:
- Best day to leave: Saturday, 6 a.m.
- Worst day to leave: Thursday, 4 :30 p.m.
- Best day to return: Tuesday, 6 a.m.
- Worst day to return: Sunday, 4 p.m.
If you plan on leaving town on Friday, May 24 you’ll likely be caught in traffic, according to INRIX.
Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a statement that he traffic surge starts days before the weekend. “Travelers should anticipate delays to start on Wednesday and continue through Memorial Day. Our advice to drivers is to avoid the morning and evening commuting times or plan alternate routes.”
Memorial Day in ATL: Best time to visit your favorite businesses and places
So Atlantans can properly plan and avoid long lines and crazy foot traffic, here’s a look at when some of the most popular places searched for in Google Maps tend to be the most crowded:
- Grocery Store: Last-minute shoppers storm grocery stores on Friday afternoon.
- Liquor Store: Visits peak on Friday afternoon as people start stocking up for the festivities.
- Movie Theater: Friday evening is a popular time to head to the movies.