Here's an off-the-beaten path guide to local culture inside the Perimeter.

Starlight Drive-In. Atlanta loves cars, so what better place to see a movie than the drive-in? Piedmont Park's Screen on the Green isn't the only place in town to watch a movie under the stars. And last time we checked, you couldn't bring your car into Piedmont Park. Besides, you won't have to sit through boring classics like "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Citizen Kane" at Starlight. Here you can watch the latest mindless entertainment that moviegoers really love. So clean out the truck bed and load up some blankets and a cooler. Located on Moreland Avenue near East Atlanta.

Shoemaker's Warehouse. Good shoes, cheap. A vast sea of them. What more does a woman need to know? And any guy who knows women, knows this place is crawling with them. He also knows that his shoes are perhaps the most important part of his wardrobe as far as women are concerned. Visit aisles upon aisles of more than 3,000 pairs of shoes, most of them quite stylish. Look for Via Spiga, Kenneth Cole, Franco Sarto, NYLA and Steve Madden, among others. Located at Amsterdam Walk behind Piedmont Park in the Midtown/Virginia-Highland area. Prices are low because it's not in a mall and the narrow aisles are packed with shoes, making maximum use of the low-rent warehouse space. It does get crowded at times, and bumping into folks is a risk. That might be a little bothersome, unless, of course the prospect of bumping into someone is what brung you.

Churchill Grounds. Ask anyone in the loop the best place to hear live jazz in Atlanta and they'll immediately say Churchill Grounds. The classy club in a corner of the Fox Theater building recently expanded, allowing for larger shows in a roomy but still cozy environment. Customers can grab a cocktail table for two and enjoy some serious jazz. The atmosphere is almost like an uptown Manhattan jazz club without the attitude, the outrageous cover charge or constant pressure to order another round or get out. If your idea of good music requires a real piano, at least one horn player and an upright bass, you won't be disappointed. The new room has Moorish decor, in keeping with the rest of the Fox. So make like Bogart in "Casablanca," grab a seat and say, "Play it again, Sam."

Lullwater Park. Lullwater Park is one of Atlanta's best kept secrets. Unless you're familiar with the area, you'd never know this private but open-to-the-public park is right off Clifton Road on the Emory University campus. Covering 154 wooded acres, Lullwater is as idyllic as it gets. Visitors are greeted by a long, paved road that you know leads to somewhere even though there are no signs. White oak, poplar, pine, sweet gum and hickory trees line the road. The prize of the park is a large open meadow where families can picnic or play ball and a 12-acre lake where children can feed ducks and geese. Because the road is so wide, Lullwater is a good place to jog, ride bicycles and roller-skate.

-- Staff reporter Milo Ippolito