Drive west along Cascade Road from the West End, and the city changes around you. The streets start to roll over gentle hills. Old oaks close in overhead. Stately brick homes sit back on deep, shaded lots. Before long, you realize you’ve arrived somewhere with a story: Cascade Heights, one of the most historic and beloved neighborhoods in Southwest Atlanta.
At Cafe Bartique, we’re proud to call this neighborhood home. We pour coffee for Cascade Heights neighbors every day, and many of them have stories that stretch back generations. So we put together this guide to share what makes Cascade Heights so special: its history, its natural beauty, its local landmarks, and how to spend a perfect day here (with a stop at your neighborhood coffee shop, of course).
Where Is Cascade Heights?
Cascade Heights sits about six miles southwest of downtown Atlanta. The neighborhood is loosely bordered by I-20 to the north and I-285 to the west, with Cascade Road running right through its heart. Locals often use “Cascade” to describe a broader stretch of Southwest Atlanta that includes nearby communities like Beecher Hills, Adams Park, Peyton Forest, Audubon Forest, and West Manor.
It’s a short drive from East Point, College Park, and South Fulton, and just minutes from the West End and the Atlanta University Center.
A Brief History of Cascade Heights
From the Sandtown Trail to a Springside Resort
Long before it was a neighborhood, Cascade Road followed the ancient Sandtown Trail, a path that connected Stone Mountain to a Creek village on the Chattahoochee River. In the 1800s, the route was known as Sandtown Road, and small farming families settled along it.
The neighborhood takes its name from Cascade Springs, where three small waterfalls tumble along Turkeyfoot Creek. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a small resort operated at the springs, drawing Atlantans out to enjoy the cool water and shady woods. A stone spring house still stands there today.
During the Civil War, the Battle of Utoy Creek (August 1864) was fought in and around what is now the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, and you can still see Civil War-era earthworks along the trails.
Growth, Annexation, and “Atlanta’s Berlin Wall”
After World War II, new subdivisions filled in the hills around Cascade Road, and the area was annexed into the City of Atlanta in 1953. At the time, it was a predominantly white neighborhood.
That changed in the early 1960s. When Dr. Clinton Warner, a Black surgeon, bought a home in the area, some white residents demanded a “racial buffer.” In December 1962, the city built barricades across Peyton Road and Harlan Road to block access between Black and white sections of the neighborhood. The national press called it “Atlanta’s Berlin Wall.” After 72 days of protests and legal challenges, a court ruled the barricades unconstitutional, and they came down in 1963. You can read the full story from the Atlanta History Center.
Home to Atlanta’s Black Leadership
By the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Cascade Heights had become one of the most prominent affluent African American neighborhoods in the country. Its streets have been home to an extraordinary list of leaders and legends, including baseball great Hank Aaron, Morehouse College president Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, Congressman John Lewis, and Atlanta mayors Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, and Shirley Franklin.
For generations, Cascade Heights has been a place where Black families built wealth, raised children, worshipped together, and shaped the future of Atlanta and the nation.
Cascade Heights Today
Today, Cascade Heights blends deep roots with new energy. The neighborhood is known for having one of the densest tree canopies in Atlanta, along with roughly 600 acres of green space and nearby golf courses. Longtime residents still anchor the community, and a new generation of homeowners and small business owners is breathing fresh life into the Cascade Road commercial district, supported by city investments like the Cascade Road complete streets project.
Black-owned businesses are at the heart of that revival, from soul food institutions to newer cafes, juice bars, and boutiques. Discover Atlanta, the city’s official tourism guide, highlights the neighborhood’s walkable business district and free street parking in its Cascade Heights neighborhood guide.
Things to Do in Cascade Heights
Hike Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
The crown jewel of the neighborhood is the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve at 2852 Cascade Road. This free, 135-acre preserve protects one of the largest old forests inside Atlanta’s city limits. Follow the trails to Cascade Falls, the historic stone spring house, Utoy Creek, and Civil War trenches. The preserve opens at 7:30 a.m., making it a perfect early-morning walk.
Eat at a Neighborhood Institution
Cascade Heights has a proud food scene. The Beautiful Restaurant has been a community gathering spot for decades, serving Southern soul food like oxtails and fried catfish. Oreatha’s at the Point, from chef Deborah VanTrece, serves Southern comfort food with global flavors for brunch and dinner. For more local favorites, check out The Infatuation’s guide to Cascade Heights.
Take a Scenic Drive
Discover Atlanta recommends simply driving the neighborhood’s winding, tree-lined streets to take in the beautiful homes and rolling landscape, especially in spring and fall.
Learn the History
Before or after your visit, explore the neighborhood’s past through the Atlanta History Center and the history of Cascade Heights, including its role in Atlanta’s civil rights story.
Cafe Bartique: Your Cascade Heights Coffee Shop
Every great neighborhood needs a place where neighbors run into each other. In Cascade Heights, that place is Cafe Bartique at 2315 Cascade Rd SW.
Our founder, Angela, left her corporate career to build a Black-owned, woman-owned coffee house rooted in family, creativity, and community, and Cascade Heights was the natural home for that vision. Read Angela’s story.
Discover Atlanta features Cafe Bartique as a Black, female-owned coffee shop with patio seating and Atlanta-themed menu items. That’s because our menu honors the very community around us:
- The Morehouse Macchiato, our best-selling caramel-vanilla latte macchiato, named for the college Dr. Benjamin Mays led
- The Spelman Chick, chicken salad on a buttery croissant
- The Outkast breakfast croissant sandwich
- The Grand Hustle Grits Bowl, Southern grits done right
- CAAN vs CAN, an old-fashioned butter pecan latte
- The Atlanta Dream, espresso with Nutella hazelnut-chocolate
Browse our full menu of espresso drinks, teas, pastries, breakfast, and lunch.
Whether you need a quiet table to work (free Wi-Fi), a sunny patio to catch up with friends, or a comfortable spot for a book club or church group, you’ll find a seat waiting at your Cascade Heights coffee shop. Don’t just take our word for it: read what our neighbors are saying.
A Perfect Morning in Cascade Heights
Here’s how we’d spend an ideal Saturday in the neighborhood:
- 8:00 a.m.: Walk Cascade Springs. Start with a peaceful hike to the waterfall and spring house while the forest is cool and quiet.
- 9:30 a.m.: Coffee and breakfast at Cafe Bartique. Head east on Cascade Road for a Morehouse Macchiato and a Grand Hustle Grits Bowl on the patio.
- 11:00 a.m.: Scenic drive. Wind through the tree-lined streets of Cascade Heights, Beecher Hills, and Peyton Forest.
- Afternoon: Support local. Explore the Black-owned shops along the Cascade Road corridor, then grab lunch at a neighborhood institution.
Bring Cascade Heights to Your Next Event
Hosting a family reunion, church gathering, or office meeting? Share a taste of the neighborhood with Cafe Bartique catering, including breakfast and lunch platters, lunchboxes, desserts, and coffee service delivered within 20 miles. Request a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cascade Heights
Where is Cascade Heights in Atlanta?
Cascade Heights is a historic neighborhood in Southwest Atlanta, about six miles southwest of downtown, centered along Cascade Road between I-20 and I-285.
Why is it called Cascade Heights?
The name comes from Cascade Springs, where small waterfalls cascade along Turkeyfoot Creek. A resort operated at the springs in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
What is Cascade Heights known for?
Cascade Heights is known for its civil rights history, its legacy as a home to Atlanta’s Black leadership, its dense tree canopy and rolling hills, and Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.
What is the best Cascade Heights coffee shop?
Cafe Bartique at 2315 Cascade Rd SW is a Black-owned neighborhood coffee house with signature lattes, Southern breakfast, lunch, free parking, and patio seating.
Is Cascade Heights close to East Point and South Fulton?
Yes. Cascade Heights is a short drive from East Point, College Park, and South Fulton.
Come Be a Neighbor
Cascade Heights has always been a neighborhood built on resilience, pride, and community. We’re honored to be part of its next chapter. Stop by, pull up a chair, and let us pour you a cup.
Cafe Bartique
2315 Cascade Rd SW, Atlanta, GA 30311
(404) 343-1780
Hours: Mon–Thu 7 a.m.–6 p.m. · Fri 7 a.m.–7 p.m. · Sat 8 a.m.–7 p.m. · Sun 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
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Related reading: Cafe Bartique: The Best Coffee House in Atlanta