Atlanta, Georgia

Downtown Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia is a city with a vibrant Old Southern History that has become wonderful modern city that maintains its Southern Charm. Donna and I have visited Atlanta several times and still have not seen all this city has to offer. The city still has scars from the American Civil War but has grown into a city that still has remnants from the 1996 Olympic Games, a world class aquarium and many other sights to see. 

Getting to Atlanta and transportation within the city

The main way to get to Atlanta is through the busiest passenger airport in the world (Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport). Atlanta is the hub and headquarters to Delta Airlines and Southwest also has a large presence in Atlanta due to the merger with Airtran a few years back. The Airport is about 12 miles South of downtown Atlanta. If you plan to stay in the Downtown area the MARTA trains are an option to ride into downtown but are limited in getting to attractions outside of that area. Renting a car is your best option if you want to visit other areas of city or visit the suburbs of Atlanta. Like many cities traffic congestion is an issue especially on I-75 and I-85 going through downtown. 

Georgia Aquarium

While in Atlanta the enormous Georgia Aquarium is a must see attraction. It is the second largest aquarium in the world only behind the Marine Life Park in Singapore. While there you can see in the main tank Whale Sharks, huge Manta Rays and other tropical creatures. The Aquarium is split into several different sections from the tropics to the frigid arctic where you can see many Beluga Whales swimming in a large tank. You can also see an Dolphin show in their large arena. Depending on how quickly your tour the Aquarium will take at least a half a day and possibly longer. Its one of the highlights of the attraction filled Downtown Atlanta area and one of Donna and I’s favorite places to visit in the area.  

Beluga Whales at the Atlanta Aquarium
Whale Shark in the main tank at the Georgia Aquarium

World of Coca Cola

Next door to the Georgia Aquarium is the unique World of Coca Cola museum in Atlanta since Coca Cola’s headquarters in is Atlanta. Its a museum that goes through the pop culture of Coca Cola (think Santa Claus and other advertisements), has a movie about Coca Cola, interactive exhibits about the history of Coca Cola, a small bottling factory and my favorite place the taste room where you can taste soda from every continent in the world. Some of the sodas are definitely better than others. Its very interesting tasting the different tastes and cultures from around the world. The world of Coca Cola will take a couple hours to visit depending on how fast you go through it. Its a good option to see after the Aquarium if you have time left in the day.  

World of Coca Cola Entrance
The tasting room

Centennial Olympic Park

Directly across from the Georgia Aquarium and the World Of Coca Cola is the Centennial park. It was build for the 1996 Summer Olympic games and is a nice park to walk through. You can see sculptures from the games, the Olympic Rings fountains and even ride on a large Ferris wheel. If you walk through the park from the  Georgia Aquarium Area you can make it to the CNN Center.  

CNN Center

The CNN Center is the worldwide headquarters of CNN. Inside the large building is a food court, shops such as a Cartoon Network Shop (also headquartered in Atlanta), and the CNN tour. You can see a behind the scenes tour of the news room, and various studios at CNN. You can sometime see a live broadcast depending on what is going on. To start the tour you ride on the world’s longest freestanding escalator. It’s a nice tour but even if you do not do the tour its a good place to go to get a bite to eat and just see the building. 

College Football Hall of Fame

I have never been to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta but I have walked into the gift shop and it looks like it would be a great place to visit. It is very close to CNN Center and I hope to visit it the next time I make it to Atlanta.  

Stone Mountain

Located to the East of Atlanta in the city of Stone Mountain sits a large granite mountain famous for the theme park and the worlds largest relief sculpture of Civil War Generals Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The theme park has an aerial tram to the top of the mountain that has nice views of Atlanta, a steam train that circles the mountain, a 4-D theater, miniature golf, a replica of an 1800’s plantation with many buildings you can visit and many hiking trails. Some nights they have a laser light show on the face of the mountain. This attraction can take most of a day to see it all. 

The Atlanta Cyclorama

In Atlanta you can see one of the largest painting in the world that is of the Battle of Atlanta that occurred during the Civil War. The painting wraps a full 360 degrees  and is 42 feet high. We viewed the show that has a theater that turns as they tell the story of the battle and the painting. You can also view a museum (The Atlanta History Center) and the locomotive Texas that was part of the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil war. Currently the painting is being restored and moved to a new building and wont be ready until the Fall of 2018.  

The King Center

I have not had the chance to visit The King Center while in Atlanta yet but it looks to be a wonderful center dedicated to the life of Dr. Martin Luther King and his vision. You can visit exhibits about this extraordinary man at the center. 

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

A national park dedicated to one of the Civil War battles that lead up to the Battle of Atlanta you can spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta in this area Northwest of Atlanta and hike many of the nice trails through this beautiful area. You can learn about the battle and the people who fought there at the visitors center and see the many cannons, markers and memorials throughout the battleground. Its important to remember all of those who fell during this terrible time in American history. Its a nice park and has nice views from the top of Kennesaw Mountain.

The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History

This Smithsonian Affiliated museum is a hidden gem in the city of Kennesaw near the Battlefield National Park. It tells the story of trains during the civil war and beyond. It also has a detailed exhibit on the Great Locomotive Chase that started right outside of the museum after Union Spys stole the train The General as they tried to disrupt Confederate rail. The Train the Texas eventually caught The General after a very long chase. You can see The General at the museum as part of the exhibit.   The museum will take a couple hours and is worth the stop if you make it to this area. 

The Delta Airlines Museum

At the Delta Airlines headquarters at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport you can visit the museum dedicated to Delta Airlines (when I visited you had to contact Delta to get permission to visit ahead of time since the gate to the headquarters is guarded). You can see and tour various Delta planes like a large 767 and see many exhibits to this large airline. Airline and aviation enthusiasts like my self will really enjoy this museum. 

Atlanta Tips

There are many other things to do in Atlanta beyond what I have written about such as the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, the Georgia Capital, The Civil And Human Rights Center, the Gone With the Wind Museum and many sports options. If you leave the Atlanta area and drive northwest you can visit other Civil War Battlefields related the the Atlanta Campaign. Give yourself plenty of time in Atlanta since there is a lot to do in the area and be ready for some traffic while driving to different areas of the city. The MARTA train is useful if you are going to the downtown area but isn’t as extensive of a network as some other subway systems. You can often get cheap fares to Atlanta on Airlines like Southwest if you want for fare deals.