Atlanta, Georgia

After spending 3 days in Savannah, we went to Atlanta.  The traffic at 1 or 2 in the afternoon was unbelievable.  Everywhere you looked, there were automobiles.

In order to save a little money and see some great places, we bought the City Pass.  With it, we got admission to The World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, tour of the CNN studios, Zoo Atlanta, and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.  We could have chosen an art museum and historical tour rather than the zoo and Fernbank.

We went to the World of Coca-Cola our first afternoon in town.  It is full of history and memorabilia. My niece's favorite was seeing the vault where the secret recipe is kept.  My nephew and I loved the Tasting Room.  There were stations set up for each continent.  At each station, there were 6-12 different drinks that are sold/made by Coca-Cola on that respective continent.  Many involved fruit, and there were some interesting tastes.  My favorites came from right here in North America.  There was also a whole station of just Coca-Cola.  Along the wall, there were stations where you could choose the overall drink and then look at sub-samples where various flavorings are added.  We had so much fun tasting and tasting and tasting some more.  Before we left, we received a free bottle of Coca-Cola produced right there in the museum.  We also had to visit their store.

On day 2, we went to Zoo Atlanta.  It was a nice little zoo, not too big, not too small.

While looking for a Welcome Center to get a map of Atlanta, we found the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.  It was a great experience walking through the museum and then driving through the neighborhood.

We ate lunch at The Varsity, a famous burger and hot dog restaurant. It is a neat experience.

On day 3, we went to the Georgia Aquarium.  They have several touch tanks and have really designed it with kids in mind. Dolphin Tales, the 4D experience, and frog exhibit were great.  I enjoyed seeing the whale sharks, penguins, and so much more. It spouts itself as the world's largest aquarium.  Again, we ate at The Varsity.  They have one room without tables and chairs. Instead, it is full of school desks, all facing one direction, toward the television on one end.  My niece found that room quite interesting, and she had to eat her lunch while sitting in a desk.

On day 4, we went to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.  Their traveling exhibit is The Scoop on Poop.  There were signs that said: "It's the #1 exhibit about #2."  The kids thought that was hysterical. The building is beautiful, quiet, and a nice change from the crowds at the zoo and aquarium. 

We enjoyed lunch at The Varsity again before heading to CNN Center for a tour of the studios. The tour is a 50 or 55 minute walking tour.  You go up the tallest and longest free-standing escalator and walk down 8 flights of stairs throughout the tour.  I am not much of a CNN or HLN watcher, but it was very interesting, and I have found myself checking out those stations more and more since.

Atlanta was a great experience with plenty for families to do.