Atlanta

Atlanta is a vibrant metropolitan city in the heart of the American south. As it is a Delta hub the airport gives flight options to and from many different places. After living there for many years I thought I would share some of my knowledge on places to go, things to see and bits of information should you find yourself visiting.

Whilst travelling around the city you will no doubt notice all the roads with different forms of Peachtree in them. Peachtree Battle, Peachtree Road, Peachtree Industrial and so many more. The root of this is that Atlanta started of as a Native American village called Standing Peachtree. The village was sold on to settlers by the Cherokees in 1822. Not long after this sale the building of the Western & Atlantic Railroad commenced and during this time the remaining Cherokees were forced to move.

During the American Civil War Atlanta was used for the connecting railways and turned into a military transit and supply centre.

Gone with the Wind is a romantic drama written by an Atlanta-born author named Margaret Mitchell. The story follows the daughter of a plantation owner in Georgia during the Civil War.

For some reason I have been asked before what the CDC is. I'm not entirely sure why. Possibly because it has been mentioned on episodes of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) but for those of you who wish to know ... The CDC is the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. It is situated next to Emory University in the downtown area. Emory University offers a number of courses such as arts and sciences, theology, business, law, medicine, public health, and nursing. The university is considered one of the top universities in the southern United States.

The city is home to many sports teams:
Baseball - Braves
Basketball - Hawks
Hockey - Thrashers

Atlanta was the site for the 1996 Olympics. It was all great fun as I was 15 years old at the time and got in to loads of events free through my school. The city went through a lot of change in preparation for the games. The biggest change was the building of the Centennial Olympic Park. My favourite part of the park was the Olympic rings put into the ground that would shoot out water, (Great on a hot summer day). It was quite nice in more recent years to see my own children enjoying it the same. Unfortunately the way most people remember the Atlanta Olympics is by the bomb that went off. It is said to be the largest pipe bomb in U.S history weighing more than 40 lbs. There is a good part to this bomb as it didn't cause as much damage as it was intended to. The bomb was placed under a park bench but was knocked over at some point between being left and set off and this stopped it from being able to cause more damage.

Atlanta and Georgia as a whole have hot and humid summers, sometimes reaching 90+ degrees Fahrenheit and usually quite mild winters. Occasionally the winters can get to a low of 20 degrees but things like snow are rare.

Atlanta is home to some very modern and expressive buildings by some very prominent architects. The city likes to be known as progressive thus welcoming such modern structures to its skyline.

When looking for things to see and do in this city there is quite a list. Something I saw for the first time on a trip home a couple of years ago was the Georgia Aquarium. It opened in 2005 and is said to be the "world's largest aquarium". It was amazing to visit. There was a huge kid's area where my son could touch certain fish and have others explained to him by trained staff that was very friendly. I found the building easy to navigate, clean, and we didn't have to wait long in a queue to get in. www.georgiaaquarium.org/

General admission costs:
Adult - $26.00
Child (age 3-12) - $19.50
Senior (age 65 and up) - $21.50

The Coca-Cola museum has always been a favourite of mine. This was one of the things I had to take my other half and son to as I had always gone on about it. This museum was always fun as you could walk around and see all the old advertising posters and collectables. There is one part of the tour where you can taste any number of sodas from around the world, some better than others! When I was visiting the new World of Coca-Cola was being built on a plot of land directly opposite the Aquarium and I have been told it is now open and even better then the original building but I can't tell you too much about that one I'm afraid. Hopefully the economic climate will change and I can take another holiday home and if that happens I will update my review. www.worldofcoca-cola.com/

General admission costs:
Adult (13-64 yrs) - $15.00
Toddler (0-2 yrs) - Free with adult ticket purchase
Youth (3-12 yrs) - $10.00
Senior (65 yrs+) - $13.00

I had told my family for years of how I used to get off the bus and walk through Underground Atlanta with my friends. Underground Atlanta is a trendy shopping strip with old style sweet shops, clothing outlets, clubs and restaurants built into "city beneath the streets". To try and explain this one best ... during the 1920's, construction of the concrete "viaducts" elevated the street system one level to permit a better flow of traffic and merchants moved their shop fronts up a level. The old shop fronts left on the lower level were left dormant for many years. In the late 1960's the area was opened as a retail shopping strip only to be closed in the 1980's due to the construction of the MARTA transit line. Upon its closing civic and business leaders succeeded in having Underground Atlanta placed on the National Register of Historic Places and leaders vowed to have it reopened. It was reopened in 1989. There was always something very cool about being there and you could always find stuff that weren't in the usual shopping malls. If you were looking for vintage wear this was one of the places to go. I think the coolest bit of this area is that what was the lower hidden level of old shops has some amazing architectural features which have survived the years of building and neglect such as original storefronts, ornate marble, granite archways, decorative brickwork, and hand-carved wood posts. Later in 2005 there was a renewal project which built an over ground addition to this shopping area.

Atlanta is very good for shopping with many malls and shopping districts. The ones that are closest into the city are Lenox and Phipps Plaza. If you don't fancy walking around conventional shops there is another place like Underground Atlanta placed east of downtown called Little Five Points (L5P). This mixture of shops, clubs, bars, theatre companies and such caters for everything from Rasta to Gothic. If you are planning to go out in Atlanta on Halloween night L5P is the place to be.

Piedmont Park is situated in midtown and hosts many festivals and events and is a great place to kick a ball around. The park was originally laid out for the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, and it now attracts more than 2 million visitors annually. Next to the park is the Atlanta Botanical Gardens which is 30 acres of outdoor display gardens. www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/home.do

Botanical Gardens general admission costs:
Adults - $12.00
Seniors - $9.00
Children (3-17 yrs) - $9.00
Children (0-3 yrs) - Free

The CNN centre is a fun place to visit and even if you don't fork out money for the tour you can still visit the gift shop and massive food court in the down stairs part of the building. The building houses one of the world's largest freestanding escalators. I was lucky as a child because a friend of my mothers worked there and so I got a free tour. On the actually tour you get to go behind the scenes of the news and broadcasting building and also get to try the weather screen as if you are the weather reporter. The tour is 45 minutes to an hour long and I think something like 7 or 8 flights of stairs. http://edition.cnn.com/tour/atlanta/

CNN admission costs:
Adult - $13.00
Youth (4-18 yrs) - $10.00
Seniors (65yrs+) - $12.00

The High Museum of Art is somewhere I remember going on school trips and always being bored silly so I avoided dragging my son there. Like any art museum there are different exhibitions and courses run year round. There is a café and children's area downstairs. My mother has a picture of me down there when I was very young making a sand picture with of other children. There were always many schools at a time going to the museum and on each occasion I was there I remember waiting to get in the door and unless they have remodelled (which I doubt) the desk is right inside the door so any queue of more then 2 people will be outside the door. www.high.org/

Admission:
Adult - $18.00
Students - $15.00
Seniors (65 yrs +) $15.00
Child (6-17 yrs) - $11.00
Child (0-5 yrs) - Free

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is a ton of fun. Dinosaurs galore! Very fun and interactive to keep even my young man's interest. There is an IMAX theatre and tons of activities for all ages to enjoy. Prices depend on exhibit and/or activity so see www.fernbankmuseum.org/ for more information.

There are so many things to see and places to go in Atlanta but so far I have mostly named places that you would need to fork out hard earned cash to visit so maybe I will go through a few that don't require a wallet. I know this means I am leaving out some wonderful attractions such as the baseball stadium (home of the Braves!) and Zoo Atlanta, but everyone likes to have fun and not have to spend a penny to do it so I will just have to leave some places out.

Chastain Park is still within Fulton County in Atlanta but is towards the outer edge. From the children's play area at the top of the park you can look down over the baseball parks, football fields and amphitheatre. The fields are mostly used by local schools and clubs whilst the amphitheatre has many uses, (Many music concerts are held there). The free street parking makes this area easily accessible.

There are many statues placed around the city as tributes to such people as Martin Luther King Jr. and President Carter to visit along the number of walking tours run through the city. Information can be picked up at any local tourist information centre.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is a self-guided tour through buildings of importance such as Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King worshipped and preached. Tours of the birth home are separate and usually book up quickly. I would advise going very early in the day or you could end up waiting several hours. www.nps.gov/malu/

There are also free tours of the Georgia State Capitol building and Governor's mansion. When touring the State Capitol building there are very informative staff who will tell you the history of the building itself and a bit about how state government works. I remember years ago visiting the Governor's mansion and seeing some children in pyjamas running around in the non-visitor area. I always thought it must be hard being a child in a home like that and having to stay in the certain areas.

Always check the internet for free museum days as they do crop up but aren't well advertised.

A drive south (25-ish minutes) of Atlanta is Stone Mountain Park which is a massive natural boulder which has major laser shows on a regular basis. The 4th of July show is a great one to see. Stone Mountain itself gives visitors an opportunity to dine, shop, camping, golf and much more. Some of these activities will cost money but others are free, www.stonemountainpark.com/default.aspx

For those of you who have spent all this time reading my review of my hometown let me say a big thank you and hope that if you are ever in the area you will pop in and give Atlanta a visit.

(c) znh3ra54 and oioiyou on Dooyoo 2009

Summary: It's my home town so of course I love it!