Budget tips for 1rst time trip to Atlanta?

[jacksmom]

Hi! Dh told me today that he has a few vacay days left and would like to drive to Atlanta to take ds (15) to a Braves game (in Aug)! We will probably stay 3 days and would love some budget friendly ideas for things to do (that ds 15 will enjoy)! Would love any ideas on where to stay and where to eat also! Thanks so much for any info!

 

[mrssmith06]

The Aquarium and The World of Coca-Cola are right next to each other and you would all enjoy both of those! Don't eat in the Aquarium food court though, the prices are crazy, higher than Disney parks!!! You can do like a "City Pass" or some other combo pass and get a much better deal buying all of your attractions in one bundle. Of course, there is also Six Flags there.
I'm not sure about places to stay, we've only done day trips to Atlanta.

 

[chuckabone]

We just returned from Atlanta a few weeks ago. I recommend the Westin Hotel. The rooms were clean and new and with all the traveling I do, I have never met such a friendly hotel staff. It is right across the street from The Hard Rock Cafe and the Peachtree Mall which had a huge food court. We saw lots of people in Braves shirts the one day, so I would assume it is close to the stadium. The world of Coca Cola was fun and walking around the Olympic park with nice too. The best part was that I was with my 11 year old daughter and felt very safe walking around. Enjoy your trip.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

That Westin is pretty nasty, unless they refurbished it recently, and I won't share what we found in our bed, this is a family board. I would stay away from Downtown, it gets very congested and it really isn't all that safe, especially at night.

The World of Coke and the Aquarium are great. I would recommend the Pimberton Place Pass, it might save you more. If you collect My Coke Rewards, you can get free tickets to World of Coke. Check for possible Corporate discounts for the Aquarium, alot of larger companies offer them. CNN offers tours, we have been wanting to do one, but haven't. Zoo Atlanta is alot of fun. We haven't tried the City Pass, because we get other discounts that don't make it a great option for us, but it might be for you. Check their website, they have different options to build what you want with it, including Braves games.

Your son might enjoy Six Flags, but it's quite a disappointment after years of traveling to Disney and it's alot more expensive, too.

We have stayed in Buckhead, it's busy, but alot safer than Downtown, also Lawrenceville and Buford, they are close to Downtown, but nicer and safer. And Atlantic Station, they have alot going on there as well as being a nice area and lots of restaurants. Check them out at www.atlanticstation.com and they have a very active Facebook page for events. There is a nice Marriott: Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway, it's really nice and has great rates, it's close to the airport if you're flying, infact, you can take the Skytrain right to it, it has great room rates and packages.

 

[curseofcurves]

You said August and I assume you mean earlier in August, but just in case - don't come the last weekend (Labor Day weekend) if you can help it. Atlanta will be extremely crowded that weekend due to several large events.

In addition to the City Pass, there is also an MVP package that includes a Braves game, the Aquarium, World of Coke, and Six Flags.

If you are just interested in the Braves game and not the other stuff included in the packages, try Stubhub.com for your tickets. There are often tickets on there cheaper than face value and you can print them out.

Check atlantaonthecheap.com for possible deals, coupons, and special events.

As far as hotels, there is a group of hotels that I would recommend - The Marriott Marquis, the Hilton, the Hyatt, and the Sheraton. They're all right next to each other, fairly close to the stadium, and in my opinion in a decent part of downtown. I don't know how much they are or how much the parking is at each one, but I do know there are pay parking lots nearby that are cheap. Another place I'd recommend staying that is probably only 10-15 minutes from downtown is the Sheraton Galleria. It's pretty affordable with a fridge and microwave.

 

[jacksmom]

Thanks for all the great info! How do I find out more about that MVP pkg??

 

[Sadie22]

Tour CNN and walk over to Olympic Centennial Park. Visit the Carter Presidential Library. Climb Stone Mountain Georgia.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Lots of good advice. The metro is an easy and cheap way to get around. We are not as comfortable using it as some other, larger cities lines, but have done so without incident. You can take the meto to underground atlanta and take a bus to the ball park. If you are mostly interested in seeing ball games, there is a hotel right across from the stadium that works well. I can't remember the name but will check and edit. We like to eat at the Johnny Rockets at Underground Atlanta before taking the bus to the game. I am NOT a huge fan of Underground Atlanta but its a easy way to get to and from the game and avoid the nightmare of parking. Be aware that Six Flags will require a car to travel too. If you have a car, we like Stone Mountain. It's sorta of a combo nature site/mini theme park adventure! The duck rides are SOOO fun.
We like the aquarium, and world of coke, and CNN head quarter tours (older kids/adults). We also like the zoo. It gets mixed reviews but our kids have loved it. It a good kid size and sorta compact so not too much walking. Remember Atlanta traffic in general can be a nightmare so time your coming and going if you drive.

 

[curseofcurves]

Thanks for all the great info! How do I find out more about that MVP pkg??

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/ticketing/combo_deal.jsp

That website has all the various options for the MVP packages.

 

[griswalds]

Just throwing this out there for you. If the Atlanta Braves are not in town during your trip there is also the Gwinnett Braves which is the AAA farm team. They play a little north of Atlanta in a brand new stadium in Buford which is prob a 25-30 min drive from downtown Atl. The most expensive ticket is $8 and they go down from there, parking is between $3-5. It's very easy in and easy out, no hassles. It's a smaller stadium so all seats are good. We've been lucky and seen 3-4 major league players playing there because they were rehabing (sp) or just hadn't been called up yet. We think it's a fun, inexpensive family outing.

 

[Minnie116]

We just returned a few weeks ago and stayed at the Omni CNN Center. There is a food court right inside and it is attached to CNN and the Phillips Arena. It was a nice walk through Olympic Park to the Aquarium and World Of Coca Cola. We would definitely stay there again.

 

[jacksmom]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I am making a list!

 

[MineMail]

If you have mycokerewards points, you can redeem points for tickets to the World of Coca-Cola. The aquarium is really nice, and there are discount coupons. CNN has a tour of their studios; the building is outside the city on one of the main highways.

The Atlanta tourism website has a lot of discounts and tour information.

 

[onescgirl]

We have stayed at Drury Inn located on Jimmy Carter Blvd several times on Atlanta weekend trips. It was clean, has indoor pool and free breakfast.

We LOVE Stone Mountain. There are attractions you pay for and they have a laser light show on the mountain at night that is free. So, you could just do the laser show. If you go on Stone Mountains website, you can get more details.

http://http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

The aquarium is very nice, but SUPER crowded on Saturdays during the summer. Last year we visited the aquarium on a Friday morning. We were in line before it opened and we had a great visit with minimal crowds. It was starting to get crowded when we left. So, my advice is to get there before it even opens.

I don't recommend Six Flags at all. Like a previous poster said, it is very disappointing compared to WDW. But if your DS likes very big rollercoasters, you may enjoy it just for the rollercoasters.

We like eating at Cheesecake Factory. I go just for the chocolate cheesecake

 

[jacksmom]

Great ideas! We are not doing six flags, but would like to do the aquarium, world of coca cola, cnn, olympic park, and maybe the AAA team and zoo! Not sure if we have enough time for stone mnt. Would still love more info on where to stay and where to eat!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Great ideas! We are not doing six flags, but would like to do the aquarium, world of coca cola, cnn, olympic park, and maybe the AAA team and zoo! Not sure if we have enough time for stone mnt. Would still love more info on where to stay and where to eat!

Everybody suggests The Varsity, you have to eat there once, but for me that is all I can tolerate. Check out Atlantic Station, lots of places to eat there.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

http://www.pittypatsrestaurant.com/ We LOVE this place!

 

[jacksmom]

http://www.pittypatsrestaurant.com/ We LOVE this place!

That looks great!

 

[kristinleigh]

If you are interested in staying downtown withing walking distance to the aquarium, coke factory & centennial park I would definitely recommend staying at Twelve Centennial Park! Their rooms are like apartments. They have full kitchens, living room with computer, and seperate bedroom/bathroom. Free internet, awesome views and their rates and parking prices are the same if not cheaper than the other hotels downtown. We stayed there Memorial Day weekend and I was VERY impressed!!!