? for those who live in the Atlanta area

[hockeyplayer]

I will be visiting some acquaintances who live in the Atlanta suburbs in a few weeks, then heading (of course) to WDW. Any suggestions on activities in that area that may interest two children, ages 11 and 13? We have Six Flags season passes, so we'll probably spend a day there. I've also heard that there is a Coca Cola "factory" (?) in the area. Any other suggestions?

 

[reddixie]

HI I live in Florida now but was born and raised in Georgia within 50 miles of Downtown for about 25 years of my life so please take me serious. First its Coca-Cola World and it is a museum of the history of Coke. They have how is got started and all. In 2001 we went and tickets were 6.00 a person. It takes about a half a day if your a Coke fan. Also at the end of the tour they have an area where you can try Coke from around the world. If you like the Ice Station at Epcot you'll love this. There is also the grave of Martin Luther King and his birth place which is now a museum and you can visit Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached, they have a Zoo which is a natural habitat one so in the summer animals are hard to see as they head for shade just like at Animal Kingdom. The Cyclorama is a painting that is round with seating in the center that rotates around the painting as it tells the story of the battle of Atlanta in the Civil War. It was also about 8.00 a ticket. The museum has a train, the Texas, which was part of a great plot by the north to blow up supply lines in the Civil War which failed. Then there is Stone Mountain. This is in Dekalb County almost Gwinnett it is a huge chunck of granite. It has the 3 most famous Southern Generals from the Civil War carved on the front. You can take skybuckets to the top or walk. They have a new attraction which I am dying to see it's almost a year old its a small village with blacksmith, candlemaker etc., an Antebellum Plantation, an Antique Car Museum, Train, Paddle Boat, the Carving Museum and last but not least is the Laser Show which is awesome. It's a not to be missed event. You get in the park for 7.00 a car load then the ticket to do the attractions is like 20.00 a person. The Laser Show is free. Also there is the High Museum of Art which had Michelangelo's work on display last summer. The Fern Bank Science Center. The Planetarium. Now Six Flags is towards Douglasville going west on 20. Also White Waters a waterslide park is near there. I wouldn't suggest it. Within a two hour drive you have Helen which is picturesque. Also Callaway Gardens and the Little White House which is where FDR died. The Jimmy Carter Library isn't a kid thing but neat. Also the Capitol building is open to the public and has a museum and show the history of Georgia it's free my then 8 year old loved the two headed calf there that is on display. Need anymore advise please e-mail me. I can also tell you how to get to these places and miss most of the traffic. I am sorry this is long but alas I LOVE ATLANTA. I will always love it. I am sure you will have a blast.

 

[doodle]

Hi - Another Atlanta native here. We visit 2-3 times a year and there are so MANY wonderful things to do! reddixie hit on many great things. With the ages of your children, I will give you my top 3 picks.....

-Fernbank Natural History Museum is showing "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure" on IMAX. It was stunning. I would go see it again in a second. If you've not heard of it, it is the story of the explorer Ernest Shackleton circa 1915, which many consider,"the greatest survival story of all time." The museum has an exhibit about Shacleton that you can see after the movie.

-Stone Mountain. You can spend a whole day there - 3D movie, lift up the mountain, museum about the carving, train ride, artisans at the "Crossroads" area, antebellum museum and more OR just go there in the evening for a fantastic laser light/fireworks show.

-Cyclorama/Zoo Atlanta. They are next door to each other and the zoo is a good size - good habitats but not too much walking. The pandas are so much fun to see.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Lanshark]

The Laser Show at Stone Mountain is great. Bring a blanket, picnic and OFF. It doesn't start until about 9:15 though so it may be a late night. Go early to get a decent parking place.

White Water in off of hwy 41 in Marietta is one of my kids favorites (16 and 12). It is owned by 6 flags so you should be able to find discounts

 

[browneyes]

Underground might be another place to go. The Varsity is a must place to go to eat too.

 

[reddixie]

Browneyes I so agree about the Varisty. I love that place whatu have whatu have whatu have. I love the Orange drink, dog all the way and onion rings. I just figured with the grease it might not a good place to recommend. And to the one who suggested the blanket, picnic and off that was right on target for Stone Mountain. Well have fun whatever you decide come home and tell us what you did and how you liked it!

 

[Figment22]

We visited Atlanta this past spring with our two sons aged 13 & 10. We had a great time.

It's been mentioned before but you absolutely must not miss Stone Mountain. There is so much to do we were there from
9:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. after the phenomenal laser show (and I normally think laser shows stink!) and still didn't do everything.
Someone posted about the new section at Stone Mountain. There is also a 3-D show here which was well done and a great place for kids called The Great Barn. It is a four story barn where the kids climb up and down the levels on ropes and slides but it's got a hitch. Each child gets a computer coded bracelet at check-in. They have to "harvest" various kinds of fruit and do different tasks with them. At each station, their bracelet is read and they are assigned points for each task. Their goal is to get on the leader board for their individual age group. We were in the barn for about two hours and the kids still didn't want to leave. They had a great time. The mountain itself is amazing and can take a few hours of your time depending on how much you'd like to hike.
There is so much to see and do at Stone Mountain, we cannot wait to go back!

My other suggestion: Take in a Braves game at Turner Field. Your kids will love it. Turner Field is like a giant baseball amusement park. There are loads of baseball related activities and also Tooner Field. This is where the characters from Cartoon Network hang out. I don't know of any other place where your kids can interact with the likes of Dexter (from Dexter's lab), the PowerPuff girls, Tom and Jerry, etc. The Braves have some very reasonably priced family four packs which include parking, a program, hot dogs and drinks. We had a great evening here.

The pandas at Zoo Atlanta were a highlight for my 10 year old although the zoo itself is on the small side and I thought quite expensive. (I think admission was around $16.00 pp). The cyclorama, which has already been mentioned is adjacent to the gates of the zoo and is a very worthwhile historical attraction. It is presented in a very entertaining way and both boys enjoyed it.

We did other things too, but these were the true highlights.

Enjoy your visit; you will love Atlanta.

 

[chb]

I've lived in Atlanta all my life. Definately agree that you should check out Stone Mountain. Lots of fun things to do during the day, or just come spend the evening hanging out on the big lawn in front of where they do the Laser Show. Don't come on a weekend night if you can help it. Personally, I don't think there's anything worth wasting your time on downtown unless you are big Coke fans and then the World of Coke is kind of neat. One other thing that hasn't been mentioned, if you are looking for something semi-educational, CNN headquarters are near the World of Coke and it is kind of interesting to take a tour there.

 

[hockeyplayer]

Wow! Thanks everybody! We were only going to be in the area for three days, but now we're thinking about extending our stay. Stone Mountain sounds awesome. We will probably go to the zoo, since we have a season pass for the Phila. Zoo, which gives us free entrance to many other zoos across the country, including the one in Atlanta (My youngest child wants to be a vet or somehow work with animals, so going to as many zoos as possible has become sort of a family tradition). The kids want to know if they can purchase any Beverly at the Coke place - seems they'd like to "enlighten" some friends with its exquisite taste - how thoughtful of them, huh? Again, thanks to everyone for your help. I'll probably include our time in Atlanta when I post my first ever trip report at the end of August.