Going to Atlanta . . .

[tinatark]

. . . over spring break - April 2-7. We want to spend a couple days at Six Flags (getting annual passes), and a day at the Aquarium. Not sure where else we'll be going. We will get there on Monday and come back on Sunday.

Now for the DIS help!

Where to stay? We like a nice hotel, heated pool, and preferably a suite - two rooms. We don't mind driving to the attractions.

What else to do?

Thank You!

 

[doodlesmommy]

I'm originally from Atlanta so I know the area well. Stone Mountain would be a fun thing to do while you're there. It is about 20 miles north of downtown. Six Flags is actually about the same distance in the oposite direction. Where do you want to stay? (i.e. in the city or outside)

 

[Demosthenes]

Check out Turner Field and the Braves. They play the Mets on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7. They have fireworks every Friday night. If you have kids, there is a great thing called "Tooner Field."

Stone Mountain is fun. At least go out and hike up (or take the cable car) to the top of the mountain, and stay for the Laser Show (shown on the face of the carving on the mountain).

The aquarium is very nice. The "World of Coke" is a decent way to spend a few hours as well.

The High Museum of Art has, what is supposed to be, a great traveling exhibit from the Louvre that will be on display while you are here. It is the cheapest way any of us will ever get to see some of this art.

The Fernbank Science Center is a great place where you can easily spend an afternoon, or whole day. They have an IMAX theater, but also a great museum of natural history.

The Atlanta Zoo is quite nice now with some beautiful habitats (not the caged animals of the past). You may also like to see the Cyclorama (a Civil War museum located near the zoo.

The "Georgian Terrace" is a beautiful hotel directly across the street from the Fox Theater. They have very nice suites, and the hotel is reasonably price (mid $200's). The Westin downtown is also nice, with the best views in the city, and a nice rotating restaurant on the top floor.

 

[tinatark]

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis (under renovation, it was very disappointing!) when we were there in November - and at the Westin near the airport when we were there a year or so ago. We don't really have a preference as far as in or out of the city... Our kids (11 and 13) really like to swim, so we try to get a nice, heated (in or out door) pool wherever we stay.

We may go check out Stone Mountain while we're there - when are the laser shows, are they a summer thing? We've done the Coca Cola musuem a few times, so we probably won't go there. A Braves game...hmmm, a friend of ours is a pitching coach with them, so that would be cool to see! We have passes to the Aquarium (compliments of the above-mentioned disappointing MM stay), so will definitely go there. The High Musuem of Art sounds like it would be great to visit.

Thank You for your advice!

 

[Robinrs]

We took a little "in the city" vacation and did Priceline. We got the Wyndham Vinings for $35 a night. It was lovely and only about 20 mins around 285 to Six Flags. http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/ATLVI/main.wnt

It'll be difficult to get hotels close to Six Flags that time of year so Vinings is a great option.

I agree with Stone Mountain, it's fun. There are two really nice onsite hotels there, also, but they book up fast, too!

Have fun!

 

[doodlebugs]

I would check into Stone Mountain's Evergreen Conference Center.

http://www.evergreenresort.com/

It's a nice place to stay and then you could really explore Stone Mountain---lots of great things to do there. It's just a little east of the city and would not be a bad drive downtown or out I-20 to Six Flags.

 

[doodlesmommy]

I was going to suggest the Evergreen too; which is why I didn't know whether you wanted to stay in the City or not. Stone Mountain is right off of Hwy 78 and convenient to I-285, which you will need to take to get to I-20. That will take you straight to Six Flags. I would say Stone Mountain is 45-60 minutes from Six Flags. You can take Hwy 78 straight, all the way in to midtown Atlanta if you want to tour the City too. Have fun on your trip!

 

[CheshireVal]

I also agree that Stone Mountain is a great place to spend a day. If you actually stayed in the park (Evergreen), you can catch the laser show if it's being run (it probably will be in April). It's cheesy but fun.

The aquarium is nice but, I think, overrated. (I prefer the Tennessee Aquarium!)

I'm one of the few who likes the zoo in Atlanta, though it is a little pricey for what you get.

Fernbank can be fun depending on what exhibit they're running. If they're in between exhibits or have something you're not interested in, it's probably not worth your time.

I'm not too familiar with hotels in the area since I live here. I did post on another Atlanta thread today that the Cumberland/Galleria/Vinings/Smyrna area is a nice place to stay if you want to avoid the pricier downtown hotels. It's about 10-15 minutes from downtown... right where I75 intersects I285 on the north end of town.

Edited to add: there are a lot of nice parks around like Red Top mountain or Kennesaw Mountain with trails and picnic tables and nature and stuff if you're into that. If you have a spare day, you might also want to check out Dahlonega or Helen ("Bavarian Village") in North Georgia, which are 1 1/2 to 2 hours away. Helen is always fun! Since you're staying for so long, that might be a good option for a daytrip.

 

[mickeysgal]

The CNN building does tours.

The Varsity (fast food restaurant) at Georgia Tech is an icon.

 

[Tracey1974]

The one and only time I came along with DH on a business trip was to Atlanta. We went to the World of Coke and Atlanta Underground which is like an underground mall. I took the CNN tour and went to the Olympic village while he was in meetings. CNN was great. We stayed at a Hilton in the middle of the city but I don't remember exactly which one.

 

[stevenpensacola]

We usually stay in Marietta, near WhiteWater water park. There are a lot of corporate offices in the area, thus there are quite a few nice hotels which cater to the Monday-Friday business crowd, so you can get some pretty good weekend rates at an above average hotel.

Stone Mountain Park is very nice.

If you like history, be sure to visit the Cyclorama, located next to the Atlanta Zoo.

the World of Coke did not do much for me. Felt like I paid good money just to look at advertising.
The free coke was not worth it.

 

[BuckNaked]

Whenever DH goes to Atlanta for business, he stays at The W hotel - I think it's a Westin-owned property. It's not in downtown, but just a bit north. He really likes it there.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I used the link below when DH and I first went to Atlanta a couple years ago. Now...I'm the expert! There are certain places we go EVERY TIME we visit, but that's because for the two of us it NEVER gets old....STONE MOUNTAIN is one of them. Hope the link helps.

http://www.webguide.com/attractions.html

Here's a link for Stone Mountain too.

http://www.stonemountainpark.com/

 

[UrsulasMyHero]

I'm going in March for A wedding. My "sister" is getting married. It's been a whirlwind romance, and I couldn't be happier. I've been told you should visit the "Little Five Points" area. It's GORGEOUS.

 

[doodlesmommy]

Definately go to Varsity! It's an Atlanta icon. Every time I come home to visit my parents I can not leave without having a chili dog and some onion rings.

 

[CheshireVal]

I'm going in March for A wedding. My "sister" is getting married. It's been a whirlwind romance, and I couldn't be happier. I've been told you should visit the "Little Five Points" area. It's GORGEOUS.

I don't know that I would say Little 5 is a very pretty place, much less gorgeous. It's very eclectic. A bunch of little shops, bars, tattoo parlors, and record stores with a couple of restaurants tossed into the mix. I dislike Little 5 because it's hard to find a parking place, but it's worth a looksee. (Might be intimidating for very conservative families, though.)

 

[mickeysgal]

Definately go to Varsity! It's an Atlanta icon. Every time I come home to visit my parents I can not leave without having a chili dog and some onion rings.

"What'll ya have? What'll ya' have?"