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Atlanta is a lively , thriving city,
the capital of Georgia, and a center of commerce and the arts. Many
fortune 500 companies have corporate or regional headquarters in
Atlanta, and young professionals are moving there in ever increasing
numbers.
Many visitors come to Atlanta looking for the Old South stereotypes:
white columned mansions surrounded by magnolias and owned by
languidly moving, elegantly dressed ladies wearing white gloves and
hoop skirts, and speaking in a southern drawl.. What they find is
much more cosmopolitan and a lot more interesting, though it is
still possible to relax with a glass of lemonade under a peach tree.
Atlanta has spent the last 135 years building what has been
described as the Capital of the New South and the Next Great
International City.
Atlanta is the city of Martin Luther King, Jr., father of one of the
country's most important social revolutions, and of Ted Turner, who
brought the world a revolution of another sort. The dramatic
downtown skyline, with its gleaming skyscrapers, is testimony to
Atlanta's inability to sit still, even for a minute. And its role as
host for the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996 (it had already hosted
Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and the Democratic National Convention in
1988) finally convinced the rest of the world that Atlanta is a
force to be reckoned with as well as a great place to visit.
Consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the world in which
to do business, Atlanta is headquarters for hundreds of
corporations, including Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Holiday
Inn, Georgia-Pacific, Home Depot, and BellSouth and Cox
Communications. A major convention city and a crossroads where three
interstate highways converge, it's home to the country's second
busiest airport and is the shopping capital of the Southeast.
Although the city limits are only 131 square miles, the metro area
is vast and sprawling. With 3.5 million in population and still
counting, there seems to be no limit to its growth.
There are major art, science, nature, and archaeology museums, a
vibrant theater community, an outstanding symphony, a well-regarded
ballet company, opera, blues, jazz, Broadway musicals, a
presidential library, Confederate and African-American heritage
sites, and dozens of art galleries.
Add to that entertainment attractions such as Georgia's Stone
Mountain Park, a regional theme park, a botanical garden, and major
league sports teams, and you have the ingredients for a family
friendly city. The culinary spectrum ranges from grits and biscuits
to caviar and sushi. Fried chicken and barbecue are available, but
Atlanta also serves up Thai, Ethiopian, and Russian cuisine.
The 1960's saw the beginning of downtown development with the rise
of the million-square-foot Merchandise Mart, designed by an
innovative young Atlanta architect named John Portman. It became the
nucleus for the nationally renowned Peachtree Center complex.
Portman's futuristic design for the downtown Hyatt Regency in 1967
introduced a towering atrium-lobby concept that at the time was
considered to be quite revolutionary. Today, Peachtree Center, a
14-city-block "pedestrian village," contains three Portman designed
megahotels as well as the Atlanta Market Center, 200,000 square feet
of retail space, many restaurants, and six massive office towers.
Its various elements are connected by covered walkways and bridges.
MARTA rapid-transit trains began running in 1979, and today most of
Atlanta: city center and vast suburbs, is accessible by bus or
subway.
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In 1980, a revitalized black
neighborhood called Sweet Auburn became a National Historic
District, its 10 blocks of notable sites including Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s boyhood home, the church where he preached, a museum,
and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social
Change. It is probably the major black history attraction in the
country, and in the last several years, has undergone a major
revitalization and restoration.
Media mogul Ted Turner inaugurated CNN in Atlanta in 1980, following
with Superstation TBS, Headline News, and TNT. The High Museum of
Art opened its doors in 1983. In 1989, Underground Atlanta, a
retail/restaurant/entertainment complex with a historical theme,
came into being.
The city prepared for the 1996 Olympic Games with new parks, hotels,
and sports venues. In the center of downtown is Woodruff Park, which
recently underwent a $5 million renovation. The Olympic Village,
erected just north of the central business district, now provides
housing for Georgia State University students. South of the Olympic
Village and stretching to CNN Center is the 21-acre Centennial
Olympic Park: a major gathering place during the Olympics, with its
dramatic Olympic Ring fountain, lawns, and gardens. Reopened in
1998, it regularly hosts concerts, street festivals and other
cultural events and anchors the city's efforts to revitalize
commercial and residential development in a once neglected corner of
downtown. The Olympic Stadium, the site of the opening and closing
ceremonies as well as the track and field events, has been
reincarnated as Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball
team.
Currently the spotlight in Atlanta is not on growth and how to
encourage it, but on growth and how to manage it. This has resulted
in major improvements in transportation and in restoration of the
historic and downtown areas.
Atlanta's arts community has deep roots. The Atlanta Ballet is the
oldest Ballet Company in America. Visitors come to Atlanta for a
taste of the South and find they have discovered an international
flavor. Atlanta's position as the cultural capital of the South
affords patrons an array of options. The presence of both
traditional and experimental arts organizations means that neither
the classics nor avant-garde works are neglected. A typical year's
offerings include traditional Shakespeare, symphony and grand opera
as well as child and adult-oriented puppet theater, post-modern
psychological drama and alternative productions of well-known works.
There are a wide selection of offerings in the visual arts too.
Besides the architecturally renowned High Museum of Art, Emory
University's Michael C. Carlos Museum and The High Museum of Art
Folk Art and Photography Galleries, the city has many private and
public galleries that sponsor a variety of artists and styles.
Traditional, primitive and modern painting, sculpture, studio
crafts, drawing, and photography are part of the wealth of artistic
offerings on view at any given time.
Atlanta enjoys four definite seasons. Warm summers and mild winters
allow nearly year round golfing, fishing and outdoor living. The
Stone Mountain nightly laser show and the park's many recreational
opportunities keep millions of visitors coming back. Nightlife is
hopping at Buckhead where young sophisticates gather for dancing to
great music until 4:00AM. Families keep a lively pace visiting the
bounty of fun -filled and educational offerings from the Atlanta zoo
to Cyclorama and SciTrek. There is no limit that can be placed on
the possibilities of an Atlanta vacation! |
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Atlanta
History Center
A contemporary atmosphere marks this historical center, which holds the
largest, most comprehensive Civil War exhibits in the South, and touches
on aspects of Southern and Atlanta history, including the civil-rights
struggle. Two historic homes on the 23-acre grounds of the center are
open for touring: an authentic 1840s-working farm (The Tullie Smith
House), and a 1928 grand Italianate mansion (The Swan House)
Atlanta
Botanical Garden
The Garden features several distinct exhibit areas. The Fuqua
Conservatory is a giant greenhouse enclosing different
climate-controlled ecosystems. The steamy Tropical Rotunda features
colossal-leaved plant life and towering rubber trees. Visitors feels
like they are in a real rainforest. Outdoors, there are numerous paths
to guide guests through planned nature walks. The influence of Japanese
architecture is evident throughout, and quiet spots to sit and absorb
the beauty of the landscape are abundant. Children are special guests at
the Botanical Gardens. An interactive "kid's space" is scheduled to be
completed in 1999.
Centennial
Olympic Park
Centennial Park is clean and well-maintained space, featuring a
decorative mosaic of grass-green patches and various geometric shapes
composed in red brick. The Quilt of Remembrance, a memorial to those
killed by the bomb planted here during the 1996 Olympics, is the most
notable of the park's many artistic adornments. Every day at noon sharp
jets of water suddenly burst from the six rings of an Olympic logo in a
beautiful water display that includes programmed music.
Center for Puppetry
Arts
Located in a former elementary school, the 22-year-old center prides
itself on being the largest organization in the U.S. devoted to
puppetry. The center offers puppetry classes, daily performances by
center puppeteers and various companies, along with a great interactive
museum that includes figures like the Muppets.
Fabulous Fox
Theatre
This beautiful 1920s structure was built as an Yaarab Temple Shrine
Mosque and features Moorish designs inside and out, including onion
domes, minarets, and arches. An open-air Arabian courtyard serves as the
auditorium. The Fox showcases a colossal theater organ with four
keyboards, 3,622 pipes, 376 stops, and 42 ranks. This attraction is one
of Atlanta's most beloved landmarks.
Grant Park
Corner of Berne Street and Boulevard Atlanta
In 1883, Colonel Lemuel P. Grant bequeathed 85 acres of his private
estate to Atlanta for use as a public park. The city won 44 more acres
of land before opening the park in 1891. The park has cozy glens,
abundant small hills, gazebos and open pavilions. Grant Park also
contains the Atlanta Zoo.
Kennesaw Mountain National Park
Kennesaw Mountain National Park commemorates the 1864 Civil War battle
for Atlanta. Union forces under General Sherman assaulted the heavily
fortified Confederate positions on Kennesaw, losing more than 5,000 men.
Eventually, Confederate forces retreated amidst the horror of
hand-to-hand combat. Today, the park encloses 2,882 acres of protected
land and boasts 16 miles of hiking trails. Over 11 miles of Confederate
trenches form visible rings on the mountainside. Historic markers and
memorials provide information about significant battle sites and events.
A small museum displays Civil War-era artifacts. Guests often picnic
here and enjoy views of Atlanta and even Chattanooga, Tennessee. Over
1million people enjoy this park each year.
Lake Lanier
Islands
Lake Lanier Islands is a resort and waterpark spread across 1,200 acres
There are numerous hotels, golf courses, boat rentals. But the biggest
attraction is the Waterpark, featuring water-slide rides, a king-size
wave pool, a mile and a half of white sandy beach, volleyball, and live
music and DJs.
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Martin Luther King Jr
National Historic Site
A half-mile stretch of Auburn Avenue east of downtown is marked by its
association with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These sites include the
Queen Anne-style house where he was born, Ebenezer Baptist Church where
he preached, and the memorial tomb at the King Center where he is
buried. The Visitor Center offers outstanding exhibits on the life and
times of King.
Piedmont Park
Piedmont Park is now the center of outdoor and recreational activities
in Atlanta, where virtually any game or activity imaginable can be found
here. Piedmont also hosts various statuary and memorials that bear
witness to the city's history.
SciTrek Science & Tech Museum
SciTrek, Atlanta's museum of science and technology, prides itself on
its hands-on exhibits. More than 150 permanent exhibits explain science
through doing, touching, and playing. The many activities and regularly
scheduled science shows are educational and fun for kids of all ages.
Six Flags Over Georgia
A 331-acre, state-of-the-art theme park, Six Flags has over 100 rides,
attractions, and shows. Water Flumes, roller coasters, stage shows,
musicals, carnival food, restaurants, and more greet millions of
visitors to this regional attraction each year. Check it out for a wild
and fun time!
Stone Mountain Park
Stone Mountain is located 20 minutes outside of Atlanta, and features a
three-acre sculpture of Confederate leaders etched into the
mountainside. Stone Mountain also has a restored Antebellum Plantation,
featuring 18th and 19th century colonial mansions, slave cabins, coach
houses, and barns. The Park's 3,200 acres contain numerous lakes, hiking
trails, paved recreational paths, and a 1.3 mile climb to the top of
Stone Mountain. From the top one can see Atlanta's modern skyline and
the nearby Appalachians. There are also a wildlife preserve and petting
zoo operates year round. Finally, there is a nightly laser show that
recreates historical events.
World Of Coca-Cola
This museum is dedicated entirely to the history of the world's most
recognizable brand: Coca-Cola. Thousands of Coke objects, commercials,
radio jingles, and billboards from Coke's 114 year history can be found
within. Visitors learn how Coke is bottled, and see Coke's international
side. A Coke tasting session caps off the tour, where visitors can
sample Coke from around the world.
Jimmy
Carter Library and Museum
The Only presidential library in the southeast United States honors the
early life, political career, and presidency of Jimmy Carter. Museum
open to the public 7 days; designed for a relaxed, leisurely visit.
Enjoy a 30 minute historical film on the Presidency, visit the Oval
Office and enjoy an exact replica of the beautiful Crown of St. Stephen,
a gift from the people of Hungary. Ongoing temporary exhibits are
offered. September thru April 1999, visitors will enjoy a realistic
recreation of Camp David and participate in the 20th Anniversary of the
signing of the Camp David Accords. Free cultural/educational programs
featured throughout the year. The public is encouraged to picnic at
concerts on the lawn, attend book signings of best-selling authors, or
lunch on the terrace at the Copenhill Café. Stroll through the lovely
gardens, sit by the pond, and take photos of Atlanta's skyline.
Underground Atlanta
Six city blocks in the heart of Atlanta have been transformed into a
spirited urban marketplace featuring 12 spectacular restaurants, over
100 specialty shops, and entertainment emporiums, as well as street-cart
merchants.
CNN Center
The global headquarters of the CNN News Group and Turner Broadcasting
and also an entertainment-shopping-dining-hotel extravaganza. The crown
jewel of the Center is the CNN Studios tour, a must-see for an
impressive behind-the-scenes look at global news in the making. |
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