Dear NEXT TRAVELER to Atlanta, Georgia!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. Centennial Olympic Park
2. World of Coca-Cola
3. Stone Mountain Park
4. Atlanta Braves Baseball Game
5. Zoo Atlanta
6. The Georgia Aquarium
7. Gone with the Wind
8. Six Flags over Georgia
9. Atlanta Georgia LDS Temple
10. Antique shopping

We lived in the westside suburbs of Atlanta for three years and even prior to living there, we spent countless weekends visiting the city. We always found so many things to explore and do. Since I’m a southern girl, I love to visit the big city and still find southern hospitality. Atlanta is a great Southern city!
Atlanta is a geographically spread-out city. It does offer the MARTA which has four rail lines (red, gold, blue, and green). The rail system connects Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The majority of the top attractions can be reached through using MARTA. Some of the outlying attractions you’ll need a car or rideshare to reach.

Centennial Olympic Park. When people ask me what to do in Atlanta, one of my first suggestions is always Centennial Olympic Park. The Park is a great representation of the city. There is plenty of green space to run around, 22 acres to be exact. Prior to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, the area was a rundown, less than ideal place in the middle of downtown Atlanta. It was transformed into an amazing gathering space for all those that came to be part of the Olympic Games. In the summer the kids love the splash pads and the rocks to climb on. There’s lots of benches and exhibits throughout the park.
The Fountain of Rings water show times are at 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 6:30pm, and 9:00pm. Centennial Olympic Park is open daily from 7 am – 11 pm. Skyview Atlanta, a fantastic observation wheel is also located in close proximity to the Park. The views are 200 feet above Centennial Olympic Park.

World of Coca-Cola. In close proximity to Centennial Park is the World of Coca Cola. It’s an interactive museum where you can learn all about the history of coca cola, visit the Vault to learn about the secret recipe, sample over 100 beverages from around the world, create your own flavor, see authentic Coca Cola artifacts, and meet the Coca‑Cola Polar Bear. It’s always a fun experience.

Stone Mountain Park. Stone Mountain is a massive rock, a quartz monzonite dome monadnock, to be exact. The park is about 15 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia. Stone Mountain was purchased by the state of Georgia in 1958 and officially opened on April 14, 1965 – 100 years to the day after Lincoln’s assassination. You can hike to the very top, which is 1,686 feet. One of the neatest features of Stone Mountain is the massive carving in the front of the rock of three Confederate leaders, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. You can ride the Skyride, a Swiss-built cable car to the summit of the mountain which passes by the carving on the way up. Historic Square is a collection of historic buildings relocated from around the state of Georgia. There are three plantation houses dating from 1794, 1850 and 1845; and are modeled after Colonial Williamsburg. The Dinotorium is a children’s activity area with games, climbing structures, trampoline floors and slides. Sky Hike is a family ropes adventure course; Geyser Towers is a playground featuring a large fountain at the entrance. In the summers there are fireworks & laser light shows on the face of the rock. There’s also a train you can ride around the park. There’s so much to do there, you can spend an entire day.

Atlanta Braves Game. Attending and cheering at a Braves baseball game is a perfect way to enjoy the energy of the city alongside Braves fans. We have attended Braves baseball games at Turner Field and at their current field. Truist Park has been the Braves’ home stadium since 2017. It’s located in the Cumberland area. It’s not just a field, it’s an entire experience. There are numerous places to eat, things to do and ways to enjoy the baseball experience beyond the game.

Zoo Atlanta. Always a great place to visit for the kids. It’s a great zoo with a wide variety of animals and things to do and see.

The Georgia Aquarium. One of the best aquariums. The aquarium exhibits animals across its seven major galleries in more than 11 million US gallons of water. From 2005-2012, it was the largest aquarium in the world and is now the largest in the United States and the 6th largest in the world. The aquarium has whale sharks, beluga whales, California sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, manta rays, sea otters, and tiger sharks. Its centerpiece is a huge whale shark exhibit.

Gone With the Wind. No trip to Atlanta would be complete without a visit to something Gone with the Wind related. The Gone with the Wind Museum is located in Marietta, Georgia. It has an extensive collection of memorabilia relating to the book and movie. The collection is owned by Vicky Lynn Rogers who has been collecting items for over 30 years. Some of the most notable items are the mourning bonnet worn by Scarlett O’Hara, the Bengaline Honeymoon gown, Bonnie Blue’s riding outfit and Rhett Butler’s jacket. The Margaret Mitchell House is where the author of Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell lived in the small apartment on the first floor. They lived there in 1925 and the story goes that she had run out of fiction works to read from the library and her husband suggested she write one of her own. Mitchell wrote her first and only book: Gone With the Wind. When the Gone With the Wind film premiered in Atlanta, Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland stayed at the Georgia Terrace Hotel. In Jonesboro, Georgia, 30 minutes south of Atlanta, there are several other Gone with the Wind related places. Stately Oaks, is an 1839 antebellum house in Jonesboro, GA., the very city where Scarlett had to pay taxes. The Road to Tara Museum in Jonesboro “houses original movie props and wardrobe items, foreign edition library, original manuscripts, costume reproductions, extensive photo gallery and complete collectible plate and doll collection.”

Six Flags over Georgia. We’ve been going to Six Flags for over 30 years. It’s always fun and has plenty for rides for all ages. If you’re planning to go in the summer just be aware that it is exceptionally hot in the park and bring plenty of water and dress accordingly.

Atlanta Georgia LDS Temple. The Atlanta Temple is the 21st dedicated temple in operation. It was announced on April 2, 1980 and dedicated on June 1, 1983. Since its opening it has been renovated and re-dedicated twice on November 14, 1997 & May 1, 2011. We were blessed to attend the Open House with our two children after the renovation in 2011. It is a beautiful and peaceful house to the Lord.

Antique shopping. Scott Antique Markets. Don Scott, founder of the Scott Antique Markets, made a living buying and selling antiques around the country, until starting his own antiques place. Thirty years later, the Scott Antique Markets is the World’s Largest Monthly Indoor Antique and Interiors Show at the Atlanta Expo Centers. There are several other antique places just northeast of Atlanta in the Chamblee Antique Row District. The love the Broad Street Antique Mall, Simple Finds and The Treasure Mart.

Parks. One of the most notable features of Atlanta is how green it is. There are parks and trees all over the city. Atlanta has over 3,000 acres of parkland and 343 parks. Some of the most known parks include: Atlanta Botanical Garden, Piedmont Park, Grant Park, Chastain Park, and Freedom Park. Activities in the parks range from hiking, biking, pickleball courts, tennis courts, dog parks, basketball courts, splash pads and skateboarding.

Atlanta is a fantastic Southern city full of plenty of things to do and see.