jcasale

We will be going to Georgia and South Carolina in April 2009 and are going to drive through Atlanta either on the way there or the way back. DH wants to see Stone Mountain and we plan to spend at least one full day around the Atlanta area. I recall from when I was a kid (many moons ago ) going to Underground Atlanta. Does that area still exist and if so is it worth checking out?

beentheretwice

Go see the new aquarium instead.

Skip Underground.

AAFrequentFlyer

It's a shopping mall. It does have some interesting shops but that's all it is.

tchoiniere

Agree that you should go to the Aquarium instead. I went to the Underground and spent 25 minutes there. Most of which was spent parking my car.

I did really .enjoy Stone Mountain Park.

offlady

My husband also remembered the Underground growing up as a kid. So when we were in Atlanta a few years ago we went there and were not impressed at all. Mostly t-shirt vendors and trinkets. We really enjoyed Stone Mountain and the Coca Cola museum.

lvk

We didn't think there was anything special about Underground Atlanta or the CocaCola Museum. We really enjoyed the CNN Tour.

dmlove

We also enjoyed the CNN tour (not that that was your question LOL!). Don't even remember underground Atlanta so it likely wasn't too memorable. The Coca-Cola museum was an okay way to kill a few hours in a city that has very very few tourist attractions.

Bird

Don't bother with Underground Atlanta. (Although I do remember getting a pretty good praline at a candy shop.)

The Coke place is interesting if you like spending money on a really long commercial and drinking soft drinks till you puke.

traveler24

Skip Underground....
A coke drinker all my life (quit due to health reasons)I was really pissed when I had to pay to get into museum.,plus was areal dud...
Stone Mt. was great... take tram to top..
CNN tour very interesting
If you happen to be interested in Civil War--don't miss Atlanta Historical Society "diosama" (sp??)
It is 2 blocks from Buckhead Shopping Center-includes a tour of Swan Mansion-recently refurbished
Diorama exhibit is examples of "north & south" history,weapons, and explanation of each progress on a year by year.
Also Buckhead area easy trip on MARTA (their transit system)
Also--you can tell I love Atlanta- Great art Museum
named "High" in "mid-town' Also accessible by MARTA
Have fun...

jcasale

Glad I asked this question! I remember Underground Atlanta being really cool, but then again I was 16 and that was about 36 years ago ;-)! Guess we'll skip it. Stone Mountain is the main reason for going through Atlanta and the tram does look like a cool thing to do. I recall doing the train, but they didn't have the tram. We like aquariums so maybe we'll check that out. Any good places to eat?

abram

We thought the Coke Museum wasn't worth the time or money. We liked the Carter Library, the MLK sites, and the Atlanta History Center.

traveller1959

We once spent a whole week in Atlanta and enjoyed the time up to the last minute. And we came back last year.

Here my personal ranking of attractions:8. B

1. Stone Mountain.
2. Martin Luther King Historic District.
3. The State Capitol (well, we are Europeans).
4. Governor's Mansion.
5. High Museum of Art.
6. Herndon Home
7. Tullie Smith House
8. Buckhead neigbhorhood (I have read Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full")

I agree with others to skip Underground Atlanta. The Coca-Cola Museum IS disappointing (astonishing that such a big company operates such a meagre museum).

Eating: In the Quinones room at Bacchanalia, we were served the best meal we ever had in the USA. Spectacular! (but pricey, around 200$ per person including wines)
http://www.starprovisions.com

You can also get gourmet cuisine at good value for money at Bluepointe (around 100$ per person including wines).
http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/bp.html

GoTravel

Underground was happening about the same time Atlanta got the (shudder) moniker 'Hotlanta'.

lisettemac

I can't believe no one is recommending the Cyclorama. It's pretty cool and unique -- I don't think you'll see another one.

abram

Oh, I forgot about the Cyclorama--we liked that, too. The only other one we've been to was in the Netherlands.

starrs

If you go to the Cyclorama, you are at the zoo. Go see the pandas. Go early when the zoo opens and watch the morning routines. I love to watch the zoo keepers wash and check the elephants.

starrs

Oops. Sorry.
Skip Underground Atlanta.

You remember the "old" UA. They tried to revive it again - and it's still a dud.

jcasale

Thanks for the suggestions. I think we'll skip Bluepoint, though. $100 is a bit steep, but the other place sounds like a possibility. Guess I need to do a little updated reading about Atlanta.

cpdl

Reading Tom Wolfe's a Man in Full is an excellent idea if you are of the mind. Then a visit to the High Museum, a drive down West Paces Ferry and into the heart of Buckhead would take on a different feel.

jleslick

Don't miss the Georgia Aquarium - great for all ages! Well worth the admission/ticket cost & the world's largest aquarium too.
If you do the afternoon tour, walk on up to Stats, a unique sports bar restaurant just on the other side of Embassy Suites and Hilton Garden Inn hotels behind the Aquarium.