3 Days in Atlanta - What to Do?
 

Our family of 4 (kids 9 and 12) will be in Atlanta in mid-April for 2 nights staying at the Westin Atlanta downtown. We arrive early afternoon Thursday, have a Braves baseball game on Friday pm and leave Sunday afternoon. It's our first trip to Atlanta.
Thursday afternoon, we will explore downtown. I need a dinner recommendation for that area. Southern? BBQ? Uniquely Atlanta?
We want to see the aquarium, which we could do either Friday or Saturday. Other activities I'm looking at are the King center, Jimmy Carter Library and Stone Mountain. I would appreciate any thoughts on those activities - - or any other suggestions!
I'm debating whether to rent a car for the entire trip or perhaps just one day for the King or Stone Mountain adventure.

I did the CNN and Coke tours. Both were really great...CNN had a classy participation Tour where audience did a great sample weather prodcution...won't give the secret away but the weather map you & I see on TV is not the same in the studio.

I have 2 places to eat that are 100% Hotlanta.

If you want something very uniquely Atanta, have lunch at the Varsity. This is not great food, but is fun and an Atlants tradition. They greet you with the famous chant "What'll ya have, what'll ya have!!!". It is near Ga Tech downtown. Naked Dog Walkin' and a frosted orange, baby!

And a place for very good Southern food is the OK Cafe, located where West Paces Ferry road meets I75 north of downtown. This is one of my favorite places to eat, though I usually did so at 4:00 in the morning on the way home from Buackhead. Not dfancy, but very good. You'll probably have to wait for a table for about 20 minutes at almost any normal eating hour, but that's not so bad.

We liked the King sites, the Carter Library, the Atlanta History Center. Thought the Coke thing was a waste of time.

If you have a car, the Chatahootchie Nature Center in Roswell is excellent.

Be warned - the Aquarium is STILL VERY BUSY!!! I have a seasons pass and they still want me to make a reservation before I show up. I went on a Monday morning a few weeks ago and it was mobbed. - Everyone has the same idea to fight crowds by going in the morning. Obviously that doesn't work. Try going around noonish - that might help.

The Coke museum is INCREDIBLE. I really love it. - I would save Stone Mountain for when you have more time. It is really an all day destination. - How about the zoo? We have a great zoo.

I hate to disagree with slbrown, but the OK Cafe is ... well, just "ok" It is good for what it is,(I eat breakfast there often - and sometimes get takeaway) but it is definitely NOT a destination place. If you want Southern food, you can do MUCH BETTER with Sylvia's or Gladys Knight & Ron Winan's Chicken & Waffles - both downtown and more conveniently located. I know there is more, but my mind is a blank at the moment

:)

you definitely need reservations WELL in advance for the aquarium. I would try and get in first thing in the morning - I think it opens at 9am or late in the day - otherwise it will be mobbed on a weekend and you won't be able to enjoy the exhibits.

Thanks for the tip on the aquarium. It sounds like they have a built in exhibit on sardines!

If you are bringing kids, be sure to go to the Museum of Coke!

I liked it a lot, and only visited Atlanta for one day, ending with a Braves' game.

Hi- if you go to the aquarium on Friday, it may not be as busy - it's not an all day thing - 2 or 3 hours. It is busy, but it is still worth it. Some really neat & amazing things. And yes, go online & order your tickets NOW.

Also, it's actually better if you don't arrive right at your reservation time. If your time is 2pm, you can arrive anytime between 2pm & 3pm, so go at 215 or 230 & there will be no line going in.

The Coca-Cola museum is fun. They also do behind the scenes tours of Turner Field which are really cool. If you plan to do only downtown activities and eats then you would only need a car for Stone Mountain. You can take the Marta to/from the game.

Downtown has Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock. If your kids have never been to one they may enjoy that. Also, we ate at the All- Star Cafe downtown a couple of years ago. The food is average but your kids would probably enjoy the sports theme atmosphere.

Enjoy your trip.

the coca-cola museum was actually really neat. you can spend as much, or as little time as you need. (perfect for kids)and the coke in the tasting room is great!! for dinner suggestions, anywhere in the buckhead area. i also like "rock bottom grill".

I have my aquarium tickets - thanks for the heads up on that. Can someone describe the King center? How do I get there from downtown? Thanks.

Keymom,
Your kids would really like Stone Mountain. If you are actually staying in Atlanta 3 nights (Thursday, Friday, Sat?), then I believe the Laser Show will be starting in April on Saturday nights only. the laser show is fun for both kids and adults. You can spend the afternoon and early evening there, then stay until dark when the Laser show starts. The only bad part is trying to get out of the Park at night with all the traffic from the Laser show and make your way back downtown. I have always thought it would really be nice to stay at the Stone Mountain Inn and be able to walk back to the hotel after the Laser show instead of having to make the drive home, but seems foolish when we live in Atlanta. Anyway, spending time at Stone Mountain would probably be a good idea for Saturday.

I thought the coke museum was a real waste of time. I think Stone Mountain is a sight to see. My personal favorite BBQ in Atlanta is One Star (formerly the Rib Ranch) in Buckhead. It's Texas BBQ.
I think a car in Atlanta is a must. Our mass transit systeme is limited, unless you like to do lots of walking.

I didn't love the World of Coke. You are paying for a several hour advertisement of their product!

In addition to the sights mentioned already, I like the Cyclorama (it's a 360 painting of the battle of Atlanta, with the story told -- pretty cool).

For BBQ, I like Fat Matt's Rib Shack in Buckhead. I also like South City Kitchen in midtown for southern food. Uniquely Atlanta is definitely the Varsity.

keymom,

Based on your kids ages, I believe they will love the World of Coke. It is not a huge place, but can be interesting for your first visit. I take all of my out of town guests and they enjoy it. It's not the Museum of Natural History...and is not intended to be. Although I find that boring too (-:

How different is the world of coke from the coke exhibit at Disneyworld (or was it Universal?)? We've tasted those cokes of many lands.

I would also recommend a trip to Dave and Buster's. It is an adult arcade with great food. of course there will be something there for youngsters to enjoy as well. Then you should hit up Lenox Mall, where you may spot a celebrity or two just hanging out. Check out the Hard Rock Cafe. Benihana's is pretty good as is the Atlanta Grill. Underground Atlanta is also nice if it is still open. I haven't been there in a few years. That has a lot of shops and restaurants like Mick's and sometimes there is entertainment outside.

We are finalizing our plans! We have the Aquarium on Friday am (thanks for the advice about getting tickets in advance - some times were already sold out) and baseball on Friday pm. So how shall we spend Saturday morning before a late afternoon plane? MLK? Cyclorama?

topping