stlouisblues

My family is planning on visiting Atlanta in late July. We're from St. Louis so heat and humiditiy is an everyday event to which we are quite accustomed to dealing with. My children are ages 12 and 13 and aren't huge history buffs, but we like to mix a little history and education with our vacation fun. We plan to visit Six Flags and its related waterpark. What area of the city would you recommend that we stay (any hotel suggestions would be appreciated) and what places should we take the children to see that would be of interest to teens and adults?

benj

I would suggest going to Stone Mountain. The carvings are impressive & there is history & amusement there for the kids. Another thing that our family enjoyed was touring the Coca-Cola Museum. Even my grown brother liked it!
You could also see if anything is going on at Turner Field if the kids are into sports.

ellen_griswold

The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum are in Atlanta, part of the wonderful Presidential Library system. Each president's museum is unique and all are worth a visit.

gmoney

I will second what benj said about Stone Mountain. We spent a few days in Atlanta last October and we all just loved Stone Mountain. There is a lot more to do than just the mountain, we did not have time to see and do everything. And the grounds are just beautiful and the park is very well maintained. We all raved about it and want to go back camping. We also visited the zoo which was OK but nothing great. We stayed in Alpharetta and were really happy with that area. We were there for a wedding so did not get to see much else.

syddiez

Stone Mountain and the Coca-Cola museum are great choices (at the coke museum you can taste soda from all around the world) Another fun outing for 12 or 13 year olds may be to walk aroung little five points - Its a cute hippy-neighborhood - Also I am a huge fan of the Martin Luther King musueum - I think children will find it far more interesting than the Carter Center -

1scs1

You will need a car, so I would suggest that you stay in Midtown or Buckhead, both within the city limits. Both areas have many hotel options and restaurant choices. Without knowing what you want to spend per night, it is hard to make a suggestion, but there is something for every budget.

Six Flags is to the west of the city, Stone Mountain is to the east, so staying centrally located would be the most convenient. Just so you know, White Water, the Six Flags water park, is not right near Six Flags. White Water is in Marietta, about 20 minutes from downtown Atlanta. It is a fun water park, and I'm sure your kids will have a great time there.

Downtown Atlanta has The World of Coca-Cola, which does not take long to go through. The best part is at the end when you get to taste all of the different beverages Coke makes for other countries. While downtown you could also see Centennial Olympic Park and take a tour of CNN. You could tour the King Center, MLK's museum, and the Jimmy Carter Library on another day as they are located right near each other.

Hope this helps!

Travelnow

Hello. My family recently visited St. Louis and had a wonderful trip so I would like to offer some suggestions for your trip to my former home. We also have teens so I will offer what they enjoy doing on our frequent trips back to Atlanta.
Since you are planning to visit Six Flags and Whitewater, I would suggest that you stay in Marietta. It is not too far from Six Flags and offers many family style lodging choices and restaurants. We have stayed at the Embassy Suites and the Sheraton Suites and thought both were good choices. The area they are in around Cumberland Mall is safe and close to interstate access. One tip about Six Flags is that Coke frequently puts discounts for admission on their cans. Just stop at a supermarket and check on this before going to the parks. There is enough at Six Flags for 2 days but if you will try to go on a weekday you can do the park in 1 day. Lines for the coasters do get long though.
If you like Chinese there is a great small restaurant just off highway 41 in Marietta-House of Chan's. Be sure to have a Chick-fil-a sandwich while you are in Atlanta. It is a local chain and is very good.
I like the suggestion for Stone Mountain. There is so much to do there.
I think there is still a laser show after dark that is fun.
Because I have visited St. Louis and know many of the things you have there I will offer that, in my opinion, you could skip the High Museum, Fernbank
Science Center and the Zoo. St Louis does all of these quite well.
My teens thought the CNN tour was o.k.
We all thought the World of Coke was just a big advertisement. Underground Atlanta is like your Union Station (just a tourist stop).
I like the idea for the King Center and the MLK museum. This would also give them a chance to see Downtown.
Hope this helps.

amandaamanda

For 12 and 13 year olds enjoyment.

1. Virginia Highlands (if girls)
Shopping, cute walk. Nice homes. Good food.

2. Dante's Down the Hatch in Buckhead (caddy corner from Lenox Mall and across street from Swiss Hotel) Live jazz, live crocodiles in moate... go for the entertainment more than food which is also good and an adventure in itself as it is fondue... Order 2 mandarins and a cheese fondue for the table is a good way to go...

3. Downtown
a. World of Coca-Cola
b. CNN Center
c. Braves game (if boys and at night)
d. Underground (mallish but history around it--- and close to World of Coca-Cola and underground so why not)

4. Stone Mountain may be boring to 12 and 13 year olds depending on what they like... if go, tie it in to later in the day so you can see fireworks at night...

5. Six Flags and water park are good calls... tie in with a bit of history by stopping off in Marietta GA's town square for a quick bite at night...

6. (for kicks) Drive down Peachtree from Lenox Mall in Buckhead all the way to down town goto about Martin Luther King and turn around...
Now, make a right at the Fox theatre onto Ponce De Leon, and a quick left onto Piedmont Road. Stop at Jakes for some homemade icecream... Continue up Piedmont past Piedmont Park OR rent bikes and check it out... The kids might like Botanical gardens, just a little north of Jakes... stop here and enjoy...

maryann

I would spend some time at Lake Lanier Island-do the downtown thing for 1 or 2 days then go about 25 miles N. , there are beautiful hotels, golf, waterpark and rent a boat and go on the lake. Great time.

starrysky

I found the Atlanta History Museum to be very interesting. They have a lot of things from the Civil War which pre-teens might enjoy seeing. There are gardens and two historic homes on the grounds.