Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta

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We were eating dinner with some friends one evening and they mentioned that due to prior commitments, they would be unable to attend the Virginia Tech Football season opener in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. Both being Hokie fans, I jokingly said that Phu and I would take their tickets. Later that night, we were discussing it and said “Why not?”

Well, here are the reasons as to why it would be crazy:
-Atlanta was over 500 miles from where we currently reside
-We only had Friday evening thru Monday to travel
-I had a huge test on the Tuesday following Labor Day weekend

BUT, here are the reasons why the trip was perfectly plausible:
-Phu has family in Atlanta—free housing!!
-18 hours in the car would give me plenty of time to study for my exam

Clearly, the list of cons was longer than the pros, but we’re always up for an adventure and decided to go anyways. We packed our bags and left for Atlanta.

Our first day there, my childhood dream of going to the Georgia Aquarium was fulfilled. Complete with sharks, beluga whales, dolphins, and penguins, it is considered the “world’s most engaging aquarium experience”. We found parking a short walk away from the aquarium itself, and this is the way to go unless you have strollers as outside parking was significantly cheaper. You are overwhelmed the second that you step in, and as you go through the narrow tunnel of fish you hear children scream in delight as a whale shark passes over their head. Come earlier in the day to get your ticket to the dolphin show; we arrived at 1:30pm and all the
tickets were gone. Despite missing the show, it was still an enthralling experience; the highlight of which was when I got to touch some manta rays. The Georgia Aquarium includes six permanent exhibits, including Cold Water Quest, Georgia Explorer, Ocean Voyager, River Scout,Tropical Diver, and Dolphin Quest. The penguin exhibit is fully interactive with nooks to place your head in and find yourself staring straight into the eyes of a goofy penguin.

Following the aquarium, we walked over to the Georgia Dome. It was a terribly hot day and I was dreading sitting in the sun for the next few hours when I remembered that it was a covered stadium! The dome is home to the Atlanta Falcons and if you find yourself in the position to go to a game here, it's worth it if you follow the teams. The Georgia Dome wasn't too different than any other sporting venue I had been to, other than that on that blistering hot day I was grateful that the stadium was a wonderful 70 degrees.

On Sunday, we had a packed scheduled. The World of Coca-Cola and a Braves game were on the agenda, and we had to squeeze in some family time. The World of Coca-Cola is an homage to the world's most famous drink and had the classic museum exhibits as well as a 3D theater. We were first shuttled into a room full of memorabilia from over the years and the informative session was just as cheesy as expected. From there we were released to explore the exhibits dedicated to the fizzy beverage on our own. The exhibits were everything you could expect a Coca-Cola museum to have--from old fashioned soda fountains on display to the process of bottling the coke bottles, the all elusive “vault” that holds the secret recipe to the world famous soda was available to view. There were ads from all over the world and commercials that you could watch in the different languages, and of course the Coca-cola polar bear was ready for picture opportunities. Finally, we got to everyone’s favorite room--the tasting room. If the sticky floors from spilled soda weren’t enough, the children running around on a sugar high really get you in the moment. You get the chance to try over 60 sodas from around the world. The sodas are separated into stations based by continent, and you will quickly learn that the idea of a tasty beverage is very subjective. Some were pretty refreshing, other tasting like medicine, and some just downright disgusting. You’ll most likely leave the room with a stomachache along with a headache from all of the sugar and caffeine, but hey you only live once, right? Before you leave, make sure you grab your free freshly bottled Coca-Cola, which is a great souvenir in itself.

With our tummyaches, we headed over to see the Atlanta Braves play at Turner Field. Originally built as Centennial Olympic Park in 1996, the Braves moved in
following the Olympics. Hurry though if you want a chance to see the Braves play here, as their contract ends in 2016 and they are in the process of building a brand new stadium. We got out tickets on stubhub.com for a grand total of $15. Granted, they weren’t the best seats but I was there more for the experience then the
actual baseball game itself. Driving into the park you are greeted by the Olympic Flame, and parking was relatively easy to find and it was $10 for a short walk. On your way there, you pass the typical crowd of scalpers and vendors selling knock-off items, found and we found that the vendors are pretty easily swayed. The stadium itself is pretty far from the nicest stadium in the MLB-in fact it had a carnival sort of feel to it. The Braves let Cartoon Network take over part of the stadium
and it was strange to see corners of the stadium painted with pictures of Daffy Duck. We got there a few innings late and had plenty of time to eat and explore the stadium. Be warned: there are no restaurants close to the stadium so either come fed or pay a pretty penny for the concessions inside.

With only a few days in Atlanta, we definitely weren’t able to see everything in the city but we made due with what little time we had. There is a city pass that
allows you to see many attractions (including the CNN building) for a discounted price and it seems to be a good deal. Atlanta had more to share with us (I hear the botanical gardens are nice) but there's always next time.

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Photos

Touch Pool
The petting pool is complete with horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and stingrays.