The family took a quick weekend getaway to Atlanta, and we had so much fun! Our trip was part of the stadium tour, but we packed in as much fun as we could in the short time we were there!
This trip included Hubby, the kiddo, and me, as well as Sis, Bro in law, their daughter (my niece), and my parents. We stayed downtown at the Residence Inn by Marriott Atlanta Downtown, which was steps away from the MARTA station, and walking distance to all of the major attractions except SunTrust Park. Every staff member at the hotel was friendly and accommodating, and made sure that we had everything we needed all weekend. The only negative feature of the hotel was the sofa bed in our two bedroom suite, which when converted from sofa to sofa bed blocked the entrance to one of the bedrooms. Thankfully, we managed just fine for the two nights we stayed.
Here are a few of the things we did over the weekend:
World of Coca-Cola:
Tons of memorabilia and interactive exhibits about the history, production, marketing, and distribution of Coca-Cola and all of the Coke products around the world.
The story of the iconic Coke bottle 
World Cup pins 
Pins from the 1996 Summer Olympics 
Me in the Coke bubbles! 
The Vault where the secret recipe is kept
My favorite part was the tasting area that has Coke products from all over the world to sample – some were good, some were gross! One of them tasted like bbq sauce! Blech!
Some of the options from Asia 
The Latin America fountain options
Actually, my favorite part of the day was meeting the famous Coca-Cola Polar Bear! I love those commercials around the holidays, and I have a small collection of ornaments. Naturally, I had to buy another to commemorate our trip!
Georgia Aquarium
This may be the best aquarium I have visited and is a must-visit, especially if you have kids. We had so much fun looking at all of the exhibits, and the Ocean Voyager tank was amazing, full of turtles, rays, and sharks, including several whale sharks! There was a little conveyor belt to ride on to navigate one part of the exhibit, and then a giant window viewing area that allowed visitors to get a much better perspective on just how big some of these fish really are. The kiddo loved standing next to the glass and watching the beautiful creatures swim by him.
We couldn’t take pictures for the safety of the animals, but we loved the sea lion show (“Under the Boardwalk”) and the Dolphin Celebration. The kiddo was mesmerized watching the dolphins swim and jump and flip. Fair warning – you will definitely get wet if you sit in the front at the dolphin show! We didn’t buy the advance tickets for the dolphin show, and we had no problem getting a seat, but we went to the 6pm show and it was definitely less crowded than earlier shows.
Centennial Olympic Park (and other parks)
Parts of the park were closed while we visited, but that didn’t stop us from having fun! There is nice playground, lots of areas to run, and our favorite, the Olympic Rings splash pad! Of course, the actual Olympic Rings are also present for pictures and displays about the history of how the Atlanta Olympic bid came to fruition!
Olympic Rings 
Splash pad
We also found a few other parks in the area, like Woodruff Park and the International Peace Fountain to play and burn off energy!
Atlanta Braves Game
The whole point of our trip was the stadium tour, so naturally we went to a Braves game. We had been to Turner Field, but not SunTrust Park, so Atlanta could be an official stadium tour visit. The park was the only place we couldn’t walk to, and we were a little annoyed by that, until we arrived and realized that the location in The Battery was awesome.
There are plenty of restaurants and shops and other forms of entertainment in the area, and SunTrust Park is so well integrated into the area, and benefits by being able to offer all sorts of food options in and out of the park (like Fox Bros BBQ – yum!). We all had bbq and, as per tradition, we got some food in a helmet!
We saw fireworks after the game, and were entertained by the Heavy Hitters and ATL Breakers on the steps outside of the stadium. Traffic was still a nightmare though!
Atlanta United Game
I wrote about the Atlanta United game already, so I will just add that I think these games are the hottest ticket in town. If you get a chance, go to a game!
Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Park
Sadly, I didn’t get to visit this site. I stayed at the hotel with two napping kiddos and Hubby, who developed strep throat! My parents, Sis, and Bro in Law visited, however, and they said it was inspiring so I definitely need to go on our next visit!
There are plenty of other things we would’ve liked to do – the Children’s Museum, College Football Hall of Fame, and CNN Studio Tour to name a few. Atlanta is definitely a place to visit as an individual, couple, family, or with friends, and I’m sure we will be back again!
