A weekend in Atlanta

We took a trip to Atlanta for the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. day. We found amazing flight deals with Frontier Airlines so we just HAD to go! (It ended up being $100/person ROUND TRIP). We stayed at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park. The location was perfect to all 5 places we visited, and it had great restaurants in the area.

We ate at Kwan’s Deli and Korean Kitchen, Der Biergarten, Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria, Johnny Rockets, and of course Chick-fil-A!!

We purchased a CityPASS and it was definitely worth the money for Atlanta. We got 5 attractions for $75/adult and $59/child. These prices may go up, so make sure you double check the website! Read about each location below!

The Georgia Aquarium was magnificent. You can download an app that has a map and showtimes, so that helped us plan our time well. We saw the penguins do the Waddle Walk, witnessed a whale shark feeding, and enjoyed the dolphin show!! If you do choose to see the AT&T Dolphin Celebration, get there early! We arrived about 10 minutes before and had to sit at the very top-it seats over 1,000 people.
World of Coca-Cola was #1 on Sarah’s youngest son’s list. He could not WAIT to try all of the different Coke flavors! When you arrive, you get to choose a complimentary drink and are then ushered into a room with memorabilia throughout the decades. The host gives you some background information and then you go into a theater for a 7-8 minute video. It brought tears to my eyes because it includes a soldier homecoming–those get me every time!! After this, you are free to roam around on your own. We did say that we wished a tour guide could’ve taken us around because it would’ve been a little more enjoyable, but the freedom and flexibility was nice too.
Touring the CNN Studios was pretty darn cool. We stopped at the Chick-fil-A in the lobby area beforehand, and then got in line. To start the tour, you ride the longest/tallest free-standing escalator in the world! In the picture below, you can see the escalator on the right side of the screen leading into the large globe. We were able to see a few news rooms where they currently film shows, and look into a room of people who were actually at work!
We visited the Center for Civil and Human Rights on MLK Day. There are a lot of rooms that have books and papers that belonged to Dr. King, as well as his quotes and stories written on the walls. It was a great way to view the history of the Civil Rights movement, as well as hear about some unsung heroes that we may not necessarily learn about in school.
The College Football Hall of Fame was what the guys were most excited to see! Before you go in, you present your ticket and are given a lanyard. This is connected to your experience. Once you enter, a worker guides you to the kiosk where you can register your lanyard and choose the team you’d like to associate with your account. There are close to 200 football helmets on the wall, and once you choose your team a red light comes on to show you where the corresponding helmet is! There are a few levels to the building, each one showcasing coaches, players, and memorabilia throughout the years. You can play interactive games that connect to your lanyard! We did the first floor last, which was their favorite part. You can practice football drills with their equipment- and you can order Chick-fil-A through a small window! How cool! You end by going through the gift shop.