My freshman year of college I lived a couple hours from Atlanta, Georgia and made numerous visits. I fell in love with its beauty and adventure. Since that year in college I have made sure to return when possible. It is a very affordable place to fly in to and is packed with fun things to do. I will barely touch the surface but I hope this inspires you to plan a visit.
City Pass
This is a great investment if you want to explore all of the big attractions. It is priced $76 for adults and $61 for children and gets you into 5 attractions. You will save about $50 dollars a person if you go this route. Click this link to find out more information.
Georgia Aquarium
This is the largest aquarium in the WORLD! The exhibits are fantastic and the animals are amazing. I have been twice and still feel like I haven’t seen it all! This is a part of the city pass or you can find cheaper tickets if you are willing to go in the evening or a military member. My first visit we used the City Pass and our second visit was shorter so we chose a day military members were free along with the evening option. We ended up only paying $25. Their WOW factor is definitely the massive under water tunnel, where you go through the middle of the tank. It really puts all other aquariums to shame.
World of Coca Cola
I don’t even drink soda but I loved learning the history of this iconic drink. You start out watching a brief movie of the history of Coke and then you are set free to explore all the awesome memorabilia. My favorite thing is all of the Olympic torches. Afterwards, you can sample all the different products they make, even the ones from different countries! I can honestly tell you some of those drinks would never fly in the United States, haha! This is a City Pass option or $17 for adults and $13 for children. The second time we went we took advantage of the free military admission and only had to pay for my ticket. Quinn at the time was still considered free.
Atlanta Zoo
The zoo is always fun and my favorite part was……the pandas! From what I researched there are only 4 zoos in U.S. that have pandas. They are a rare sight you do not want to miss unless you’re planning to visit San Diego, D.C., or Memphis soon. This is a City Pass option or $22.99 for adults and $16.99 for children. Military members and children 2 and under are free!
CNN Tour
If you want to see what behind the scenes of a major news network looks like, then this is a must for you. I wouldn’t recommend it for small children, it is geared more towards elementary age and older. The prices vary depending on what kind of tour you are wanting.
College Football Hall of Fame
If you have a football lover in your family this is an absolute must! At the entrance everyone will get a badge that you will use through out the museum. They have a helmet for every college football team in the United States. They even had the helmet for the small college that Victor played for back in his “hay day!” You pick your team and it will guide you through the virtual part of the tour. One part of the museum talks about how tailgating came about! After viewing all of the memorabilia, you go downstairs to their practice field. You can run plays and kick the football just like the college players do every practice. This is a City Pass option or $21.99 for adults and $17.99 for children. Military and children under 3 are free!
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Dinosaurs! I visited this museum when I was in college so I can only imagine how interesting it is now. My favorite part was of course the giant dinosaur bones. They do a great job drawing the interest of young children and adults alike. They also have a 75 acre Wildwood forest that is open to explore. This is a City Pass option or you can explore their website to see pricing options.
Centennial Olympic Park
The 1996 summer Olympics was held in Atlanta and they have done a great job turning this area into a gorgeous park that commemorates what once took place. You can take a stroll and see all the statues or visit the Olympic ring fountain, where you will find tons of children running through the water. It is more like a splash pad and can be a great way to cool off during the hot summer months.
Hiking
If you really want to soak in the beauty of Atlanta, I highly recommend taking a hike. You do not have to go far to get out of the city and enjoy the mountains and waterfalls. Use this link to decide what would be a great hike for you.
If you are willing to put in some driving here is a link to some gorgeous waterfalls in Georgia worth visiting. The photo below is Tallulah Falls which is an hour and half north of Atlanta!
The Varsity
This is an iconic eatery in Atlanta. I can’t say the food was amazing but the atmosphere was pretty fun! It is like walking back in time. All the cashiers are yelling “What’ll ya have, What’ll ya have” and they give out these cute hats for the kids to wear. They are known for their chili dogs, hamburgers, fries and onion rings (which are made fresh daily). It is a great place to visit with kids, because what kid doesn’t love hot dogs and hamburger!?
Atlanta has so so much more to offer than what I’ve listed, but this is a great place to start! Depending where you fly out of you can definitely find flights for under a hundred dollars. Atlanta does have decent public transportation and if you stay downtown you will be close to most of the attractions listed. If you are wanting to explore further out I would recommend renting a car. If you have any questions feel free to contact me!
Barrons on the go... 