The best part of Atlanta is all the neighbourhoods. I recommend funky little Five Points and East Atlanta, the boho chic Virginnia Highlands, the cottages of Grant Park, the Victorians of Inman Park, the 1920s grandeur of Ansley Park, and yuppie Decatur.

Atlanta is becoming a mini-LA, with cities within a city, and looking better every year.

You'll need a car to get around but the neighbourhoods are really not that far apart. Most of these neighborhoods are off Midtown.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

All the places listed so far for Atlanta are pretty touristy. If you are a younger traveller, or enjoy hanging out with the locals, I recommend any of the following awesome places.

Java Monkey: cafe, wine bar, poetry readings.

Brickstore Pub: a bajillion beers, good food and great atmosphere.

Bluebird Cafe: great, great great food, very veggie-friendly.

Little Five Points is a nice area to walk around in.

Also, the most moving tourist sight in my opinion is a trip to Ebenezer Baptist Church downtown, where Martin Luther King Jr used to preach. His grave is right next door.

Java Monkey: 205 E Ponce De Leon Ave # 5, 30030.
Brickstore Pub: 125 E Court sq, 30030.
Bluebird Cafe: 421 Memorial Drive SE 30312.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The biggest aquarium in the world (so they say).

If you have a day or two in Atlanta then this place is a must-see. Six different habitats (Georgia coast, Barrier Reef, Jellyfish, Tropical etc, one of them a walk-through, and one huge theatre-size auditorium).

You could spend several hours in there easily. It was funded by Bernie Marcus, the founder of Home Depot and no expense has been spared.

Book tickets online or walk up. It can get a little crowded at times, but is by far the best visitor attraction in Atlanta.

www.georgiaaquarium.org/
225 Baker St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30313
(404) 581-4000

Regular hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm. Fri-Sun: 9am-6pm.
Summer Hours: Mon-Thurs: 8am-6pm. Fri-Sun: 8am-7pm.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Tour the international headquaters of this news giant. The tour lasts approx 45 minutes taking in the CNN control room, special Efx studio where you see the technology used to produce on-air graphics, global news and weather. Children under 6 are not permitted on the tour.

www.cnn.com/studiotour
Tel: 404-827-2300

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A very inexpensive way to get around the city. Marta operates trains and buses and has a flat fare of $1.75 one way. However visitors can purchase a MARTA pass for $10. This pass entitles the bearer to unlimited access on the MARTA system.

The Marta system is safe, clean, and cheap moreover they have their own transit police. As a rule no consuming of drink or food is allowed on Marta they have zero tolerance of anti-social behavior.

For general travel downtown it is best advised to travel by rail, Atlanta operates a park and ride system, stations have more than enough adequate parking spaces and these are free provided you ride the Marta.

www.itsmarta.com/index1.asp

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

My favourite place during my many visits to Atlanta. The World’s premier softdrinks headquaters has a 45,000 square foot multimedia, interactive museum that charts the history of Coca Cola. The tour lasts 1-2 hours depending on you as you move at your own pace.

You will see rare and invaluable artefacts from the archives of the company such as the original prototype for the first Coca-Cola bottle. A soda fountain which shoots a 20-foot stream of soft drink into a drinking cup is an awesome sight. Also, visitors can enjoy unlimited samples of soft drinks from around the world under the Coca-Cola banner. The tour ends in the Coca-Cola gift shop and if you look carefully you can pick up some real bargains.

This is a fun tour full of Coke history and some great ads that I had seen as a youngster growing up, the memories came flooding back.

Admission was reasonable $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors and $3.00 for children. Or families can purchase a Passport for Refreshments for $45.00 that includes free admission for up to four family members, a $2.00 admission charge for each additional guest, and a 10% discount on merchandise. An Individual passport can be purchased for $15.00

Tel: 404 676 5151

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A fun place to spend the day and evening - a great amusement park with over 100 rides, attractions and shows. Six Flags has a good reputation for being clean and having youthful helpful park attendants, like any major park it attracts big crowds especially weekends and holidays, don’t go to park unless you want to have FUN!

www.sixflags.com/georgia
Tel: 770 948 9290

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

For decades, Sweet Auburn was Atlanta’s black downtown - a city within a city where African Americans created the institutions they were excluded from by white Atlanta. Though the construction of I-75/85 in the 1940s cut the neighbourhood in half, it became the hub of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s and has remained the centre of Atlanta’s black life and culture.

Several of the neighbourhood’s early 20th-century churches, homes and commercial buildings are in good shape, making for an excellent walking tour. One of them houses the African American Panoramic Experience, known as Apex, which has several exhibits on the area’s history and a movie about the neighbourhood. Several blocks of Auburn Avenue have been designated part of the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site, in honour of the civil rights leader who was born here in 1929. King’s birthplace is open for tours.

A block west is Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached. Across the street is the Martin Luther King Jr Centre for Non-Violent Change, which has a visitor’s centre and exhibits on the civil right’s campaigner’s life and work. King’s tomb is on view at the site.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

I found the best deals are in the discount and factory outlet shopping centres. 35 minutes north on the GA400 is Dawsonville, where you will find North Georgia Premier Outlets and some 100 stores, including big names such as Bose, Ralph Lauren Polo, Adidas, Nike Factory Store, Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Eddie Bauer, GAP, Hugo Boss, Royal Doulton and much more.

If you have teenage children then this place is a must. My girls were able to purchase Nike, and Adidas trainers for a fraction of the cost in the malls. This outlet had something for everyone: acres of parking space, toilets (restrooms), ATM machines and good cheap food. A shopper’s paradise and a must if and when you visit Atlanta.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centres in Dalton and Locust Grove offer more than 150 stores.

Horizon Outlet Centres in Calhoun, off interstate 75, features more than 55 retail stores.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Contact the British Consulate if you lose your travel documents.

Good to know as most folks won't know where the British Consulate office is, and Atlanta has over 32 streets named Peachtree.

Georgia Pacific Centre, Suite 3400, 133 Peachtree Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30303;
tel: 404 954 7700;
britishconsulategeneral.atlanta@fco.gov.uk

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends