QU Magazine takes a deeper look into the city of Atlanta, USA
Atlanta attracts the thirteenth highest number of foreign tourists in the US, and we’re not surprised! Atlanta has so much to offer to anyone and everyone! Atlanta is home to the most prestigious businesses, historical sites, sports, and much more! Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Home Depot, Chick-Fil-A, and CNN to the High Museum, Margaret Mitchell, and MLK Jr. to the Braves, Falcons, Hawks, and Thrashers, this city never sleeps.
Upon landing at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, you will instantly be overwhelmed. This feeling will not depart until you get on the airplane to leave, if you ever do! If your purpose of traveling to Atlanta be for business, with family, girl’s weekend getaway, bachelor party, honeymoon, or just a trip to see what “Hotlanta” is all about, you will not be disappointed or bored!
One of the best things about this wonderful city is the core of what tourists want to see and do is all in a 20 mile radius. For your visit to Atlanta, let’s break it down day-by-day to ensure you get everything in during your stay.
Day 1: Arrive in Atlanta; check into the W hotel in Buckhead. Once you get settled in and relax and have a couple cocktails at the extravagant W hotel bar, let’s head to Ray’s in the City for dinner. Rated number one for its steaks and seafood, you will find your trip to Atlanta worthwhile just by this one restaurant! The crab cakes are to die for! After dinner, walk over (less than a mile) to Centennial Olympic Park to take a nice stroll to enjoy the night and maybe a romantic horse and carriage ride ;).
Day 2: Today is game day! Depending on what season your travel to Atlanta falls in, will determine which team you get to watch play! You will be blown away if it is baseball season and you get to watch the Braves at Turner Field! Purchase tickets ahead of time or get them game day as low as $5! You can also take a tour of Turner Filed and find out some history behind those all stars! Or check out Phillips Arena to watch the Hawks or Thrashers. If it’s football season you will get to check out the Georgia Dome to watch the Falcons! Or if the races are in town, head about 30 miles south to the Atlanta Motor Speedway! After whichever game it may be, it’s only tradition to go to The Varsity! Grab you a naked dog, onion rings, and don’t forget the FO!
Day 3: For all you history buffs, it’s time to explore the High Museum of Art, the Margaret Mitchell house, The King Center, Underground Atlanta, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta History Center and then to Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park. For those who want to leave their husbands for the day or history is just not your thing, take the kids and head to Six Flags over Georgia! After your adrenaline declines, stop by Chick-Fil-A for lunch and head over to Zoo Atlanta to pet pandas, elephants, and zebras in the middle of the city! For a night out on the town, for you single ladies and men, Buckhead would be your best bet. There are three bars right beside each other to make it easily accessible to “bar hop”. Another hot spot for the younger singles would be midtown. There are also a few bars/clubs right around one another. For the night owls who are looking for a fun night on the town, head to the Virginia Highlands. Grab some dinner and drinks and there are multiple restaurants/bars to choose from all within a 1 mile radius! Personally, Noche is one of my top favorites with inexpensive food and drinks with the atmosphere of a fun tapas bar!
Day 4: Continuing on with exploring all Atlanta has to offer, the Georgia Aquarium is on the list for today! Get ready for the world’s largest indoor aquarium! It contains 8 million gallons of water! It has the largest collection of aquatic animals and being the only aquarium outside of Asia to house whale sharks, the world’s largest fish. After seeing the manta rays, 4D Theatre, and beluga whales, it’s time for some refreshing beverages at the World of Coke. Learn interesting facts about the Coca Cola Company and taste numerous different flavors of soda! Then while still in the area, take a short (50 minutes) tour of the CNN center. This is a very interesting tour for people of all ages!
Day 5: Enjoy a nice day at the famous, Stone Mountain. Climb up the huge rock for some exercise or relax and have a candy stick and caramel apple. To unwind and prepare for the night, head to the Sweetwater Brewing Factory to try samples of Georgia’s hometown beer, Sweetwater! You’ll more than likely catch a live band playing while sipping on some “blue” beer. Then it will be time for dinner at Nikolai’s Roof. Notorious for its breath taking view, the exquisite food is just as amazing! Then it will be show time! Head over to the Fox Theatre for an opera, Grease, or a ballet. To top the night off with one last incredible view of the city, go to the Sundial and enjoy a dessert or drink. To make sure you get the complete view of Atlanta, the Sundial, located on the 72nd floor of the Westin Peachtree Plaza, spins so you get a 360 degree view of the city.
If those 5 action-packed days are not fulfilling enough, please come back for more! Atlanta CityPass would be something to consider purchasing if you were interested in doing all of the above attractions. It is a bundle price to be able to do numerous attractions. I would advise renting a car (with a GPS navigation system) to travel around Atlanta. This gives you the freedom to go anywhere you like, whenever you want. There is also MARTA, but it limits where you can go. There are also many taxi’s available but that will get to be quite expensive. Atlanta is the home of southern hospitality, so don’t be afraid to ask someone for help! Enjoy your visit to Atlanta and we’re sure you will be back for more!
Writen By: J. Williams
