What’s Doing in Atlanta
Georgia Aquarium
Atlanta, Georgia’s state capital, located in the state’s north-west quadrant, was founded in 1837 and experienced a rough time during the American Civil War mainly due to its strategic location at a crossing point of multiple railroads. The Union Army and the Confederate Army engaged several times in order to control the city. After the Civil War, the city persevered and saw an impressive development over the next decades in the 19th and 20th century culminating in today’s more than five million people living in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Appropriately, the seal of the city depicts a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Today, Atlanta is an important national and international center for commerce and business. Major corporations headquartered in and around the city include AT&T Mobility, CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, NCR, Newell Rubbermaid, and United Parcel Service. One of the latest additions to Atlanta’s business roster is the German automobile manufacturer Porsche, which announced plans to build its new headquarters for their affiliate, Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), in Atlanta.
Buckhead
WHAT TO DO
Visitors to Atlanta will find a wide variety of things to do, including visits to the museums and exhibits that multiple hometown companies have established
The Georgia Aquarium opened, the world’s largest with more than ten million gallons of water, to the public in November 2005 and had welcomed its 10 millionth guest by 2009. Six exhibit galleries are accessible through a large entrance hall that also houses two gift shops, a café and a rest area. Each exhibit gallery of the aquarium features attractions of sea creatures from around the world.
World of Coca-Cola
One of the most impressive galleries is the Ocean Voyager, spotlighting sea life from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Visitors proceed through a 100-foot long tunnel that surrounds them on three sides with water. Four whale sharks, manta rays and several other shark species, along them the sand tiger shark, sandbar shark and zebra shark may be observed swimming next to or over the heads of the visitors.
The World of Coca-Cola, which first opened in 1991 and relocated to Pemberton Place (in memory of John Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola) in 2007, is the company’s flagship museum in downtown Atlanta. The exhibition presents Coca-Cola memorabilia from around the world and showcases the production and bottling process of the famous soft drink. The museum also features what may be the best-kept secret in the world, the Coca-Cola formula. Visitors are ushered into a room where a huge safe, said to contain the formula, awaits. At the end of the guided tour every visitor is invited to sample a beverage from a choice of 64 products of the Coca-Cola Company from across the globe.
Click here to continue to Page 2 – Delta Heritage Museum, Where to Stay, and Getting There
