To Do in Atlanta
We host a lot of international visitors and out of towners. So, for all our friends and family who want to visit here's a quick list of links to things to do while you're here in Atlanta.
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Fun Things
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Georgia is now home to the world's largest aquarium-- 8 million gallons, 100,000 animals, and 500 different species all in downtown Atlanta.
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See how the news is made. (Discounts for Turner employees and their friends and family.)
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Six Flags runs an entertainment park of rides and roller coasters for kids and adults alike. Kathia and I go at least once a year. (Open Spring to Fall. Discounts for Turner employees & friends)
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Our local water park is a great place to go with the kids. (Open spring to fall.)
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The Atlanta zoo is just blocks from our house. It's a small zoo, but the exhibits are well designed. (Kathia likes the pandas.)
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See the city while dining in a rotating restarant at the top of our landmark skyscraper
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Historical Things
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Martin Luther King was Atlanta's native son. His life and the history of the civil rights movement are celebrated here at the King Center. Come here to pay respect to his tomb and understand one of the most important movements to come out of Atlanta.
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Just blocks from our house, the Cyclorama claims to be the world's largest painting. It is a diorama of the Battle of Atlanta, the turning point in the U.S. Civil War of 1861-1865.
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One of the better museums on Civil War history in the Atlanta area...
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Carter took the funds for his presidential library and turned them to a purpose, creating the center that is the foundation for much of his work in the years following his presidency. There is always a small exhibit here worth seeing.
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Concerts, Shows, & Sport Events
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Just blocks from our house, the Braves play from late spring until early fall. Even if you don't like baseball, the games are always a blast.
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There's always something going on any given week in Atlanta. Access Atlanta provides a great listing.
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Hockey in the South may be an oxymoron to some, but the Atlanta Thrashers games are always fun. Don't ask us to explain what's going on. (Like, are they supposed to beat each other up?)
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This bar and restaurant for acoustic performers has become an Atlanta institution. Famous for having given John Mayer, Shawn Mullins, and Sugarland their start.
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Atlanta's historical Fox Theater that premiered "Gone with the Wind" in 1939, the Fox Theater regularly hosts headline shows from Broadway and beyond.
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Atlanta's premiere theater, the Alliance always brings cutting edge performances to shows both new and old. My favorite is their annual performance of "A Christmas Carol".
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Shopping
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Atlanta has the distinction of having more shopping per capita than most cities in the U.S. If you're into shopping, here's a good guide. There are also 4-5 outlet malls in the outlying areas.
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This is our main mall...
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This is our main Outlet mall...
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Nearby...
These cities are close enough to see with a quick trip.-
Home to Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World, and hundres of attractions, Orlando Florida is only half a day's drive away.
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Home to my cousins Jamison and Heather, Charleston is one of the South's most beautiful cities and a great way to see the South that wasn't burned at the end of the Civil War in 1865. Today it is a thriving port and tourist destination.
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New Orleans is only a quick, cheap plane ride away (or a 9 hour car ride). Home to Jazz music and famous creole cooking, New Orleans is a city like no other in the U.S.
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D.C. is only a quick, cheap plane ride away (or a 12 hour car ride). In addition to being home of the nation's capital and a host of free museums, is also home a number of family and friends.
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Home to my sister, Asheville lies at the edge of the Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. For me, this area has always been one of the prettiest in the U.S. From spring to fall, there are always festivals, rafting trips, and plenty of activities.
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Restaurants
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Redfish is Atlanta's best restaurant for New Orleans style Creole food. Located on an undeveloped strip of Memorial Drive, it's not one to be overlooked. Your hardest decision will be what to eat, so plan to go back.
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The best burgers in Atlanta... a must see for all you internationals who don't know what the great American hamburger is all about...
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Atlanta's classic Southern restaurant. It is such an institution that it has its own Wikipedia entry. It is a stopping point for celebrities like the Dalai Lama and Jesse Ventura. Jimmy Carter is a regular.
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For those looking for a real Mexican American restaurant, Nuevo Laredo serves up the best, including such authentic Mexian recipes as chicken in mole poblano, a spicy chocolate sauce dating back to the Aztecs.
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Atlanta's favorite neighborhood restaurant, Murphy's serves up what you could call typical American food in its own unique style that is anything but typical
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Thai food has not caught on outside the U.S. where it is all the rage. Thai Chili is Atlanta's best Thai restaurant and a place to see what the fuss is all about.
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Dim Sum, or Chinese brunch, has become a new local tradition. Royal China lies in the heart of Atlanta's international community on Buford Highway and is our favorite place to meet friends on the weekend.
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Our favorite Indian restaurant, my family and I have been going here since the 1980s.
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Top Spice is our favorite stop for Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian food. The spices are so rich that a single bite will meld in your mouth for five minutes.
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Paolo came to Atlanta after working for Pirelli in marketing. He built his gelato shop with a passion that would seem off kilter until you try the gelato... Then you know he's truly an artist.
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