What To Do Around Atlanta

This city is full of great things to do, whether you're into art, history, nature or sports. From world-class museums to tours of the Georgia Dome and CNN Center, here's our list of some of the best attractions Atlanta has to offer.

If you favorite place is not listed here, call Susan Wall at 404-803-3200 to add it.

Amicalola Falls

240 Amicalola Falls State Park Road, Dawsonville. 706-265-4703
80 miles from downtown Atlanta.

Georgia's most visited state park is home to a 729-foot crystalline cascade that attracts 2 million gawkers a year. Hike trails to the base or the top of the falls - be on the lookout for pileated woodpeckers, whitetail deer and black bears.

Website:ngeorgia.com/parks/amicalola.html

Tennessee Aquarium

1 Broad St., Chattanooga. 1-800-262-0695. 115 miles from downtown Atlanta

This popular Chattanooga attraction is the largest freshwater aquarium in the world, holding more than 9,000 fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. After touring the 12-story complex, rest your feet and get an eyeful at the Imax 3D theater next door. Or drive up nearby Lookout Mountain to visit Rock City and Ruby Falls.

Website:www.tennis.org

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

767 Clifton Road N.E.
404-378-0127

Giants of the Mesozoic' features the Giganotosaurus dinosaur, two winged pterosaurs and the world's largest plant-eating dinosaur, Argentinosaurus. The Imax Theatre is a perennial favorite.

Website:www.fernbank.edu/

Center for Puppetry Arts

1404 Spring St. N.W.
MARTA station:
Arts Center.
404-873-3391

Children who like puppets will enjoy watching a performance, which includes actors, special effects and music. The museum is also cool, with more than 350 puppets on display. www.puppet.org/

Website:www.puppet.org

High Museum of Art

1280 Peachtree St. N.E.
MARTA station:
Arts Center.
404-733-4444

Architect Richard Meier designed the large white building on Peachtree Street, which some say was his big debut in the architecture world. Its permanent collection is noted for significant holdings of 19th and 20th century American art.

Website:www.high.org/

Michael C. Carlos Museum

571 S. Kilgo St.
(Emory University)
404-727-4282

Mummies and other artifacts from ancient Egypt tend to fascinate both children and adults. The permanent collection includes 15,000 objects from Egypt, Greece, Rome, Asia and Africa.

Website:www.emory.edu

SciTrek Science & Technology Museum

395 Piedmont Ave. N.E.
MARTA:
Civic Center.
404-522-5500

Think of it as a 'gadgets r us' for kids. SciTrek has more than 150 permanent and visiting interactive exhibits that children can play with and manipulate. Everything's hands-on - you won't have to warn them not to touch anything. Mostly geared to school-age children, but there is an appealing section for youngsters 2 to 7 called Kidspace.

Website:www.scitrek.org

Jimmy Carter Library & Museum

441 Freedom Parkway
MARTA:
Five Points.
404-331-3942

Visitors can see a replica of the Oval Office that is so accurate it has been used in films. There are dozens of exhibits packed with information about Carter's policies, his day-to-day life in the White House, and complex issues such as the Iran hostage crisis, the SALT II arms control agreement and human rights. There's even a mock town hall meeting. Also, there are a Japanese garden and pond and the Copenhill Cafe, which serves meals cafeteria style at a reasonable price.

Website:carterlibrary.galileo.peachnet.edu/

Braves Museum & Turner Field Tours

755 Hank Aaron Drive S.E.
404-614-2311

Get a behind-the-scenes look at Turner Field and check out the Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum & Hall of Fame. Featuring the Atlanta Braves clubhouse and dugout, broadcast booth, press box, luxury suites and the Braves memorabilia museum, with items from 1871 to the present.

Website:braves.mlb.com

CNN Studio Tours

Dome/Phillips Arena.
Tours daily
404-827-2300
or 404-827-2400
8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Tour the network that started the 24-hour news craze - in 40 minutes. You'll see CNN special effects studios, Headline News and International News studios, among other things. If you're dying to get on TV, stand in line to be an audience member on 'TalkBack Live,' airing weekdays from the studio in the CNN Center atrium. You may even catch founder Ted Turner strolling across the food court.

Website:www.cnn.com/studiotour/

Georgia Dome

1 Georgia Dome Drive N.W.
MARTA:
Dome/Phillips Arena.
404-223-8687

You can take a 45-minute tour of the largest cable-supported domed stadium in the world. You'll see locker rooms, the press box, suites and seating for 71,200.

Website:www.gadome.com

Galyan's Sporting Goods Store

3535 Peachtree Road N.E.
MARTA:
Lenox.
404-267-0200

Take the family to new heights on Galyan's 60-foot indoor climbing wall, open weekend afternoons and weekday evenings. You don't even have to purchase anything to climb. Just take a ticket, and the store supplies the climbing shoes and harness. (The store requires parents to remain with kids younger than 18 during the climb. Parents also have to sign a waiver releasing the store from any liability in the event of an accident.)

Website:www.galyans.com/

The World of Coca-Cola

55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W.
MARTA:
Five Points.
404-676-5151

Everything you ever wanted (or didn't know you wanted) to know about Coca-Cola. You'll sample Coke products and view exhibits, including a collection of nostalgic radio and TV ads. And, as you might expect, there's a souvenir shop.

Website:www.woccatlanta.com

Zoo Atlanta

800 Cherokee Ave. S.E.
404-624-5600

This is where the world-famous pandas live. Don't expect a lot of action - generally they're big on eating bamboo - but when they do move, they're undeniably cute. Otherwise, there are more than 1,000 animals at which to gawk.

Website:www.zooatlanta.org/

Atlanta Botanical Garden

1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E.
404-876-5859

With 15 acres of landscaped gardens and 15 acres of woodlands, the Atlanta Botanical Garden features a variety of specialties, including rose, herb, rock and Japanese gardens. There's also a great new children's garden with lots of interactive exhibits.

Website:www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/

Callaway Gardens

205 N. Cherry St., Pine Mountain. 1-800-225-5292. 70 miles from downtown Atlanta

The 2,500-acre botanical park north of Columbus features more than 700 varieties of azalea - many displayed in the 40-acre Azalea Bowl - as well as hundreds of other types of plants and a butterfly center where thousands of the insects fly free.

Website:www.callawaygardens.com

Mall of Georgia

Mall of Georgia is located on Buford Drive, GA S.R.20, between I-85 (at Exit 115, S.R. 20 West) and I-985 (at Exit 4) in the Mill Creek district of Gwinnett County, Georgia , 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

Website:www.mallofgeorgia

Georgia Aquarium

225 Baker Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30313
404-581-4000
Hours of Operation
Regular Hours
Monday - Sunday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Scheduled hours may vary. Please reserve your tickets in advance or call ahead to 404-581-4000.
Ticket booths close one hour and fifteen minutes before closing.
The last entry will be permitted 1 hour before closing.
Tickets may sell out for any given day before ticket booths close.
Coat check is available for $1.00 per item.

Website:www.georgiaaquarium.org/

Spalding Lake : Dunwoody, Georgia

Nearby Neighborhoods

What To Do Around Atlanta