YEAR VISITED: 2013 & 2020
FAVORITE CITIES AND EXPERIENCES: I have traveled to Georgia twice, once in 2013 and the other in 2020. Both trips revolved around Atlanta and while I have enjoyed a handful of destinations I certainly don’t feel like I have “done” Georgia. In 2013 Atlanta was the final destination of a 7-day Civil War bus tour that began in New Orleans. The last site the bus tour stopped at, and first tourist destination I visited in Atlanta, was Stone Mountain Park. This site commemorates the Battle of Atlanta and is celebrated mainly in the south as a memorial to the Confederacy. The main attraction is the world’s largest Confederate Memorial (Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson) carved into the side of the mountain. While there is no doubt this site stirs controversy for some, no matter which side of the debate you side with, I still recommend visiting.
Following the conclusion of our Civil War bus tour, my friend Rick and I decided to spend one extra day sightseeing in Atlanta prior to flying home. It was on this day that I came to understand the meaning of the nickname “Hotlanta”. For a guy born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I had never experienced heat and humidity like that anywhere else. Nevertheless we dragged our sweaty selves to a number of must see Atlanta destinations. Our first stop was the King Center where we enjoyed the campus grounds. When in Atlanta, this is an absolute must. In 2020, my family and I also made this an afternoon stop where I was proud to expose my daughters to the legacy of such a great man and his ideals. Dr. King and Mrs. King are entombed in the middle of a reflecting pool in the center of campus.
Personally it felt almost surreal as I was walking around the pool, starring at the massive tomb, listening to King’s “I have a Dream” speech playing on hidden speakers throughout the grounds. While the feeling that came over me is best described as ‘indescribable’ I will never forget the tingling feeling that incapsulated my entire body both times I visited the tomb. Adjacent to the reflecting pool is an eternal flame designed to celebrate the fact King’s legacy will live forever.
You can also visit Ebenezer Baptist Church, (the church that King, and before him his father, and before that his grandfather were pastors) and the Dr. King Birthplace Home. Both times I visited neither the home nor the church were open, but I was at least able to walk around the outside of the buildings.
To conclude our King Center tour, we leisurely walked through Freedom Hall taking in the handful of MLK collectibles and family keepsakes.
While I certainly wouldn’t classify myself as a colossal ‘Gone with the Wind’ fan, I am a self described Civil War nerd and thus felt compelled to tour the Margaret Mitchell House. The home is located on 10th and Peachtree Street, and was the home of Margaret Mitchell the famed author of Gone With the Wind. Over 30 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide and it went on to be made into one of the most celebrated movies of all time.
STADIUMS AND/OR SPORTING EVENTS: We did not attend any sporting events or experience any stadiums. However Rick and I did walk through the massive Centennial Olympic Park, the site of the 1996 Olympics.
ADVENTURES: One of the aspects of traveling I enjoy the most is meeting new people. In the summer of 2020 our family was able to reconnect with Kim who merely the year before lived in Washington and worked at the same high school I did. Her family decided to relocate to Atlanta the year before for work opportunities and we were excited to catch up with her. We went to lunch at Bellina Alimentari in the Ponce City Market. The market is located in an old Sears & Roebuck building and contains a mixture of retail stores, boutiques, offices, and restaurants. Most importantly the inside is air conditioned – I would highly recommend grabbing a bite to eat and exploring the Ponce City Market.
Rick and I also ate at the downtown Hard Rock Cafe in 2013 – Hard Rock’s have always been my favorite restaurant to seek out when exploring new cities.
NOTABLE DESTINATIONS & STOPS: Following our King Center experience in 2013, Rick and I headed across town for a tour of the World of Coca Cola museum. Exhibits include the Vault (which is said to contain the world famous recipe of Coca Cola), the Scent Discovery Room, and the 3D Theater. While we toured each of these exhibits, by far the favorite was the “Taste It” portion of the tour where we were provided a cup and allowed to taste test hundreds of varieties and flavors of Coke from around the world. Six different continents (North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa) were represented altogether.
It is no secret my family and I enjoy adventure and love experiencing new places. Most of the time this means visiting historical landmarks, MLB ballparks, National Parks, and amusement parks. However, in 2020 it afforded us the opportunity to come face to face with history in the process of being made. Unfortunately a majority of the spring and summer of 2020 was met with political unrest and protests around the country aimed at ending racial discrimination. In Atlanta, protests were centered at a Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by a police officer. In the days and weeks that followed, the Wendy’s was the epicenter of angry demonstrators.
While it has since been torn down, we were able to drive by the fast food restaurant and witness one of the many demonstrations and subsequent destruction. The family conversations that arose in the car aimed at explaining “why”, and “how come” to teenage girls from the Pacific Northwest were some of the most heartfelt our family has ever experienced. While the struggle, anger, and hurt that many people are experiencing saddens me I feel incredibly fortunate that we were able to safely witness such an event. Firsthand lessons learned are better than any we could have learned from any book.
- OUR LIST TO VISIT OR RETURN TO:
- Savannah
- Atlanta Braves Game
- College Football Hall of Fame
- Football game at Mercedes Benz Stadium
- Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
- Athens and the University of Georgia
‘Stros on the Road 