Quick visit to Atlanta

hi!

I hope to come down for a few days in May, mainly to see the new aquarium. I will have 1-2 free days in the city. I want to see the aquarium on Monday, so will have part of Saturday and all of Sunday free. What else should I see/do while I am there? I like being outdoors (hiking, biking, etc), and I like to shop.

Also, where can I stay that is close to the aquarium?

Thanks everyone! :)

Quick visit to Atlanta

Where to stay: There are several threads on this forum about whether to stay downtown, where the Aquarium is located, or in other areas. I think the general concensus is that it%26#39;s best to stay in Midtown, which is just north of downtown and a 10 minute MARTA ride or drive at the most. You may find some useful info in those threads, but generally Midtown is more vibrant, with more restaurants, bars, and shopoping, while downtown has littleto offer by way fo dining and bars and is essentially deserted at night except for the bums and a few tourists.

If cost is a concern, I would recommend bidding on a three or four star hotel on Priceline. I usually look at what the rates are on Hotwire, then knock off about 1/3 - 1/4 to place a Priceline bid. A lot of people who come to town to visit me use Priceline to find hotels and I%26#39;ve never known anyone to be disappointed. Those who pick 4 stars in Midtown almost always get the Sheraton or the Wyndham. Both are well-situated near bars, restaurants, and Piedmont Park. If you really want to stay downtown, the Glenn Hotel is lovely, and the Omni and Embassy Suites are right by the Aquarium.

Activities: There are a lot of beautiful state parks in the area, but there are others on this board who know far more about those than I do. From what I%26#39;ve heard the Kennesaw Mountain battlefield and park is amazing.

If you want to be outdoors, I would also recommend Stone Mountain. There are some cheesy touristy elements, but the moutain itself is impressive and you can climb to the top or take a cable car and walk down. If you do not have transportation, you can still enjoy the outdoors at Piedmont Park or Oakland Cemetary. Piedmont is a huge park by the designer of Central Park in New York, and has everything - jogging trails, sports fields, dog parks, playgrounds, a lake, a gazebo, a tavern. It is very popular and is great for people-watching. Oakland is a cemetary dating back to before the Civil War and features confederate graves and graves of famous Atlantans. You may want to stroll through Centennial Park since it%26#39;s just across from the Aquarium.

Hopefully you%26#39;ll get some good recommendations from others about state parks. I%26#39;ve been to a few situated onteh Chatahoochee River and they%26#39;re all been lovely. I just couldn%26#39;t begin to tell you how to get there or what they%26#39;re called.

Quick visit to Atlanta

JAtlanta,

Thank you very much for your help!

I will definitely check out Stone Mountain.

One more question-can you give me an idea of hotels that are in Midtown?

Thanks!!

I%26#39;m sure there are many more hotels, but the ones I%26#39;m sort of familiar with in midtown are the Sheraton or Four Seasons on 14th Street, the Wyndham on 10th Street, and Hotel Indigo or the Georgian Terrace on Peachtree at Ponce de Leon. Any hotel on Peachtree between North Avenue and about 17th Street woudl be considered midtown.

terrific! thank you for your help! :)

Ftbllgrl899-

Haven%26#39;t been to the new aquarium here yet (sad since I live less than 45 minutes away) heard it is amazing though.

I can%26#39;t comment on where to stay since I live so close I rarely get a hotel in ATL.

As far as outdoors treks go Atlanta has its fair share of them. Stone Mountain is definately a place to see. Can be cheesy at times but nothing like it. Make sure you get a bit of insight on how the carvings were made, pretty amazing. Not sure but they may have a laser show going on at night at well. I think admission is $12 or so.

You can also take a jaunt through Piedmont Park (free) or at one of the Chattahoochee River National areas ($2 parking fee last time I was there). If you go to the river try and check the website or ranger stations for reports of high bacteria levels, probably not an issue when you will be going but sometimes can spoil a trip. Most of the other outdoorsy stuff is farther north and probably out of range for your trip.

Good luck and have a great time.

-Chia

Hi,

I live in North Georgia near cumming, Ga., beleive me that if you can rent a car and drive about 45 minutes on Hwy 400 north (it connects to 75/85 N interchange), it will be worth the trip to see mountains and gorgeous waterfalls!!

Amicalola Falls is great! and a little further north is Ana Ruby falls and a little town called Helen. It would be a shame not to see the beautiful part of North Georgia if you have the time. If you don%26#39;t have the time Stone Mountain is o.k.....quite touristy though.

I have lived in Georgia all my life and the North Georgia mountains are a breath of fresh air!! Great for hiking!! Write back if you are interested and need more details.

By the way, admission to Amicolola Falls or Annaruby Falls is around $3.00 to $5.00 dollars.

I%26#39;ve been living in the area over 40 years and I agree with Amicaloca Falls. It%26#39;s absolutely gorgeous. I%26#39;d pick Kennesaw Battlefield over Stone Mountain for the mere history aspect. Enjoy Atlanta outdoors.