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I am visiting Atlanta this week (Thurs. - Sun.) with my family (driving) and I have several questions about the area.
1. We plan on visiting the Georgia Aquarium and we noticed it has a lot of different packages. Are any of the extra packages worth it or is general admission fine (5 year old and 1 year old kids). Is it an all-day experience?
2. Given the children's ages, what other areas, events or activities can you recommend around the city?
3. Are there any local restaurants you would recommend eating at?
4. Any areas we should avoid?
5. Any other offers of advice for the visit?
6. Using Priceline to get a hotel. Which of these areas, given the information above, which area would you recommend staying at?
Stay in Midtown or Downtown. Downtown might be busy since it's the Hair Show weekend.
For kids visit Legoland, Children's Museum, Stone Mountain Laser Show, Piedmont Park/Eastside Trail, Game-X, Centennial Park, Atlantic Station, Family Feud taping, etc is a general start
Definitely midtown or downtown. It'll be easiest for you to park your car and take the train or walk with the kids to the sites in those areas, then drive around to other sites such as Stone Mountain. I like the previous recommendations for sites to see, and would also add the Coke Museum, Botanical Gardens (great kids exhibits), and Zoo Atlanta. You may want to consider getting a City Pass, it will give you one price for multiple attractions. If you have time to make use of it, it will save a ton of money. Make sure the kids bring bathing suits to Centennial Park so that they can play in the fountains!
There are plenty of restaurants around. Are you looking for all kid friendly, or an adult night out? For kid friendly, off the top of my head, Mary Macs Tearoom for a southern lunch or dinner is a must. There are plenty of restaurants around - just walk until you see a menu you like. For adults, highly recommend Two Urban Licks, Empire State South, Serpas, 4th and Swift, and South City Kitchen. There are plenty more, but those should give you a start.
Stay in Midtown or Downtown. Downtown might be busy since it's the Hair Show weekend.
For kids visit Legoland, Children's Museum, Stone Mountain Laser Show, Piedmont Park/Eastside Trail, Game-X, Centennial Park, Atlantic Station, Family Feud taping, etc is a general start
No. I was saying that it will be more people downtown because of a few large events going on.
BTW you need to post more info if you want more info. We do know automatically know what foods you eat, etc, etc
My apologies. Regarding my original questions.
1. Georgia Aquarium. We'd like to do as much fun stuff with the little ones as possible. We noticed the aquarium has several different extra packages, some that my kids (5 yrs and 1 yr) don't even qualify for as entrants. There are a few others and I was wondering if it would be worth if for my family. I'm thinking about getting the City Pass however, as mentioned in another post, and skipping the aquarium extras.
2. Again, my children are 5 years old and 1 year old. I'm looking for other things to do that are age appropriate for them in the Atlanta area. It looks like lots of options were posted in other posts so I'll skip this one unless somebody has more info they'd like to share.
3. Local restaurants. Basically when I travel I like to eat at places that I do not have in my area (Jonesboro, AR). This eliminates most chain restaurants (ex. Red Lobster, Chili's, etc.) but I am not opposed to going to chain restaurants that are not as numerous as others. We definitely want to go to ones that are family/kid friendly as we'll always have out two little ones with us. My kids like, well kid foods (chicken nuggets, pizza, burgers, etc.). I will eat nearly anything but I hate cheese. Even restaurants that tend to be cheese heavy (ex. Italian, Mexican) I can usually find something that I will eat like spaghetti or I just ask for the dishes to be prepared without cheese. My wife absolutely loves a good catfish meal or seafood. She's not big on Asian foods except for Japanese style steakhouses she'll tolerate.
4. All cities have areas that you'd like to avoid if possible, some more than others. I'm just looking for those areas in Atlanta that I should skip out on or avoid altogether if possible.
5. Any other advice would be appreciated. Anything that I might have missed that may be good to know or something that people familiar with the area might know of that visitors often miss out on when they come to Atlanta.
6. It looks like Midtown and Downtown are the places to stay.
If you are planning to visit the GA Aquarium I would suggest going on a weekday and early. Since you will be in town Thursday thru Sunday, I would go either Thursday or Friday, and again preferable in the morning/early afternoon. They use to have deals where if you purchased tickets online and for the first hour the aquarium was open you got either $10 or $7 off the price. I have never purchased any of the special packages, just general admission tickets. I do know the behind the scenes tours are pretty expensive, but friends of mine said they were worth it. I would say that you could spend about 3 or 4 hours there easily, not sure how much longer kids would be interested in staying though.
Legoland is good for kids.
Centennial park is nice area for the kids to run around for a while
World of Coca-Cola is kinda a tourist trap but nice to say you did it.
Fernbank is a little off the beaten path, on the outskirts of downtown, you will need a car. Basically it's a science center, dressed up with prehistoric forests, dinosaur exhibits and a huge IMAX theater.
There is of course Six Flags which is off I-20 west of downtown, very pricey. Stone Mountain is way out in the burbs, worth a visit if you have time.
Most areas of Atlanta are pretty safe you should be fine. Avoid the south side, especially south west Atlanta, areas around Turner Field at night, anywhere near the airport, east point, college park. Most of these areas are fine during the day, but just don't take a stroll around the dicey areas, like for example Summerville neighborhood is crap, it's where Turner Field is located. Unless you are watching a Braves game there is really nothing worth doing in the area anyway.
Good restaurants pretty much are easy to find. I am sure other can give probably better recommendations than i can. Best bet is probably Buckhead. I like Fado, which is an Irish pub, and Holeman and Finch has been featured on the Food Network. They have nice burgers, but they only make a handful and you have to get there early to reserve one, but the rest of the menu is very good.
Other than that I would say stay in a hotel in midtown, downtown, or Buckhead. Not sure about prices for hotels, but good thing about Atlanta is there is no shortage so I would assume Priceline would give you a good deal. If you do get a hotel room outside the city just try and get one near a MARTA station, else you will of course be driving in a mess of traffic.
If you are planning to visit the GA Aquarium I would suggest going on a weekday and early. Since you will be in town Thursday thru Sunday, I would go either Thursday or Friday, and again preferable in the morning/early afternoon. They use to have deals where if you purchased tickets online and for the first hour the aquarium was open you got either $10 or $7 off the price. I have never purchased any of the special packages, just general admission tickets. I do know the behind the scenes tours are pretty expensive, but friends of mine said they were worth it. I would say that you could spend about 3 or 4 hours there easily, not sure how much longer kids would be interested in staying though.
Legoland is good for kids.
Centennial park is nice area for the kids to run around for a while
World of Coca-Cola is kinda a tourist trap but nice to say you did it.
Fernbank is a little off the beaten path, on the outskirts of downtown, you will need a car. Basically it's a science center, dressed up with prehistoric forests, dinosaur exhibits and a huge IMAX theater.
There is of course Six Flags which is off I-20 west of downtown, very pricey. Stone Mountain is way out in the burbs, worth a visit if you have time.
Most areas of Atlanta are pretty safe you should be fine. Avoid the south side, especially south west Atlanta, areas around Turner Field at night, anywhere near the airport, east point, college park. Most of these areas are fine during the day, but just don't take a stroll around the dicey areas, like for example Summerville neighborhood is crap, it's where Turner Field is located. Unless you are watching a Braves game there is really nothing worth doing in the area anyway.
Good restaurants pretty much are easy to find. I am sure other can give probably better recommendations than i can. Best bet is probably Buckhead. I like Fado, which is an Irish pub, and Holeman and Finch has been featured on the Food Network. They have nice burgers, but they only make a handful and you have to get there early to reserve one, but the rest of the menu is very good.
Other than that I would say stay in a hotel in midtown, downtown, or Buckhead. Not sure about prices for hotels, but good thing about Atlanta is there is no shortage so I would assume Priceline would give you a good deal. If you do get a hotel room outside the city just try and get one near a MARTA station, else you will of course be driving in a mess of traffic.
Thanks for the feedback. I noticed on the MARTA website it said there is no single tracking this weekend. What does that mean? Is it possible to use MARTA to get from the aquarium to say LegoLand, which looks like it is up near Lenox Square? Sorry for what may seem like dumb questions.
1. Georgia Aquarium. We'd like to do as much fun stuff with the little ones as possible. We noticed the aquarium has several different extra packages, some that my kids (5 yrs and 1 yr) don't even qualify for as entrants. There are a few others and I was wondering if it would be worth if for my family. I'm thinking about getting the City Pass however, as mentioned in another post, and skipping the aquarium extras.
2. Again, my children are 5 years old and 1 year old. I'm looking for other things to do that are age appropriate for them in the Atlanta area. It looks like lots of options were posted in other posts so I'll skip this one unless somebody has more info they'd like to share.
3. Local restaurants. Basically when I travel I like to eat at places that I do not have in my area (Jonesboro, AR). This eliminates most chain restaurants (ex. Red Lobster, Chili's, etc.) but I am not opposed to going to chain restaurants that are not as numerous as others. We definitely want to go to ones that are family/kid friendly as we'll always have out two little ones with us. My kids like, well kid foods (chicken nuggets, pizza, burgers, etc.). I will eat nearly anything but I hate cheese. Even restaurants that tend to be cheese heavy (ex. Italian, Mexican) I can usually find something that I will eat like spaghetti or I just ask for the dishes to be prepared without cheese. My wife absolutely loves a good catfish meal or seafood. She's not big on Asian foods except for Japanese style steakhouses she'll tolerate.
4. All cities have areas that you'd like to avoid if possible, some more than others. I'm just looking for those areas in Atlanta that I should skip out on or avoid altogether if possible.
5. Any other advice would be appreciated. Anything that I might have missed that may be good to know or something that people familiar with the area might know of that visitors often miss out on when they come to Atlanta.
6. It looks like Midtown and Downtown are the places to stay.
The Georgia Aquarium is a fun time, and I'm sure a kid would love it. It's definitely not an all day attraction, though. Probably 3-4 hours, tops. I didn't do the Dolphin Show or any of the bells and whistles, though. As far as I can tell the extras you're talking about will get you into a kind of Finding Nemo 3D rip-off. I've never done it, but I'd imagine a kid would find it fun? If you're unsure, just get the regular ticket. If I'm not mistaken you'll be able to see the dolphin show, the sea monsters exhibit, and all the other attractions in the place, minus the 3D show, so you're still getting quite a bit of entertainment.
The Imagine It! Children's Museum I've heard is a fun place. Or the Center for Puppetry Arts. Both these have kid-centric activities and shows (and the puppetry arts even has shows for adults as well, which I hear are good fun). I've never been to either, so someone feel free to explain why these aren't fun if you have experience. From word-of-mouth I've heard they're a good time though.
I'd list some food, but I feel like my places just wouldn't be very kid-centric or something worth going to with the family. Still, I'll give you some options, take them or leave 'em. The Majestic Diner is cute and has plenty of stuff anyone would like. If you're into chicken and waffles, they serve that, too, which is a Southern staple, though not necessarily an Atlanta one. The Varsity also sells burgers and fries and is a historic local establishment. It's pretty much a fast food joint with a loooot of seating and a looot of parking spaces, and there's not much in terms of atmosphere. But I enjoy the food quite a bit, and if you like burgers and fries, they're not too shabby--if a little greasy.
Areas to avoid: south of Five Points in downtown. Probably keep away from Boulevard at night. The road isn't that bad, but there's not much to go see with children there anyways, so no use going down that, unless you're looking to go see the Martin Luther King Center, which, again, you'll be fine around in the daytime. In fact, that's a nice place to go. Atlanta played a pretty crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement, and even if it might be boring to kids, you might enjoy showing them the birth and resting place of a national hero. Might as well make the most of the city while you're here.
There's not much to see on the West side of the city, also, and there can be some shady areas that you can stumble into--no offense to any west siders on here. Generally, though, if you stick around the Luckie-Marietta area, and then up north in Midtown near Peachtree, it's a safe place. You'll get the occasional panhandler, but they're not gonna do much more than ask for money.
Thanks for the feedback. I noticed on the MARTA website it said there is no single tracking this weekend. What does that mean? Is it possible to use MARTA to get from the aquarium to say LegoLand, which looks like it is up near Lenox Square? Sorry for what may seem like dumb questions.
No single tracking is actually really good for you. Single tracking puts some delays on the train line because they are upgrading the rails, but the train is still running consistently, just with altered routes or schedules in some cases (read the signs in the stations or look at the website for more detail). The best idea is definitely to take MARTA from the aquarium up to Phipps Plaza (where LegoLand is located). You'll want to take Gold Line north from the Peachtree Center Station (a short walk from the aquarium) all the way up to Lenox Station. From Lenox Station, you have a short (5-10 min) walk to LegoLand. It is in a really ritzy mall, so there are many cafeteria style places to eat there as well (and a movie theatre if it's a no good day). The suggestion to do these 2 activities on Thursday or Friday is a good one - trains run more frequently (every 5 min or so), and the places will be MUCH less crowded.
If you can, take the kids to a Braves game (you can take public transportation there as well). It's always a good time. If the game is in the afternoon, you can take the 32 bus from downtown to Zoo Atlanta in the morning, hit the zoo for a few hours, and then either walk (about a mile) or take the 32 bus back to Turner Field. The bus drops you off at the front door of both locations. The area is really nice to walk around in, especially around the Zoo. I fully disagree with the poster who said Summerhill is dangerous - it used to be, but not so much now - and you will have no problems during the day for sure. Especially for Braves games, you'll see a ton of families walking from Grant Park (where the zoo is) to Turner Field for the game. There are also plenty of kid friendly restaurants within walking distance of the zoo, especially Dakota Blue (kids always on their sidewalk with chalk) and Grant Central Pizza.
There are plenty of non-chain kid-friendly restaurants to eat at in midtown and downtown. The majority are pretty good, so you really can't go wrong just walking around and seeing what menu's you like. Downtown, you can try Alma Cocina, any restaurant along Broad Street (especially for Lunch) between Peachtree and Marietta is great and there are lots of options, Game X for nighttime activity with the kids (they also have food), Georgia's Juke Joint for southern food with live Jazz, STATS for food if there is a good game on (nice rooftop - it's a bar, but I've seen plenty of kids there getting dinner with their parents when it's early enough), Max's Woodfired Pizza, etc. Lots of place around. In Midtown, there are also a ton of options - I highly recommend South City Kitchen or Mary Mac's for a dinner with family.
EDIT: I HIGHLY recommend downloading the MARTA app on your phone for bus and train schedules. If waiting for the bus, it has a GPS on it so you can see when it is coming and plan accordingly. Similar for the trains, you can see their departure and arrival times from the stations live, so you'll never have to wait if you use it correctly.
Last edited by CCATL; 07-30-2014 at 07:34 AM..
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