Swim with the whales in Atlanta
A family-friendly visit in the South
Story and photos by Phyllis Steinberg
I’ve
always
been
a
fish
lover,
but
I
never
got
to
swim
with
a
Beluga
whale,
but
my
adventuresome
friends
did
at
the
Georgia
Aquarium
on
a
visit
to
Atlanta. My
friends
donned
sweat
suits,
goggles
and
fins
and
loaded
oxygen
tanks
on
their
backs
and
dived
right
in
to
the
largest
aquarium
in
the
world.
The
program,
called
Swim
with
Gentle
Giants,
gives
visitors
to
the
aquarium
the
once
in
a
life-time
opportunity
to
swim
alongside
hundreds
of
species
of
fish
including
four
beluga
whales.
The aquarium is divided into five spectacular galleries. I was amazed at the collection of species from stunning whale sharks and groupers to hammerhead sharks. There are many viewing spots including tunnels with swarms of fish swimming above and beyond.
Just across the street from the aquarium is the new world of Coca-Cola where visitors can sample 70 different variations of Coke from around the world. The bottling line producing eight-ounce commemorative Cokes is a real eye-catcher.
Lines
of tourists enjoy the
Inside CNN Atlanta Studio
tour. I enjoyed being
a tourist and waiting
in line to see where
my favorite news anchors
work. The CNN building
is located in the Omni
Hotel in Atlanta right
above a large food court.
The behind-the-scenes
tour demonstrates how
anchors read the news
and let volunteers try
their hand at reading
a news story. Of course,
I was one of the volunteers.
There
is always something to
do in Atlanta. The High
Museum of Art is a must.
The Museum recently developed
a partnership with the
Musee du Louvre. Masterpieces
from Paris’ famous museum
are exhibited outside
its permanent galleries.
The Louvre Atlanta showcases
furniture, tapestries,
silver and other items
used in royal households.
Also, interesting is the
museum’s folk art exhibit.
Even the Imax theater is extraordinary in Atlanta. The Fernbank Museum is a part of the Imax and is home to a world of dinosaurs, artifacts, science interactive exhibits, shells, wildlife and more. I enjoyed a dinner in the museum and there was entertainment.
A Friday evening gathering place for locals, tables were artistically arranged indoors and out around the museum and guests have dinner, listen to music and have drinks in the lower level surrounded by a giant dinosaur.
Another popular tourist attraction is the home of Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone With the Wind.” Guests get the inside scoop on why Mitchell wrote her famous novel, the desk that she sat at to write it and interesting tidbits about the local residents that inspired the novel. There is also a museum next to the house which contains special exhibitions and a gift shop with commemorative “Gone With The Wind” memorabilia.
The Atlanta Botancial Gardens has a fabulous Fuqua Orchid Center and 15-acres of botanical gardens, walking trails, a children’s garden, a conservatory that houses rare and endangered plants from tropical rainforests and desert regions. I enjoyed mixing and mingling with families who brought their children to view this beautiful assortment of plants. Artists such as Dale Chihuly and Niki de Saint Phalle also have their works on display in the gardens.
I am a foodie and there are no shortage of great restaurants in Atlanta. For breakfast, Murphy’s is a well-established local hangout with wonderful brunch items from homemade muffins and croissants to dozens of omelet varieties with whopping portions that you even those with the heartiest appetites can never finish.
Other outstanding restaurants are South City Kitchen located in Midtown, which serves up Southern cuisine in a vibrant cosmopolitan setting and Ecco, also in Midtown. .Ecco serves seasonally inspired cuisine in a sophisticated yet causal elegance.
Atlanta is a college city. Emory University has a beautiful campus and houses the Michael C. Carlos Museum which features art of ancient cultures of the Mediterranean and the Americans including several fascinating Egyptian mummies; pre-Columbian pottery; ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and artifacts from the Middle and Far East. This is no little museum. It houses more than 15,000 objects that span 9,000 years.
This was my first visit to Atlanta, but not my last as there were so many interesting attractions and great places to eat. Next time, I plan to do as my friends did and swim with the gentle giants. They said it was the experience of a lifetime and I didn’t want to get my hair wet, so I didn’t do it.
Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.atlanta.net
Atlanta Botancial Garden, Inc., www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
Georgia
Aquarium, Inc,. www.georgiaacquarium.org
Fernbank
Museum of Natural History,
www.fernbankmuseum.org
Inside
CNN Atlanta, www.cnn.com/tour
World
of Coca-Cola, www.worldofcoca-cola.com
Margaret
Mitchell House and Museum,
www.gwtw.org
High Museum of Art, www.high.org
Michael
C. Carlos Museum (Emory
University), www.carlos.emory.edu
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