WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN ATLANTA

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Little did we know about Atlanta before starting to organize our 2-month trip through the United States. We sounded like some Olympics and ... and ... I think so. Well, if you are going to travel along the East Coast you know that it is a very interesting city and we would include it without a doubt in the tour.

In this article we will tell you what to see and do in Atlanta (and also something NOT to do).

Learn more about Martin Luther King (and civil rights)

Martin Luther King, the spokesman for the African American civil rights movement, was born and raised in Atlanta. He is one of the most important figures in the recent history of the United States and we were able to visit a Museum that runs through his whole life (and the one on the road to the equality of the African-American people), the church where he was pastor, his house and an exhibition where we They told more about the life and legacy of this great man.

Very interesting also the Civil Rights Museum (free with the City Pass), where you can explore the history of segregation, Jim Crow laws and the first movements towards justice and equality (from Rosa Park to the march in Washington). The subject goes so far that, in the future, we will publish an article entirely dedicated to this chapter of American history.

Get to know the most alternative Atlanta: Little Five Points

It is a colorful neighborhood, full of graffiti, record stores, vintage clothing and cool restaurants where you can rest a little and gain a few kilos. We, thanks to the recommendation of Carlus, a friend who lived a few years in Atlanta, went straight to Vortex… Objective: eat a piece of hamburger! Said and done. The winner of the most greasy dish of the year was Lety who with her "Fat Elvis", a hamburger with bacon, fried plantain and peanut butter, expanded the volume of her michelines by 10%. With every bite Of course, highly recommended and the site a beautiful pass!

Be one step away from the secret recipe of Coca-Cola

It may be the most famous visit in Atlanta, and is included in the CityPass! Its about Coca Cola World, or what is the same as the Coca Cola reign. It is a museum that tells the story of the most famous drink in the world, with thousands of merchandising pieces the sea of cool, the secret formula (well, almost all the secret formula) and of course, where you can try a few glasses of that addictive liquid (or about 100 other types, from all sides of the world *)

* The worst drink was that of Italy, a tonic water that only grandmothers drink when they play Bingo. The one in Spain was Aquarius!

And why is this Museum in Atlanta? Well, why Coca Cola was invented here, in 1886 in a small pharmacy in the city ... and no, what was originally green is an urban legend.

Along the way you learn a lot of curiosities, for example: did you know that in 1985 Coca Cola & Co withdrew the original Coca Cola from the market and commercialized a new formula? The failure was such and the protests so many that soon after they produced the old drink again and they stopped being silly! Or that there are only two people in the world who know the recipe for this drink? For this reason, they say, they cannot travel together, sleep in the same place, or eat from the same plate… lest an accident occur, the bed explodes or someone wants to poison them XD

Visit the CNN studies

This visit was also included in the City Pass but we arrived at the last minute and we could not do the tour. A shame, since the pint was phenomenal, so you know: go in the morning and reserve your place!

The tour, substantially, consists of touring the headquarters of one of the most important television stations in the world: they teach you how a newscast is done, they tell you a lot of curiosities, you can see the “behind the scenes” and if you have luck, You can even attend a live broadcast (or be a journalist for a day, not live, of course XD). But what was said: we are left wanting 🙁

Although it is close to see the study building inside, on the ground floor there is a food court with great views!

Georgia Aquarium

If we tell you the truth, we regret having gone. Aquariums are not a good place, ever, even if the reviews are good. Now we know. The one in Georgia is one of the most famous aquariums in the entire United States and its page shows that the focus is on the rescue, conservation and protection of marine species. But it wasn't the feeling he gave us.

There were 4 things that shocked us a lot and made us feel fools for having entered:

Dolphin and sea lion show: any place that offers animal shows should not be proclaimed champion of species conservation. It is the same as a circus, animals learn with positive and negative, unnatural reinforcements. We had not even imagined that in such an “eco-friendly” Aquarium they would do animal shows. Well, they do. 🙁
There is a room where you can play small blankets. What need?
Many of the aquariums were very small (we noticed some fishbowls with jellyfish that could only move vertically).
The ocean area was full of blankets, sharks and whale sharks 🙁

For this and much more we ask you please do not make our mistake. Do not enter. We sinned of naivety, having the city pass and having read that it was one of the most avant-garde aquariums in the world, focused on protection and conservation, we gave it a chance but an aquarium will never be a rescue center. You can donate part of your profits to real rescue centers and projects but it is substantially a business, of which we will not be a part again. Colleja for us (and lesson learned).

We don't want to leave a bad taste in your mouth: we liked Atlanta very much and we were very pleasantly surprised. It is not usually a city that people visit on their trip to the United States, but if you have time to explore the East Coast, we recommend you stop by. It's a different piece of this great country, and it's cool!

| Atlanta Map

Useful information

Where to sleep in Atlanta?

We pull Airbnb. We stayed in an apartment in downtown downtown, in an area with many bars and restaurants. The apartment was a little gem, like the building itself… We want to come back !! If you want you can take a look at their website and if you are interested in staying with Airbnb, register a new account through this link to have € 35 discount on your first reservation.

How to get to Atlanta from Washinton?

We did it by night bus with the company Megabus for $ 13 per person. The rates are not fixed, so the more in advance when booking the ticket, the cheaper you will get! It leaves from the Union Station. Washington, DC at 4:00 PM and arrives at the MARTA Civic Center in Atlanta at 7:25 AM.

How to get around in Atlanta?

If you stay downtown, you will not need to take public transportation to visit the Olympic park area, the Coca-Cola museum, aquarium, etc. But if you want to reach the Little Five Points or Martin Luther King's house, we recommend you to pullUber, super common in the United States. You can make an account with this invitation and get a discount of up to € 20 on your first race. The transfers in Atlanda were the cheapest we found in the US, for example until Little Five Points we got to pay less than $ 4!

We also moved by tram (or streetcar), there is a line that runs through downtown Atlanta, with different stops at places of interest. The price of the ticket is $ 1 and the daily pass is $ 3. To buy the ticket there are machines at the stops (when we went they did not work and we ended up catching it equally without problem ...).