Atlanta with teens

We took a recent long weekend to Atlanta and had a great time! Traveling with teens can be challenging. It is hard to keep them entertained in exhibits aimed for younger kids or adults. Since we have visited Atlanta in the past we decided to hit up some places we had not visited before.

I checked out the CityPass Atlanta and decided it was a great option for the places we wanted to visit. With the CityPass Atlanta you get one time admission to 6 different places.

1. Georgia Aquarium
2. World of Coca-Cola
3. Zoo Atlanta
4. Fernbank Museum of Natural History
5. College Football Hall of Fame
6. National Center for Civil and Human Rights–this was temporarily closed when we visited.

Since we had previously visited the Fernbank Museum, so we skipped it this time around. Three of the places we visited are within walking distance of each other, the Georgia Aquarium, The World of Coca-Cola and The College Football Hall of Fame. The best thing about this is you can park once and visit all three in the same day.

1. Georgia Aquarium: this was our first stop of the day after stopping first for breakfast near our hotel. We love visiting aquariums and this one did not disappoint! We went on a Friday and it was pretty busy with many groups on field trips. However, if you waited a few minutes the groups cleared out quickly from the area you were in. We really did not feel rushed or too crowded on our visit. I was amazed at the HUGE aquarium with the whale shark and manta rays in them.

We also enjoyed the touch tanks for sting rays and checking out the variety of different kinds of string rays that are located around the world. I loved the beautiful spots on the river sting rays.

The Georgia Aquarium was definitely worth it and would recommend for families and kids of any age.

2. World or Coca- Cola: Next, we took a short walk to the World of Coca-Cola. This would definitely be a great visit in the heat of the summer. We walked into air conditioned building with some great items on the wall and floor to look at. They have a great set up for keeping crowds under control with several waiting areas.

We first waited to get into the first room which included a wide variety of coca cola advertising and merchandise from over the many years they have been in business. After a brief presentation we were led into a movie theatre to watch a movie with clips about Coke. Honestly, I could have done with out this video. But it was nice to sit for a few minutes.

Then we were let go to explore on our own the rest of the floors. There were some more advertisements, interactive exhibits and the tasting room. I was most excited for the tasting room where you get to try different kinds of coke products from around the world. Some were definitely better than other ! One soda, a sour plum soda, my son said tasted like barbeque sauce and I agree with him! We all had a big laugh about this soda. Beverly of course is infamous for being horrible tasting. While I enjoyed the variety, this was a sugar overload. I do not drink much regular soda and this was too much after a few samples.

This was a fun stop with our CityPass, I am not sure I would go out of my way to visit here without the CityPass.

3. College Football Hall of Fame: This was by far out favorite stop of the day! My boys love College Football and we had the best time here. Each person get a lanyard when you enter with a fan pass. When you first enter you see a huge wall of football helmets. It was so fun to search for our favorite teams.

After, entering do not miss out on the survey and photo area. This will set you up for the AI experiences that are located throughout the building. This was by far our FAVORITE part of the day! It was so fun to see out faces up on the screens in different outfits and scenes. Don't miss out on this experience.

There is also a field for you to practice your punting, throwing and other football skills. You will have the best time here!

4. Zoo Atlanta: Another fun place was Zoo Atlanta. We went on a great day weather wise and even though it was crowded, we enjoyed our time here. At first parking seemed a nightmare, but there is a HUGE parking garage that had plenty of parking spots. I recommend parking at the Grant Park Gateway parking facility: 759 Boulevard S.E., Atlanta GA 30312. We parked easily and after a quick walk we were at the entrance to the zoo.

The zoo was small but had a wide variety of animals. Again this was a great addition to our CityPass and we had a great visit.