ATLANTA: Social Studies
Tour
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Studies
FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Atlanta Heritage Row traces Atlanta’s history from the cotton-producing
era of the mid-1800’s through Reconstruction to the present. Visitors
can sit inside an airplane cockpit and listen to pilots converse with air
traffic controllers at Hartsfield International Airport.
CNN Studio Tour is
a guided
walking tour emphasizing network operations and technical aspects of CNN,
Headline News, CNN International and the TBS Collection
as well as demonstrations about weather broadcasts.
Fernbank Museum of Natural
History features dioramas, films and other exhibits pertaining to natural
history. “A Walk Through Time in Georgia” portrays
the state as a microcosm to illustrate the story of the Earth. Martin
Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is a 23.5 acre area that
includes the birthplace, church and grave of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Six Flags Over Georgia This 331-acre theme park has more than 100 rides,
attractions and shows, including a 10-story free-fall ride, a triple-loop
roller coaster
and a white-water rafting adventure. Highlights include Superman Ultimate
Flight, Georgia Scorcher, and Skull Island (with water-drenching rides).
Stone Mountain is a massive granite
monolith rising 825 feet above the surrounding plain. Stone Mountain, visible
from miles away measures
5
miles in circumference
and covers 583 acres. It has been nicknamed, “The Mount Rushmore
of the South” because the three leaders of the Confederacy
(Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee) are carved
into the face of the mountain
to make the largest bas-relief carving in the world! Stone Mountain
also features:
The Antebellum Plantation is a complex of early 19th century
homes
and buildings relocated from throughout the state. The buildings
include the main house,
overseer’s house, slave cabins and a country store, all
furnished in period.
Antique Car and Treasure Museum displays
classic cars, brass automotive accessories, a large musical
exhibit and toys.
Riverboat Cruise on the Scarlett O’Hara
features views of the mountain and shoreline. The riverboat
offers 30-minute
lake cruises.
Scenic Railroad operates three old-time locomotives
on a 5-mile route around Stone Mountain. The locomotives are
replicas
of those
made famous
by the Great
Locomotive Chase during the Civil War.
Scenic Swiss Skylift offers a cablecar ride to the summit of Stone Mountain. The views of
the mountain’s equestrian
carvings and the countryside are spectacular.
The World of Coca-Cola houses a museum that pays tribute to Coca-Cola
products as well as events that shaped the last century. An innovative
neon sign
is suspended over the pavilion entrance. Interactive displays
and multimedia exhibits
combine with some 1,200 artifacts dating from 1886 to the present.
Zoo
Atlanta is known for its reptile collection and children’s zoo.
The zoo also includes the Ford African Rain Forest, where mountain
gorillas live
in family groups. Flamingo Plaza is home to 50 Chilean flamingos.
Masai Mara, which replicates the East African plains, features browsing
giraffes, antelopes
and the endangered black rhinoceros. The Ketambe exhibit is
home to rare Sumatran Tigers. Changing animal exhibits also are featured.
Atlanta's
Cyclorama is the vivid retelling of the battle of Atlanta
in an unusual art form whose popularity lasted less than
20 years. Commissioned
by General
John "Blackjack" Logan to further his political aspirations,
the painting is now displayed in Grant Park, just west of the
site of the battle.
Today, the Atlanta Cyclorama houses one of a few remaining
examples in the world of an art form that was popular at the
end of the 19th century, before
moving pictures. A "cyclorama" was a show in a cylindrical
room or building that featured a painting on the outer wall
of the room with the
patrons
seated (or standing) on a revolving platform in the center
of the room. | 
Two
nights hotel accomodations (in quads) 
