My friend Naomi and I decided to spend a few days in Atlanta as neither of us had explored this city. It was pushing the farthest distance I would like to drive, but since Naomi still wasn’t sure about a flight, we opted for Atlanta.
Keep on reading for my day-to-day adventures!
Day 0, Wednesday January 12: Travel Day
Since Atlanta is almost 9 hours away, we spent most of the day in the car. After we checked into our Airbnb, we went to get Southern food from Mary Mac’s before we went to explore some nightlife.
Day 1, Thursday January 13: Atlanta Botanical Garden, Zoo, and Trap Museum
Our first stop in Atlanta was the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It was a nice garden, but since it was January, there were not many flowers blooming. The Earth Goddess was beautiful, but I wish I could have seen it in full bloom. The Earth Goddess comes to life with blooming flowers and foliage in the summer. I did like the Corpse Flower sculpture that was found in the Orchid Center.
After the Botanical Gardens, we headed to the Atlanta Zoo. It was during their Illuminights, the Chinese Lantern Festival. We didn’t see anything lit up, but we got to see the lanterns out in the day. So many animals were out but I got to see one of my favorites: the Panda Bear!
After our adventures, we grabbed some cookies on our way back to the Airbnb. We took a nap before dinner and then got dressed up. My friend really wanted to see the Trap Museum, which opened in 2018 to acknowledge important artists and teach others about the genre of trap (a subgenre of hip-hop music). Trap music gets its name from the “trap house,” and the museum was designed to mimic just that. After the museum, we went out for the evening before heading home for bed.
Day 2, Friday January 14: Atlanta History Center and Coca-Cola
Our first stop of the day was the Atlanta History Center, which is one of the largest collections of Civil War artifacts in the US. There is a 360-degree panoramic, the Texas locomotive, and even an interactive presentation. In the presentation, everyone was assigned an individual during the Civil War. The given person was either a free or an enslaved person, and then, based on events that follow, the audience sees how everyone fared during this time. My person ended up living, but he also lost his sanity.
After the museum, we went to the World of Coca-Cola. I really enjoyed this, but I’m also a fan of Coca-Cola! The museum walked visitors through Coca-Cola’s history in 1886, presented artifacts and advertisements, as well as “Tastes of the World” where visitors could taste different flavors from all over. After the museums, we stopped at Orpheus Brewing, picked up some drinks for back home, and then went out in the evening.
Day 3, Saturday January 15: National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Georgia Aquarium
We spent all morning at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and learned more about the history of the civil rights movement as well as modern day human rights struggles around the world.
The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the US and houses whale sharks, manta rays, beluga whales, puffins and penguins, as well as many types of sharks. There was even a flamboyant cuttlefish.
All good trips have an end, and our time in Atlanta had come to an end. We actually left in the middle of the night because we couldn’t sleep and a snow storm was coming, but we made it back safe and I was glad to be back at home.