Atlanta on the Fourth of July

One of the most memorable things was the Fourth of July celebrations. Although we had been to America many times, we had never been during the Independence Day celebrations. More info about this in a separate entry.

Quick Tips:

For a really nice shopping experience, get on the underground (MARTA) and go to the Lennox Square Mall. This is a very large indoor shopping mall. There are lots of shops, restaurants in very pleasant surroundings. There are a couple of other malls near to Lennox, but we did not have the time to visit them all.

Best Way To Get Around:

The city is very easy to walk around and it is quite compact. The underground is very clean and cheap.

We stayed three nights in the Embassy Suites in Atlanta. The location is ideal for visiting the city as it looks out onto Centennial Park and is within in walking distance of all the major attractions and shopping.

The hotel is a modern looking building, which we found quite easily by car. They have a car park at the rear, but I would recommend valet parking as it makes life so much easier.

Inside the hotel there is a large lobby with a reception desk. There is a large, ornate atrium to which all the rooms open out onto. If you are lucky as we were you will get a room looking out onto Centennial Park (where the Olympics of 96 was opened – and the bomb went off). If you don’t get one of these rooms it is worth asking for one.

Because the hotel is an all-suite hotel, you get a living area with sofa, TV, desk and a separate bedroom with another TV and storage. There is a full bathroom and a kitchenette area with fridge, coffeemaker and microwave oven. The furnishing was nice and bright and we found the service to be good. Included in your room charge is a buffet breakfast. They have lots to choose from, including eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, fruit etc as well as drinks. Eat as much as you want. You will also get a newspaper on weekdays.

The location as mentioned before is ideal. You can easily walk into the heart of the city with its restaurants, shopping and attractions within minutes. If you want to go further, you can catch underground trains, buses, etc. nearby.

One of the most memorable things was the Fourth of July celebration. Although we had been to America many times, we had never been during the Independence Day celebrations.

Our hotel was right on the doorstep of Centennial Olympic Park where most of the day’s events took place. We started off with the parade and apparently the parade had never been rained on before. They had had rain before the event or after but never during – this time, we Brits were there and we took our weather with us – it poured. Everyone was drenched. The rain didn’t stop the celebrations and despite the rain, everyone had a great time.

During the evening there was a concert held in the park and a fireworks display was scheduled for later in the evening. However, the rain started again and unfortunately after several attempts the fireworks were called off until the following night. Many people who had traveled here specially or just for the night were very disappointed, however we had four nights booked so were lucky to be staying the following night.

Thankfully the next night the fireworks display did take place and was quite spectacular. As there weren’t as many people about, everyone had a great view.

I feel really honored that we were able to share Americas pride and join in with their celebrations.

Centennial Olympic Park is the location of the opening of the 1996 Olympic Games. It is also the place where the bomb went off.

It is a large park with dancing fountains in the shape of the olympic rings, picnic areas, visitors centre and staging for shows. As we went during the independence day celebrations, we were treated to entertainment by day and night with food stalls, etc. the carnival started and ended here and the massive fireworks display was held here.

The park seems to be the centre for most of the entertainment in Atlanta, but even when nothing is going on it is a very pleasant place to stroll or have a picnic. The fountains were always full of kids jumping in and out of the dancing water jets.

Our hotel overlooked the park, so we were able to see the park in all it’s glory day and night.

There are many places to shop in Atlanta. Here are three of the main places we visited whilst there.

Underground Atlanta.
This is a strange place with shops and restaurants, etc, but as the name suggests it is underground. There are some fascinating shops and stalls selling all manor of things. There is an old fashioned fifties American diner and a visitors centre. Worth visiting if only out of curiosity.

Peachtree Centre
This is a shopping centre located off the Peachtree Road (the main road in Atlanta). Not very large but worth a visit if combined with other shopping. Peachtree Road is where you can find Macys department store, Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Café amongst others.

For a really nice shopping experience, get on the underground (MARTA) and go to the Lennox Square Mall. This is a very large indoor shopping mall. There are lots of shops, restaurants in very pleasant surroundings. We spend a few hours here. There are a couple of other malls near to Lennox, but we did not have the time to visit them all.

We went to the Coke factory, where you go on a self guided tour called "The History of Coca Cola".

You take a leisurely stroll around the museum and see all the styles of bottles, labels, logos, etc. that have been used over the years. They have all the adverts, posters, etc. that have been used to market the drink and even how it was deemed a necessity for soldiers in World War I.

It is a very interesting tour ending with you being able to try our all the drinks that coke manufactures in the tasting area.

Be prepared to queue for a while to get in. We had to wait nearly an hour and it was very hot. Definitely worth a visit.