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Continental Airlines Flights from Houston (IAH) to Atlanta (ATL)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Continental Airlines, which operates 4 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Houston (IAH) to Atlanta (ATL), departing between 10:43am and 7:10pm, and 16 additional non-stop flights, departing between 6:00am and 5:39pm on select days of the week. The average travel time from Houston, TX to Atlanta, GA is 2 hours.*
* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.
During your Atlanta vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Margaret Mitchell House and Museum (Birthplace of Gone With the Wind)
Six decades after it was first published, Gone With the Wind continues to fascinate people around the world. But until this attraction opened in 1997, after a 10-year effort to preserve the house from demolition, disappointed pilgrims found precious little evidence here of the famous book or its author. Now the house and museum are a must-see for visiting GWTW fans.It's rather surprising that it took so long for restoration efforts to get underway on the dilapidated Tudor-revival apartment house where Margaret Mitchell wrote most of her epic novel and lived with her husband, John Marsh, from 1925 to 1932. The structure was built as a single-family dwelling in 1899, then moved to the back of the lot in 1913 and converted into a 10-unit apartment building 6 years later. It remained an apartment building until 1979, when it was abandoned and eventually boarded up. When the newlyweds moved in, they called it "The Dump." It was not an affectionate nickname; according to a friend of Mitchell's, she disliked living there (finances left few alternatives) and would probably be offended by the notion of its restoration. But the house has been attracting its share of visitors -- from all 50 states and more than 70 countries.The house and museum tell the complex story of the famous novelist. Guided tours, which last an hour to an hour-and-a-half, begin in the visitor center. Before beginning the tour, guests enter the theater to see a 17-minute film titled "It May Not Be Tara," featuring an overview of Mitchell's life, and interviews with some of her friends and family members. Also in the theater is an exhibition of photos taken of Mitchell in her teens and 20s. The tour of the house includes a visit to the Mitchell-Marsh apartment, which is furnished much as it was when the couple lived here. Mitchell wrote much of her novel in the front room, seated at a typewriter and desk below the beveled glass windows in the small corner alcove. Like most writers, she preferred to keep her literary efforts private and would throw a towel over her typewriter when friends dropped in -- which was often.The museum contains movie memorabilia and chronicles the making of the movie, its premiere in Atlanta, and the impact that the book and movie had on society. The tour concludes in the museum shop, which features a variety of GWTW collectibles and memorabilia. If you finish your tour around mealtime and you're ready for a real change of pace, walk a few blocks south on Peachtree to the Vortex, a rowdy burger joint and bar that serves some of the best hamburgers in town.
Yellow River Game Ranch
Bordering the Yellow River, this 24-acre animal preserve offers close encounters of the 4-legged kind -- a chance to view, pet, feed, and generally mingle with some 600 animals (always including quite a few babies) who live in open enclosures or right out in the open, along a 1-mile oak- and hickory-shaded forest trail. Owner Art Rilling knows every animal on the ranch by name and can give you chapter and verse on each one's personality, preferences, and in some cases, romantic history. The animals know they're among friends here and are highly socialized, so you have a unique chance to study them up close. Keep in mind that all these animals smell like, well, animals. If a barnyard atmosphere bothers you, don't visit.Inhabitants include donkeys named Rhett and Scarlett, Georgia black bears that stand up and beg for marshmallows, goats, dozens of rabbits in Bunny Burrows (kids can pet the bunnies), an assortment of interesting-looking chickens, a herd of buffalo, sheep, burros, goats, ponies, a skunk named General Sherman (we are in Atlanta, after all), and a groundhog named General Beauregard Lee who lives in a white colonnaded Southern mansion complete with miniature satellite dish.Consider packing a picnic lunch. There are tables throughout the property, and one especially nice picnic area overlooks the river.
Alexander Memorial Coliseum
This 10,000-seat stadium -- renovated for the Olympics -- is home to Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets college basketball team. Parking is limited around the stadium; it's easiest to take MARTA.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Atlanta area, including:
Marriott Residence Inn Atlanta-Downtown
This is the best deal downtown. It's close to all the action, the accommodations are quiet, nicely appointed studios or suites, and it's incredibly inexpensive -- especially for an extended stay. The building itself was constructed in 1928 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The rooms, most of which are like small apartments, offer queen-size beds and kitchens outfitted with all the necessary equipment (the exceptions are some of the smaller studios, which have kitchenettes). High ceilings lend a feeling of spaciousness.In addition to a complimentary breakfast, the hotel provides a light supper Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, holds a cookout on Wednesday, and will even do your grocery shopping. And if the exercise room is too small, guests have complimentary access to the fitness center at the posh Marriott Marquis just a few blocks away. As you pass through the marble lobby, be sure to look up at the ceiling. Painted by European artists when the building was new, the decoration has been restored to its original splendor. For a nice view of downtown, ask for one of the suites on the higher floors.
King-Keith House Bed and Breakfast
The lovely 1890 King-Keith home, built by hardware magnate George King, is in Inman Park, a neighborhood of Victorian homes that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in the Queen Anne style, the B&B boasts 12-foot ceilings and carved fireplaces, plus a huge wraparound porch. Authentic period antiques add to the charm. The ambience is as warm as the hospitality.Beds range from double to king-size, and each room has a private bathroom (two of the rooms have a hall bathroom, but it is not shared). The large downstairs suite has a private entrance and a private sitting room with an extra twin bed. The one-room cottage, which is very spacious, has a king-size bed, a sitting area, a two-person Jacuzzi, and a fireplace. There are several gathering places for guests: the parlor, the large front porch, the upstairs porch, and the wicker-filled screened porch, which opens onto the garden.Coffee is delivered to your room every morning, and the complete breakfast might include French toast, homemade pancakes, or eggs cooked to order. A nice touch is the small guest kitchen stocked with complimentary soft drinks, tea, bottled water, cookies, chips, and other snacks. The property is not far from the funky Little Five Points commercial district, the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and several restaurants. If you don't want to walk from the MARTA station, the hosts will pick you up with advance notice.
Doubletree Hotel Atlanta-Buckhead
Located within the Tower Place complex and designed with the business traveler in mind, this is also a good choice for pleasure travelers, since it's so convenient to Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza. You'll be welcomed with Doubletree's signature freshly baked chocolate chip cookies before you go up to your comfortable guest room, outfitted with an ergonomic work center boasting a large desk. All standard rooms have rich marble bathrooms and an armchair with an ottoman -- perfect for putting your feet up after you've shopped, explored, or worked all day. The large rooms with king-size beds are especially desirable. Suites offer parlor rooms with spacious sitting areas, leather couches, and a full dining room ensemble for eight.Facilities: Restaurant; free use of nearby fitness center which offers exercise equipment, massage, steam, sauna, aerobics classes, childcare, basketball/racquetball courts, indoor track, and more; airport shuttle; free courtesy van within a 2-mile radius; limited room service.
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