 |
Delta Airlines Flights from Augusta (AGS) to Atlanta (ATL)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Delta Airlines, which operates 5 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Augusta (AGS) to Atlanta (ATL), departing between 6:00am and 4:49pm, and 2 additional non-stop flights, departing between 10:54am and 5:59pm on select days of the week. Usually a Canadair Regional Jet or Aerospatiale/Alenia ATR 72 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Augusta, GA to Atlanta, GA is 1 hour.
During your Atlanta vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Atlanta Botanical Garden
This delightful botanical garden, occupying 30 acres in Piedmont Park, saw the addition of the $4.8 million 25,000-square-foot Fuqua Orchid Center and the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory in 2002. This is part two of a three-part expansion project at the gardens: a children's garden opened in 1999 and the final phase -- a new education center -- is currently being constructed. In the Fuqua Orchid Center, a collection of rare high-elevation orchids, which flourish on cool, wet mountains in South America, are being grown in the warm Southeast. Typically, one would have to go to San Francisco or Seattle to see such plants.Equally exciting is the 16,000-square-foot, glass-walled Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, housing rare and endangered tropical and desert plants -- and a fascinating exhibit of poison dart frogs (more about them later). With acres of irreplaceable rainforest being bulldozed every minute, the plant species in the conservatory seem all the more special. Approached via an arbored promenade and fronted by a water lily pond, the entrance to the conservatory has a revolving globe showing the many regions of the world where plant life is endangered.The focal point of the conservatory is the misty Tropical Rotunda, housing fern collections, cycads (the most primitive seed-bearing plants known), epiphytes (plants that don't require soil to grow), gorgeous orchids, carnivorous plants, a wide variety of begonias, and towering tropical palms. It's a lush and humid jungle, with brightly hued tropical birds warbling overhead, a splashing waterfall, and winding pathways lined with fragrant hibiscus, ginger, and flowering jasmine vines. Of special interest is a double coconut palm from the Seychelles, growing from the largest and heaviest seed in the plant kingdom. Its first 12-foot leaves have already begun to grow, but it will be 100 years before the tree reaches its full height.In the midst of all this is an intriguing exhibit of Central and South American poison dart frogs -- small, active ground dwellers in unbelievably bright colors (yellow, orange, lime green, cobalt blue) and vivid patterns. About 12 species are exhibited in three large terrariums filled with tropical rain-forest plants and designed to simulate the climates in the frogs' native lands. This exhibit is a big hit with visiting children.Another main section of the garden highlights plants that thrive in North Georgia's extended growing season. Displays in this area include a rock garden, a dwarf conifer garden, an English knot herb garden, a tranquil moon-gated Japanese garden, a rose garden, and annual and perennial displays. The delightful children's garden, with its wonderful climbing structures and whimsical sculptured fountains, has become a hot spot for young families. Lunch is served April through October, Tuesday to Sunday, on Lanier Terrace, overlooking the Rose Garden.Another section of the garden consists of two wooded areas. The 5-acre Upper Woodland features a paved path, a fern glade, camellia and hosta gardens, gurgling streams, beautiful statuary, and a habitat designed to show visitors how to attract wildlife to their own backyards. Still more rustic is Storza Woods, 15 acres of natural woodlands and one of the few remaining hardwood forests in the city. Even though its path is unpaved, it makes for an easy and interesting walk.The arid Desert House displays Madagascan succulents, such as a unique family of spiny plants called Didieriaceae. Here, too, are "living stones" (desert succulents that nature designed to look like pebbles to protect them from predators), tree aloes, caudici-forms (with swollen stems and roots for storing water), and conifers from Africa. Adjoining is an area for special exhibits.The building also houses an orangery of tropical mango, papaya, star fruit, lychee, coffee, and citrus trees. A 1996 addition was an "Olympic" olive tree presented by Greece in honor of the Centennial Olympic Games.There are flower shows throughout the year, along with lectures and other activities. Call to find out what's scheduled during your stay. A marvelous gift shop is on the premises; your purchases help support the garden.
Imagine It! Chidren's Museum of Atlanta
Opened in 2003, Imagine It! is a 30,000-square-foot children's museum conveniently located across the street from Centennial Olympic Park, in an area undergoing some exciting urban renaissance. Based on Howard Gardiner's theory of multiple intelligences, Imagine It! features colorful hands-on exhibits and activities that allow children the opportunity to look, listen, touch, and explore in order to discover first-hand how things work. Fun is the priority in this high-energy environment (the learning just sneaks up). There are four major learning zones: Fundamentally Food, Let Your Creativity Flow, Tools for Solutions, and Leaping into Learning, the specialty zone for toddlers.The museum is recommended for children ages 2 to 8, but all are welcome. Due to high visitor volume, Imagine It! encourages visitors to purchase tickets online in advance to ensure entrance to the museum upon arrival. Make a day of it and visit Centennial Park across the street either before or after your museum visit.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
Under the auspices of the National Park Service, this area of about 2 blocks around Auburn Avenue was established to preserve the birthplace and boyhood surroundings of the nation's foremost civil rights leader. Designated a National Historic Site, these blocks include King's boyhood home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King's father and grandfather were ministers and King served as a co-pastor. Free tours of King's birth home start at Fire Station No. 6, which was recently restored by the NPS; tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the National Parks Service Visitor Center, 450 Auburn Ave.Other Auburn Avenue attractions, not under NPS auspices, include The King Center, where King is buried (see the previous listing), and the APEX Museum. Several more surrounding blocks have been designated as a preservation district. This area is known as Sweet Auburn. John Wesley Dobbs, maternal grandfather of former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, is the person who first called it such, after Oliver Goldsmith's The Deserted Village, the first line of which reads, "Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plains." Mayor Jackson says his grandfather called the area "sweet" because the keys to black liberation existed here in the form of "the three b's -- bucks, ballots, and books."There is a visitor center at 450 Auburn Ave., across from the King Center. It provides a complete orientation to area attractions and includes a theater for audiovisual and interpretive programs, interactive exhibits, and a bookstore. The visitor center is fronted by a beautifully landscaped plaza with a reflecting pool, King's crypt (which his wife had returned to the site several years ago), and an outdoor amphitheater for National Park Service programs.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Atlanta area, including:
Amerisuites Buckhead
This rather plain-Jane all-suite hotel is the best bargain buy in the heart of Buckhead. Suites here are more like a studio or efficiency than a typical suite, with the "bedroom" separated from the rest of the room by a low wall. There is a pullout couch for some extra sleeping space. The bathrooms are standard.
Renaissance Concourse Hotel
If you're an airplane buff or you just travel with one, this is the ticket. Built on the site of an old airport terminal in 1992, the Renaissance is literally on the edge of the runway. Each of the 387 newly renovated guest rooms opens onto the beautiful 11-story interior atrium. Half the rooms also open to the runway, so you can step out on your balcony and watch the planes take off and land; on the other side, rooms have views of the downtown skyline. Sounds noisy, but the soundproofing is more than adequate, and back in your room, you'll hardly know you're at the airport. The rooms themselves are luxuriously decorated, light, open, and quite large, with spacious bathrooms. Twenty rooms have been specially modified for travelers with disabilities; 19 have roll-in showers.Facilities: Restaurant; medium-size outdoor pool; indoor heated lap pool; fully equipped fitness center w/steam rooms and sauna; Jacuzzi; 24-hr. concierge; complimentary airport shuttle; business center w/audiovisual support and secretarial services; 24-hr. room service; laundry service.
Hilton Atlanta Airport
Mercifully, this airport hotel is not under the normal flight pattern. That, and its triple-paned windows, makes it quieter than many hotels, especially the less expensive ones. (For the very quietest location, ask for a room with a city view.) The rooms are a good size, with tasteful, contemporary decor, and one king-size or two double beds. The bathrooms have generous vanities, though the sound of the toilet flush will make you think you're already on the plane. For an excellent value, ask for one of the Executive Corner rooms, which are only $20 more than the standard rooms. They're twice as big, though, and are spacious enough to accommodate a sofa and two easy chairs in the sitting area. The bathrooms have separate showers and garden tubs. Suites are quite large and luxurious. Twenty-five of the standard rooms have been modified for guests with disabilities.Facilities: 2 restaurants; sports bar; outdoor swimming pool; small indoor heated pool; lit tennis court; extremely large and well-equipped fitness center for a $6 fee (aerobics classes, personal trainers, massage available); Jacuzzi; 24-hr. concierge; complimentary airport shuttle; business center; salon; 24-hr. room service; laundry service.
|
|
|
