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AirTran Airways Flights from Washington (IAD) to Atlanta (ATL)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on AirTran Airways, which operates 4 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Washington (IAD) to Atlanta (ATL), departing between 6:40am and 5:43pm. Usually a Boeing 717 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Washington, DC to Atlanta, GA is 1 hour and 47 minutes.
During your Atlanta vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Rhodes Memorial Hall
Rhodes Hall is one of a few remaining pre-World War I Peachtree Street mansions -- a significant reminder that Peachtree was once a fashionable residential street. The house was designed shortly after the turn of the century by Willis Franklin Denny (at the time Atlanta's leading residential architect) as a home for affluent Atlanta businessman Amos Giles Rhodes and his family.Its medieval baronial-cum-high-Victorian-Romanesque style was inspired by Rhineland castles. The Stone Mountain granite exterior is replete with arched Romanesque windows, battlements and buttresses, parapets, towers, and turrets. A large Syrian-arched veranda wraps the east and north facades. And the interior is grandiose, with maple- and mahogany-bordered oak parquet floors, mosaics surrounding the fireplaces, and a gracefully winding hand-carved Honduran mahogany staircase with nine stained-glass stairwell panels depicting "The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy." The house and stables originally occupied 150 acres of land and included servants' quarters, a carriage house, and other outbuildings. When it was built, this site was in suburbia, an afternoon's drive from downtown.Upon Rhodes's death in 1929, his residence was deeded to the state of Georgia in keeping with his desire to preserve his home. The house was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today, it is the headquarters for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and is in an ongoing process of restoration. To date, the original dining-room suite and some other furnishings are in place, and all the mahogany woodwork and decorated ceilings on the first floor have been restored. The original landscaping -- with white and red cedars, dogwoods, banana trees, and a circular flowerbed -- has been re-created in the front yard. You can only see the house by tour. On weekdays, 45-minute Historical Tours explain the history of Rhodes Hall while guiding visitors through the first floor of the house. The special Behind the Scenes tours, on Sunday at noon, are comprehensive three-hour experiences that explore the whole house.
Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History
Previously the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, this museum is now operated in association with The Smithsonian Institute, which means that Civil War and transportation objects from the Smithsonian will be incorporated into the exhibits here.It was here that the wild adventure known as the "Great Locomotive Chase" began. The Civil War had been under way for a year on April 12, 1862, when Union spy James J. Andrews and a group of 21 Northern soldiers disguised as civilians boarded a locomotive called the General in Marietta, buying tickets for diverse destinations to avert suspicion. When the train made a breakfast stop at the Lacy Hotel in Big Shanty, they seized the locomotive and several boxcars and fled northward to Chattanooga. The goal of these daring raiders was to destroy tracks, telegraph wires, and bridges behind them, thus cutting off the Confederate supply route between Virginia and Mississippi.Conductor William A. Fuller, his breakfast interrupted by the sound of the General chugging out of the station, gave chase on foot, then grabbed a platform car and poled along the tracks. With him were a railroad superintendent and the General's engineer. At the Etowah River, Fuller and crew commandeered a small locomotive called the Yonah and made better progress. Meanwhile, the raiders tore up track behind them, and when the pursuers got close, the raiders slowed them down by throwing ties and firewood onto the tracks. Andrews, a very smooth talker, managed to convince station attendants en route that he was on an emergency mission running ammunition to Confederate General Beauregard in Mississippi.Fuller's chances of catching the General improved when he seized the southbound Texas and began running it backward toward the raiders, picking up reinforcements along the way and eventually managing to get a telegraph message through to Gen. Danville Leadbetter, commander at Chattanooga. The chase went on, with Andrews sending uncoupled boxcars careening back toward Fuller as obstructions. Fuller, who was running in reverse, merely attached the rolling boxcars to his engine and kept on. At the covered Oostanaula Bridge, the raiders detached a boxcar and set it on fire in hopes of finally creating an impassable obstacle -- a burning bridge behind them. But the Texas was able to push the flaming car off the bridge. It soon burned out, and Fuller tossed it off the track and continued.By this time the General was running low on fuel and water, the Texas was hot on its heels, and the raiders realized that all was lost. Andrews gave his final command: "Jump off and scatter! Every man for himself!" All were captured and imprisoned within a few days. Some escaped, others were exchanged for Confederate prisoners of war, and the rest were hanged in Atlanta, most of them at a site near Oakland Cemetery. Though the mission failed, the raiders, some of them posthumously, received the newly created Medal of Honor for their valor.The museum, occupying a building that was once the Frey cotton gin, houses the General (still in running condition, but don't get any ideas); a walk-through caboose; exhibits of Civil War artifacts, memorabilia, and photographs (including those relating to the chase and its participants); and exhibits on railroads. You can view a 20-minute narrated video about the chase, but if you really want the full story, rent the Disney movie The Great Locomotive Chase, starring Fess Parker as the dashing Andrews. (You can also buy a copy in the museum gift shop.)The museum is 3 miles from Kennesaw Mountain/National Battlefield Park, so consider visiting both of these Civil War-related sights the same day.
The Hammonds House Galleries & Resource Center of African-American Art
Occupying the 1857 Eastlake Victorian-style former home of Dr. Otis T. Hammonds, a black anesthesiologist and art patron, Hammonds House is a national center for the exhibition, preservation, research, and documentation of African-American art and artists. The permanent collection includes Hammonds' extensive compilation of works by African-American and Haitian artists, as well as his collection of African masks and carvings. These works are complemented by later acquisitions including pieces by Romare Bearden, William H. Johnson, Robert S. Duncanson, and Elizabeth Catlett. The permanent collection is shown on a rotating basis and is supplemented by exhibitions featuring the work of renowned black artists from all over the world. The Resource Center, housing documents on African-American art and artists, is open to the public by appointment.The house is located in the thriving West End neighborhood, which was declared a historic district in 1991. While you're in the area, take a look at the other lovingly restored Victorian bungalows and houses. A short walk away is the Atlanta University Center, the largest historically African-American education complex in the world, home to prestigious Morehouse College. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is Morehouse's most famous alumnus; a chapel was built on the campus to honor his memory.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Atlanta area, including:
Four Seasons Hotel
This elegant hotel is the one to choose if you're looking for luxurious surroundings and impeccable service in the heart of Atlanta's cultural area. Built in 1991 as the Grand Hotel Atlanta, it was acquired in 1998 by Four Seasons, who immediately gave it a $65 million renovation.Accommodations are lavish and sophisticated, with large windows, upholstered lounge chairs and sofas, and handsome Beidermeier-style furnishings. The gorgeous marble bathrooms have huge tubs perfect for soaking, and some have separate showers.The hotel offers several services for children, including a gift upon arrival, board and video games, movies, and books. Infant supplies are available. For older children, trips can be arranged to nearby attractions, such as the Center for Puppetry Arts, Children's Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, World of Coca-Cola, and Fernbank Natural History Museum, which has an IMAX theater.The Park 75 restaurant, open all day, serves New American cuisine, featuring the freshest goods from the local markets. The atmosphere is modern, with Beidermeier furnishings and original oil paintings. Guests at the restaurant's Chef's Table dine in the heart of the kitchen, getting a close look at the chefs at work. The Park 75 Terrace, overlooking a three-story atrium, offers a garden-like setting for lunch, afternoon tea, and cocktails. The Park 75 Lounge serves cocktails, light fare, and a wide selection of single-malt scotches; there's a pianist each night. Complimentary coffee is served from 6 to 8am each morning in the lobby.Thirteen of the rooms have been modified to accommodate travelers with disabilities. Pets under 15 pounds are welcome and receive treats.
Atlanta Downtown TraveLodge
Operated by the Clark family since 1964, this small but nicely kept TraveLodge offers an inexpensive alternative in the heart of downtown. All rooms are off an interior corridor and sport typical chain TraveLodge decor -- nice but nothing out of the ordinary. The same goes for the bathrooms. The Sleepybear Den Room, a guest room designed to accommodate families, includes a refrigerator and microwave, a VCR, and kid-themed movies. The new Business Class rooms offer well-lit work areas and access to e-mail. Business services include voice mail, modem hookups, and faxing and copying services. Three rooms are accessible to travelers with disabilities.
Homewood Suites Hotel
This well-run suite hotel is an excellent value, perfect for an extended business stay or a long weekend. The spacious and homey one- and two-bedroom apartment-style suites offer pull-out sofas and large kitchen areas that include full-size appliances, coffeemakers, dishwashers, and toasters. The bathrooms are fairly standard. Some of the two-bedroom suites can easily sleep eight people, making these a great option for large families. The hotel is set back from a busy street, so all the rooms are quiet. Ask for one of the rooms overlooking the pool and patio.Although you won't be within walking distance of most of the Buckhead attractions or the MARTA station, there is a courtesy van that will take you anywhere within a 3-mile radius. Four suites are accessible to travelers with disabilities. Pets are allowed with a $75 nonrefundable deposit.In addition to a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, there is an evening social Monday to Thursday with complimentary beer, wine, and light snacks or meals. About once a week, the social moves out to the patio for a cookout. If you're in the mood, you can even cook out yourself. There's no restaurant or room service, but delivery is available from several restaurants.
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