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During your Atlanta vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
The APEX (African-American Panoramic Experience) Museum
This museum chronicles the history of Sweet Auburn, once Atlanta's foremost black residential and business district, and serves as a national African-American museum and cultural center. The museum's Trolley Car Theater, a replica of a turn-of-the-century tram that ran on Auburn Avenue, presents a 12-minute multimedia presentation, Sweet Auburn: Street of Pride, that acquaints visitors with the area's history. Sweet Auburn history also comes to life in tableaux such as a replica of an Auburn Avenue barbershop and a re-creation of the 1920s-era Yates & Milton's Drugstore (Atlanta's first black pharmacy), featuring some original furnishings. There are interactive displays for children. The APEX recently added a tribute to the late Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., Atlanta's first black mayor. Inquire about special events and workshops taking place during your visit to Atlanta.Across the street from the APEX Museum, at 100 Auburn Ave., is Herndon Plaza, where you can see a permanent exhibit on the Herndon family (former slave Alonzo F. Herndon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company), and changing shows featuring the works of African-American artists.
The Herndon Home
Alonzo Herndon was born in 1858, during the last decade of slavery. After emancipation, he worked as a field hand and sharecropper, supplementing his meager income by selling peanuts, homemade molasses, and axle grease. He arrived in Atlanta in the early 1880s, taking on work as a barber and eventually owning several barbershops of his own. Herndon used the earnings from these shops to acquire Atlanta real estate, and by 1900, less than 40 years out of slavery and with only a year of formal education, he was the richest black man in Atlanta. In 1905, Herndon purchased a church burial association, which, with other small companies, became the nucleus of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, today the nation's second-largest black-owned insurance company.In 1910, Herndon built this elegant 15-room house in the Beaux Arts-neoclassical style, complete with a stately colonnaded entrance. Herndon and his wife, Adrienne McNeil, a drama teacher at Atlanta University, were the primary architects of the house, and construction was accomplished almost completely by African-American artisans. Because their son Norris occupied the home until 1977, much of the original furniture remains, and there are family photographs throughout. Adrienne died about a week after the house was completed.The house tour begins in a receiving room with a 10-minute introductory video called The Herndon Legacy. The tour then takes you through the reception hall; the music room, with rococo gilt-trimmed walls and Louis XV-style furnishings; the living room, with a frieze on its walls depicting the accomplishments of Herndon's life; the dining room, furnished in late Renaissance style with family china and Venetian glass displayed in a mahogany cabinet; the butler's pantry; and the sunny breakfast room. Upstairs, you'll see the bedroom used by Herndon's second wife Jessie, with its Jacobean suite and Louis XV-style furnishings; Herndon's Empire-furnished bedroom, where a book from a Republican National Convention is displayed on a table, letting you know his political bent; the collection room (Norris collected ancient Greek and Roman vases and funerary objects); Norris's bedroom; a sitting room; and a guest bedroom.
Turner Field
This spectacular 50,000-seat ballpark started life as an 80,000-seat stadium built to host the Centennial Olympic Games in 1996. After housing the opening and closing ceremonies and numerous track and field events during the Olympics, the north end of the stadium (with approximately 35,000 seats) was demolished and the rest of the structure was modified to accommodate baseball.Turner Field is built in the style of old-time ballparks, but also includes a number of attractions besides the baseball game itself. The folks who run the stadium like to call it a baseball theme park, and it's not a bad idea to come to the game early and take in the various attractions, especially if you have children along. The Braves Museum and Hall of Fame features memorabilia commemorating legendary stars and key moments in Braves history (take a gander at the bat Hank Aaron used to hit his 715th home run). The museum is open to ticket holders on game days 3 hours before game time and 1 hour after the completion of the game. Scouts Alley is designed to teach fans about the fine art of scouting. Fans can test their hitting and throwing skills, call up scouting reports on former and current Braves, play a trivia game, call a play-by-play inning of a game, learn about Hank Aaron's "hot" spot, and much more. At The Cartoon Network's Tooner Field, kids can hang out with Cartoon Network characters or play interactive games in the Digital Dugout. At The East Pavilion, fans can have their images inserted into either a baseball card or a photo of a great moment in Braves history. The Braves Clubhouse Store is full of Braves-themed merchandise, some of which is available only at the stadium. Finally, it's possible, and fun, to tour Turner Field. Tours depart every half-hour Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm on non-game days, and Monday to Saturday 9:30am to noon on game days. Prices are $7 adults, $4 children age 3 to 12; children under age 3 free. Call tel. 404/614-2311 for information. Tours include the museum, the dugout, the press box and broadcast booth, the clubhouse, Scouts Alley, and more. On non-game days, there's ample free parking in the north lot.If all this activity makes you hungry, head to The West Pavilion, where you can snack on famous food items from other ballparks, or to The Braves Chop House, a casual dining restaurant that overlooks the Braves' bullpen.Museum-only tickets are $3 on non-game days; the museum hours vary according to the game schedule.
Residence Inn by Marriott Buckhead Lenox Park
Residence Inn by Marriott is designed to make you feel at home for a day, a week, a month or more. Our suites give you fifty percent more space than most traditional hotel rooms. The Residence Inn Atlanta Buckhead Lenox Park is located six miles north of downtown, adjacent to the offices of BellSouth and one half mile from Atlanta Plaza, Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and Resurgens Plaza. Complimentary shuttle service is provided within a three mile radius of the hotel 7am-12noon and 3pm-8pm ...
The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta
The Ritz-Carlton hotels in the United States and Canada are smoke-free. To accomodate the needs of guests who smoke, we offer special smoking areas outside of the hotel. Please contact the hotel directly to inquire about the location of the designated smoking areas. * Downtown Atlanta's only AAA Five-Diamond hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta is surrounded by the state's centers of finance and government and is just fifteen minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The ...
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