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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.
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
Set on 30 acres of gardens, lakes, and waterfalls, this impressive presidential library houses some 27 million pages of documents, memoranda, and correspondence from Jimmy Carter's White House years. There are also 1 1/2 million photographs and hundreds of hours of audio- and videotapes. The library's hilltop site is a historic one; it was from this spot that Sherman watched the Battle of Atlanta.In the extensive museum, you'll find an exact replica of the Oval Office during Carter's presidency -- an exhibit enhanced by a recording of Carter speaking about his experiences in that office. A large display of "gifts of state" runs the gamut from a Dresden figurine of George and Martha Washington (a gift from Ireland) to a carpet from the Shah of Iran. You'll also see the table setting used when the Carters entertained Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping and his wife in the State Dining Room; a video of artists such as the late pianist Vladimir Horowitz performing in the East Room; campaign memorabilia; and a large display devoted to the activities of Rosalynn Carter. Other exhibits focus on Carter's support of human rights (there's a letter from Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov and Carter's reply); his boyhood days (his sixth-grade report card and a photo of the Plains High basketball team are two of the items on display); and his pre-presidential life as a peanut farmer, governor, and state senator.There are informative videos throughout, including an interactive "town meeting" video through which visitors can ask Carter questions on subjects ranging from world affairs to his personal life. Another intriguing participatory video lets you choose your response to a terrorist crisis and learn the probable consequences of your choice.Consider having lunch here. There's an excellent cafeteria, run by one of the city's top catering companies, with patio seating overlooking a Japanese garden and pond. If you're still in a political mood, stop by nearby Manuel's Tavern, a local pub at 602 N. Highland Ave. that's popular with journalists and politicians. President Carter stops in occasionally.
Zoo Atlanta
This delightful 40-acre zoo dates from 1889, when George W. Hall (aka "Popcorn George") brought his traveling circus to town. Employee claims against Hall for back wages forced him to relinquish his menagerie, and the animal entourage was purchased by a prominent Atlanta businessman who donated the collection to the city as the basis for a zoological garden in Grant Park. It grew considerably over the years and was a popular local attraction, but had fallen into disrepair by the mid-1980s. Director Terry Maple was brought in to rescue the zoo and oversee a still-ongoing multimillion-dollar renovation.The turnaround has been dramatic. Today, Zoo Atlanta is one of the finest zoos in the country, with animals housed in large open enclosures that simulate their natural habitats. The zoo participates in breeding programs, many of them focusing on endangered species, and is home to many endangered animals, including Sumatran orangutans, 19 western lowland gorillas, black rhinos, 3 African elephants, 2 Komodo monitors, and big-mouthed African dwarf crocodiles.Currently the exhibit creating the biggest stir is the Asian Forest, home to Lun Lun and Yang Yang, two giant pandas. The two Chinese natives are a huge hit with adults and children alike. Although the pandas' rowdiest period is in the afternoon, the two put on quite a show most of the day: munching bamboo, tussling with each other, playing on their log swing, or climbing on the swinging ladder. When Lun Lun has had enough of Yang Yang's roughhousing, she heads for the water. In the summer, the two can be especially entertaining; if it's really sweltering, zoo officials give each of them a huge block of ice to help them cool off. Yang Yang likes to hug his until it melts. Unfortunately, as this guide went to print, reproductive efforts between the two have been unsuccessful. But hey, who can work under this kind of pressure?Your first stop will probably be Flamingo Plaza. Farther on, Mzima Springs and Masai Mara house elephants, rhinos, lions, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and other African animals and birds. The landscape in this section resembles the plains of East Africa, with honey locust trees and yuccas, and the lion enclosure replicates an East African kopje (rocky outcropping). Frequent animal demonstrations, African storytelling, and educational programs take place under the Elder's Tree in Masai Mara. The newest addition here is a baby waterbuck, daughter of Kokopelli (who was aptly named for the ancient fertility god).The lushly landscaped Ford African Rain Forest -- one of the most popular sections -- centers on four vast gorilla habitats separated by moats. Studies on gorilla behavior take place here, and there are usually quite a few adorable babies (they're hard to spot sometimes, so be sure to ask if there are any to be seen). The zoo's longtime mascot, Willie B. (named after former Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield), died in 2000, but his daughters Kudzoo and Olympia live in the forest and usually put on a pretty good show. The best time to visit is around 2pm, when the gorillas are fed. Also in this section is a walk-through aviary of West African birds, an exhibit of small African primates, and the Gorillas of Cameroon Museum. Landscaping includes burned-out areas of forest and deadfall trees -- gorillas do not live in manicured gardens.In the Ketambe section, several families of high-climbing orangutans show off their skills among the trees and bamboo clusters of an Indonesian tropical rainforest. If you're lucky enough to be there at feeding time -- around 2:30pm -- you might see them swinging on ropes from tree to tree. In the Sumatran Tiger Forest, rare Sumatran tigers prowl a lush forest, sometimes dipping into a stream or waterfall. Nearby is a superb Reptile House -- the zoo is home to one of the finest reptile collections in the country -- and a special exhibit area, often used to house visiting animals.A zoo train travels through the Children's Zoo area. Here, you'll find a playground and petting zoo where kids can get friendly with llamas, sheep, pot-bellied pigs, goats, and more. There are aviaries here, too. Kids (and adults) will love the entertaining and informative free animal shows at the zoo; shows are held in the Wildlife Theater during summer, and African elephant demonstrations are given daily year-round.There are snack bars (including a McDonald's) throughout the zoo. Or you can picnic in tree-shaded areas in Grant Park. The Zoo Atlanta Trading Company features zoo memorabilia and gifts.Some other new zoo news: First, the Australian-themed Outback Station in the Orkin Children's Zoo recently introduced two new species -- red kangaroos and kookaburras. Secondly, Turner Broadcasting made a $5 million donation in 2004. The single largest gift in Zoo Atlanta history, the money will allow the zoo to enhance the public offerings and educational programs in its Conservation Action Resource Center.
Emory Inn
Hotel is located East of Buckhead, adjacent to Emory ...
W Atlanta At Perimeter Center
Nearby Airports: * Peachtree-Dekalb Airport - 10 Miles * Hartsfield International Airport - 23 Miles Nearby Cities: * Concorse - 1 Mile * Ravinia - 1 Mile * Sandy Springs - 2 Miles * Chamblee - 4 Miles * Doraville - 4 Miles * Buckhead - 5 Miles * Atlanta - 8 Miles * Vinings - 8 Miles * Decatur - 10 Miles * Roswell - 10 Miles * Tucker - 11 Miles * Alpharetta - 12 Miles * Norcross - 14 Miles * Winward - 15 ...
Holiday Inn Select ATLANTA CAPITOL CONFERENCE CTR
Welcome to the Holiday Inn Select Hotel located in the heart of downtown Atlanta minutes from Hartsfield Int®l Airport. A AAA Diamond hotel, located adjacent to Atlanta Braves Turner Field we offer complimentary shuttle to Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia Pacific, State Capital, Georgia World Congress Center, Bellsouth, World Of Coke, Martin Luther King Jr Center, Georgia Aquarium and other major business icons. Nearby shopping at Lenox Mall, Phipps Plaza and Underground Atlanta. Our ...
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