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During your Atlanta vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
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.
Oakland Cemetery
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this outstanding 88-acre Victorian cemetery was founded in 1850. It survived the Civil War and remained the only cemetery in Atlanta for 34 years. Among the more than 48,000 people buried here are Confederate and Union soldiers (including five Southern generals), prominent families, paupers, governors and mayors, golfing great Bobby Jones, and Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell. There's a Jewish section (consecrated by a temple), a black section (dating from segregation days), and a potter's field (a section for unknown or poor people). Two monuments honor the Confederate war dead. Standing at the marker that commemorates the Great Locomotive Chase, you can see the trees from which the Yankee raiders were hanged; the Confederate train conductor Captain William Fuller is buried nearby. The cemetery is not only famous for historical reasons, but also because it is a virtual outdoor museum of Gothic and classical-revival mausolea, bronze urns, stained glass, and Victorian statuary.Almost every grave has a story. Real-estate tycoon Jasper Newton Smith had a life-size statue of himself erected on his grave so he could watch the city's goings-on into eternity. (The sculptor originally gave Smith a tie, but Smith, who never wore one, refused to pay for the piece until the tie was chiseled off.) Dr. James Nissen, Oakland's first burial, feared being buried alive; his will asked that his jugular vein be severed prior to interment. And John Morgan Dye was a baby who died during the siege of Atlanta; his mother walked through the raging battle to the cemetery carrying the small corpse. The smallest grave, however, is that of "Tweet," a pet mockingbird buried in his family's lot.A 5-year $15 million restoration aimed at reviving the cemetery as a park got underway in early 2003, and Atlanta residents certainly seem to be taking to the idea -- dozens of people jog and walk on the rolling terrain every day, and picnickers are a common sight. Leashed pets are welcome.Though you can visit whenever the cemetery is open, try to come when you can take a guided tour. It's a fascinating way to learn about the history of the graveyard and about graveyard symbolism (a lopped-tree-trunk marker indicates a life cut short or goals unachieved, rocks on a grave denote a life built on a solid foundation, a shell means resurrection, and so on). Every October, there's a celebration to commemorate the cemetery's founding, with turn-of-the-century music, food, and storytelling.
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.
Staybridge Suites ATLANTA PERIMETER CTR EAST
The Staybridge Suites Atlanta Perimeter Center East is conveniently located in the heart of the business and shopping district of the Atlanta Perimeter just off I-285 and East of GA 400. Also accessible from I-75, I-85, and MARTA - public transit system. Perimeter Mall is just blocks away with several restaurants, a movie theater, and entertainment within walking distance. Easy access to local offices and area attractions. Daily Shuttle Service 7:15am - 10pm within a 3 mile radius. All-suite ...
Hampton Inn Atlanta-Northlake
The Hampton Inn Atlanta-Northlake is located on the northeast side of Atlanta near Tucker-Georgia-a suburb of Atlanta. The hotel is in a quiet Business District- with easy access to major highways. Atlanta Hartsfield 25 m MS, aa limo-taxi. Bus station 4 m MS, taxi. Downtown 13 m MS, taxi. MARTA-public transportation 1.10 m MS, taxi-city bus. ...
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