By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro  > Fulton County > Atlanta

Art is a real hands-on experience at the High Museum’s “Toddler Thursday” workshops in the Greene Family Learning Gallery.

There are numerous reasons to visit the High Museum of Art in Atlanta—everything from the permanent collection “American Art” to the newly opened exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci: Hand of the Genius.” But did you know about the ongoing family programs that the High hosts each week?

Toddler Thursday is just that — on Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., you can drop by the Greene Family Learning Gallery (a space designed for children where families can play together in five, fun activity areas) with your 2 - 5 year old to create a piece of art. Remaining projects for Toddler Thursdays this month show parents and little ones how to make collages (October 22) and wearable crowns (October 29).

Often, the High Museum of Art presents programs for families that are an outgrowth of current exhibitions. For instance, in conjunction with its John Portman exhibit, the museum will collaborate with the American Institute of Architects to present the Youth Architecture Fair for students, teachers and families on October 24. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro Region > Fulton County > Atlanta

Begin a tour of the CNN Studio by taking the world’s largest freestanding elevator to the 50-foot CNN Globe.

CNN is one of Atlanta’s most recognizable entities. Did you know that you can tour the backstage of CNN’s global headquarters in downtown Atlanta—even while it is delivering news from around the world?

The Inside CNN Studio Tour takes you “behind the scenes” to show you the process of delivering the news at CNN. There are interactive kiosks in the CNN Globe where you can browse through over 25 years of CNN footage. There is a replica of the CNN Control Room where you will experience the atmosphere of a fast-paced live television news environment. In Studio 7E, CNN’s black box studio, you will get a close-up look at the technology used at CNN to deliver the news and weather. From the CNN Overlook, you’ll have a bird’s eye view of the actual newsroom in action—and maybe spot a few CNN personalities. You’ll visit CNN Center, home of the other CNN networks, including Headline News, CNN International, CNN.com and CNN en Español. You will also get a chance to hear CNN anchors, like Larry King and Anderson Cooper (on video tape, of course), describe how it feels to report history in the making. The 55-minute walking tour is open to all ages and runs every 10 minutes. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

The 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta is the subject of just one of the many historical exhibits you will see at the Atlanta History Center. 

The Atlanta History Center, one of the largest history museums in the nation, is a place you can visit time and time again and always have a different experience. If you are interested in the Civil War, there is “Turning Point: The American Civil War,” one of the nation’s largest and most complete Civil War exhibitions with over 1,500 Union and Confederate artifacts, including the flag that flew over Atlanta at the time of its surrender and a Union supply wagon used by Sherman’s army.

“Metropolitan Frontiers” is the largest and most comprehensive exploration of urban history in the Southeast, telling the story of Atlanta’s emergence as a major city after the Civil War. Vintage film footage documents the 1939 premiere of Gone With the Wind, and the city’s primary role in the Civil Rights Movement.

The Centennial Olympic Games Museum at the Atlanta History Center guides you through the history of the Olympic movement, shows highlights from the Games on a large screen, and has America’s only complete collection of Olympic torches and medals. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

The Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company Plant, a National Historic Landmark, housed the first bottling operation of the Coca-Cola Company.

Earlier this year, I wrote about visiting the World of Coca-Cola, where you can learn the fascinating history about Coca-Cola and view some of the modern technology that goes into bottling it. Another Atlanta site to see in conjunction with a visit to the World of Coca-Cola is the Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company Plant on Edgewood Avenue.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1983, this building is the oldest surviving building associated with the early days of Coke. From 1900 to 1901, it was the headquarters and plant of the Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company, parent of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Outgrown as a bottling facility in just one year, the building represents Coca-Cola’s transformation from strictly a fountain treat to primarily a bottled drink. Until the mid-1890s, Coca-Cola was sold only at soda fountains. At that time, the head of Coca-Cola, Asa Candler, was not interested in bottling. Several individuals approached Candler about bottling the soft drink in different regions. Eventually, Candler gave exclusive rights to Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead to bottle Coca-Cola for the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest, with Candler supplying the syrup. This contract has been heralded as “one of the most valuable contracts in the annals of American business.” (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

The APEX Museum on Auburn Avenue is the only museum in Atlanta dedicated to relaying the history of African Americans.

The APEX (African America Panoramic Experience) Museum on Atlanta’s historic Auburn Avenue has been educating the world about history from an African American perspective for more than 30 years. It is Atlanta’s only museum dedicated to celebrating the rich and often untold history of African Americans.

The current main exhibit at APEX, “Africa: The Untold Story,” tells about the continent as the first civilization, the richest continent in the world; and its origin of art, medicine, science, architecture and family life.

Permanent exhibits at APEX are a replica of the Yates and Milton Drug Store, one of Atlanta’s first Black-owned businesses; The Hall of Achievement, where you will find information on the progress of African Americans in Georgia in a number of different categories; and the Black Inventors exhibit. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Atlanta Metro > Fulton County > Atlanta

Kayaking along the Chattahoochee River is just one of the many recreational activities you can enjoy in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 

In 1997, I co-authored a book with Fred Brown about the Chattahoochee River. The Riverkeeper’s Guide to the Chattahoochee River was a grand learning experience about rivers, in general, and about the wonders of the Chattahoochee, specifically.

One portion of the river that is especially accessible for everyone to explore and enjoy is the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), a 48-mile stretch of the river that consists of 16 land units, or parks, along both sides of its banks. The CRNRA begins at Lake Lanier’s Buford Dam, near Buford in Forsyth County, and continues downstream through four counties to Peachtree Creek near downtown Atlanta in Fulton County. The CRNRA provides outdoor recreation for more than three million visitors a year. The parks are day use facilities only, made up of hiking trails and picnic grounds. The river running through the recreation area is a stocked trout stream that includes 19 other game fish.

The Chattahoochee corridor has a colorful and interesting history that has been preserved within the National Recreation Area. Numerous rock shelters, once used by nomadic Indian families and later Indian hunting parties, can be explored on the trails at both Island Ford and Palisades East. During the 19th century, the river was the dividing line between the Cherokee and Creek Indian Nations. The Creeks, on the south side of the line, were forced west to Oklahoma in 1828, and the Cherokees, on the north and west side, were forced out in 1838. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

His grandparents home at 501 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta is where Martin Luther King, Jr., was born and lived until he was 12 years old. It is part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue, or Sweet Auburn as the neighborhood around it is called, was one of the most prosperous and influential African-American communities in the country in the early 20th century, and the place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, raised, lived, worked, and worshiped and where he is buried. Much of the Sweet Auburn area is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

Begin your visit of the historic site at the National Park Service Visitor Center, where you can get a brief orientation of the site, sign up for a Birth Home tour and view various exhibits and videos. One particular exhibit, “Children of Courage,” is geared towards younger children, telling the story of the children of the Civil Rights Movement. Now through July 19, you can see an international art exhibit paying tribute to Dr. King. Seventy artists from every continent are featured in the “I Have a Dream” exhibition, where the common theme of the artwork is “the dream.” (more…)

 By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

The Fountain of Rings with its 12-foot water sprays is the centerpiece of downtown Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. 

If you are visiting any major attraction in downtown Atlanta — CNN, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Georgia Dome, or Philips Arena just to name a few — or if you just want a downtown destination that is cool, fun, and a chance to reminisce about Atlanta’s hosting of the 1996 Olympics, stop to experience Centennial Olympic Park. About three million visitors do just that each year.

The Fountain of Rings, the centerpiece of the 21-acre park, is the world’s largest interactive fountain, utilizing the Olympic symbol of five interconnecting Rings. Time your visit with one of the four daily Fountain of Rings shows (12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.) where the Olympic fountain’s synchronized water dances to familiar tunes complete with sound and lighting effects. Water height during normal fountain operation can reach 12 feet, but during the Fountain Show, sprays can be anywhere from 15 to 30 feet tall—all in tune with everything from Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and The Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea” to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout.” When it’s not show time at the Fountain, children – and adults – love to play in its spray. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

If you have a kindergartener, like I do, or anyone who remembers their kindergarten years, you might want to see Synchronicity Performance Group’s production of the musical “Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business.”

Adapted from the Barbara Park children’s book series, the musical is part of Synchronicity’s family series and is running Tuesdays through Thursdays and weekends through May 31 on the main stage at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta.

If your child has not been introduced to the Junie B. Jones book series, the musical might inspire you to do so. Written for ages 4 - 8, the stories about the sassy little 5-year-old, her classmates and family began with Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, back in 1992. There are now more than 25 books in Park’s series. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

First stop for kids at Zoo Atlanta is Flamingo Plaza, where the long-legged birds show off their wading skills and beautiful pink plumage.

From the awesomeness of elephants and gorillas to the antics of panda bears and lemurs, there is nothing like a trip to Zoo Atlanta with kids. Just last week, I made my first trip in a good number of years with Brianna and her kindergarten class—twenty kids, who excitedly spent a couple of hours seeing as many of the zoo’s 1,300 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians as possible!

Zoo Atlanta, which celebrated its 120th birthday this past March, is pleasant, clean and has lots of shady areas so that you can enjoy it even on Atlanta’s hotter days. Once you leave Flamingo Plaza, you can visit the African Plains with zebras, giraffes and lions; the African Rain Forest, where monkeys swing from tree to tree; and the Asian Forest, where orangutans, otters and tigers reside. Exotic birds, kangaroos and a petting zoo can be found in the KIDZone as well as the zoo train, carousel and a rock climber wall. Although not my favorite, my group of children went wild in the World of Reptiles building. Besides all that, you’ll find plenty of things to climb, places to eat, and great photo-ops at Zoo Atlanta. (more…)