Pass And Go

03 atlanta citypassLinda Burton posting from Atlanta, Georgia – Buy a pass that’s good for nine days. Go to five of Atlanta’s top seven favorite spots. You can do that with Atlanta CityPass, a “bundle” of things to do; the same thing is offered in the capital city of Boston, and in other large cities around the country such as Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. It’s nice to get the seriously discounted ticket prices, and it’s nice, if you’re a quick-stop tourist, to have suggestions that lead you to places unique to a city, like the Statue of Liberty, or the Space Needle. In Atlanta, CityPass choices include Atlanta History Center, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Georgia Aquarium, High Museum of Art, Inside CNN Tours, World of Coca-Cola, and Zoo Atlanta. I’ve been to these fabulous places on previous visits to Atlanta, and I whole-heartedly vouch for their high-interest factor, but seeing them “bundled” got me thinking about why they are so popular, how they impact the everyday lives of Atlanta residents, and who was responsible for their creation. Behind every great thing is somebody’s gem of an idea. And behind every thriving community lies the support of the people who live there, and love it.

03 house ahcTake the Atlanta History Center, for instance. Back in 1926, fourteen Atlanta men got together and founded the Atlanta Historical Society; Walter McElreath (1867-1951) led the group that began by publishing a history bulletin (last published in 2006). The group remained small till 1986, when Beverly DuBose donated a collection of Civil War artifacts and the current museum was built. Since then, a $15 million museum opened (1993); an expansion was completed (1996); a fourth permanent exhibit was added; and the Centennial Olympic Museum was finished (2006). The main campus occupies 33 acres today, housing not only those museums but six historic gardens and the historic Swan House and Smith Family Farm. This complex is one of the largest history museums in the nation, bringing to life the story of the earliest settlers here and what makes Atlanta an international city today. Check out the interactive exhibits, living history programs, lectures, summer camps, and annual festivals. The Margaret Mitchell House, located in Midtown, is also part of the Center; it hosts award-winning authors and creative writing programs; the Kenan Research Center is a free public research center for the study of Atlanta and Southern history and culture. Thanks, Walter McElreath, and those thirteen other guys, for that beginning effort.

Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta, 404.814.4000, www.atlantahistorycenter.com

03 fernbank dino 2 At the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, you can visit the bones of the largest dinosaur ever classified, the Argentinosaurus. Now, the history of that dinosaur may go back further than that of Emily Harrison (1874-1973), but Emily gets credit for the purchase of the woodland on which the Museum now stands, and for the vision that preserved it as a “school in the woods” for the study of nature. A teacher, she and fourteen other conservation-minded environmentalists purchased 70 acres in 1938 and chartered “Fernbank.” It was used by school groups, Scouts, and others; in 1964 a partnership with the DeKalb County School System led to the construction of a science center for DeKalb school children. Fernbank Museum, a separate facility, was opened to the public in 1992, carefully located behind a row of historic houses; its glass-enclosed atrium overlooks Fernbank Forest, the largest old-growth urban forest in the country. The Museum has won national and international awards; Giants of the Mesozoic is the display with the giant dinosaurs; A Walk Through Time in Georgia tells about both the state’s natural history and the development of the planet. Many interactive exhibits, such as NatureQuest; an IMAX theater has a screen five stories high; there are summer camps, lectures, family activity days, storytelling. Foreign language visitor guides are available in 9 languages. Thanks, Miss Emily, and those other conservationists, for your vision.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, 404.929.6300, www.fernbankmuseum.org

03 georgia aquarium In 1979, Bernie Marcus (b 1929) co-founded The Home Depot, with its first stores and its headquarters in Atlanta. After the incredible growth of the business, Bernie decided to make a gift of appreciation to the Atlanta community. He also wanted to do something that would bring new jobs to the city, and create a destination that would inspire visitors to come. That gift turned out to be the Georgia Aquarium, opened November 23, 2005, and thanks to Bernie’s $250 million donation, it opened debt-free. It claims to be the world’s largest aquarium, with more animals than any other in its ten million gallons of water. Sixty exhibits tell a global water story; each is designed to entertain and to educate. Bernie’s goal was achieved; the Aquarium has attracted more than 11 million visitors so far, employed more than 400 people, and served as an anchor for the downtown revitalization efforts. The Aquarium has dedicated 25% of its gallery to students of all ages; the area is called the Learning Loop. Striving to be the leading facility for aquatic animal conservation and research, the Correll Center for Aquatic Animal Health has 10,000 square feet and integrates an aquarium with a veterinarian teaching hospital. Globally, it supports, conducts, and leads research on environmental and conservation issues. Thanks Bernie, for this magnificent gift.

Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, 404.581.4000, www.georgiaaquarium.org

03 high museumSeveral names come up with regard to the High Museum of Art. The Atlanta Art Association was founded in 1905, but it was 1926 when the Joseph High family donated their home on Peachtree to house Museum collections, following exhibitions organized by Atlanta collector J J Haverty. A separate building for the Museum was built adjacent to the family home in 1955. The year 1962 brought tragedy when 106 Atlanta arts patrons died in a plane crash at Orly Airport in Paris while on a museum-sponsored trip. The city built a memorial to these victims; the Memorial Arts Center opened October 5, 1968. It was renamed the Woodruff Arts Center in 1982 to honor its greatest benefactor, Robert W Woodruff (1889-1985). The Center included the Atlanta College of Art, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the High Museum of Art; the Alliance Theatre was added in 1970; in 2005 Young Audiences joined the Center. The Woodruff’s PreK-12 programs now reach more than one million children annually, the largest base of any arts center in the country. The High Museum of Art is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States with more than 13,000 works of art in its permanent collection – an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American art; significant holdings of European paintings and decorative art; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art. The High supports and collects works by Southern self-taught artists, such as Howard Finster; the Media Arts department produces an annual film series and festivals of foreign, independent and classic film. Thanks to the Joseph High family, Robert Woodruff, and Atlanta arts patrons for each layer contributed to Atlanta’s rich art scene.

High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, 404-733-4444, www.high.org

 03 inside cnnMedia mogul Ted Turner (b 1938) has never been one to back away from a challenge; he didn’t listen to the naysayers who said nobody would be interested in 24 hours of news every day. He launched CNN, the Cable News Network, at 5:00 PM June 1, 1980, the first all-news television channel in the United States. After an introduction by Ted, the husband and wife team of David Walker and Lois Hart anchored the first newscast. Burt Reinhardt, then executive vice president of CNN, hired most of the first 200 employees, including the network’s first news anchor, Bernard Shaw. Today the company has 36 bureaus (10 domestic, 26 international), more than 900 affiliated local stations, and several regional and foreign-language networks around the world. CNN changed the way news is reported – it carried the only live coverage of the launch and explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986 and the Baby Jessica rescue in 1987, when an 18-month-old toddler fell down a well in Texas. The first Persian Gulf War in 1991 catapulted the channel past the big three American networks; CNN was the only news outlet communicating from inside Iraq during the initial hours of the bombing campaign, with live reports from Baghdad resulting in CNN being watched by over a billion viewers worldwide. Tour CNN’s world headquarters in Atlanta Monday-Sunday between 9-5; the Morning Express Tour takes you behind the scenes with Robin Meade; the CNN VIP Tour offers expanded access to the working studios of CNN Worldwide. Thanks Ted, for going beyond the tried and true.

Inside CNN, 190 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, 404.827.2300, www.cnn.com/tour

03 soda fountain In 1886, when Atlanta passed prohibition legislation, John Pemberton (1831-1888) developed a nonalcoholic version of French Wine Coca. The first sales were at Jacob’s Pharmacy’s soda fountain in Atlanta for five cents a glass. Pemberton claimed his Coca-Cola cured many diseases and ran the first advertisement for the beverage on May 29 of the same year in the Atlanta Journal. It was Asa Candler (1851-1929) however who eventually succeeded in establishing the Coca-Cola Company; the business story is filled with legend, mystery, and phenomenal success. The “secret formula” of Coca-Cola’s natural flavorings was held in the main vault of the SunTrust Bank in Atlanta for 86 years; it now resides in a vault at the World of Coca-Cola, an incredible and fun place that opened in May 2007 and tells the fascinating story of the world’s best-known beverage brand. More than 1,200 “Coke” artifacts from around the 03 coke bottles and mattworld are on display, including interactive exhibits, a 4-D movie (3D glasses and moving seats), a 7-foot Coca-Cola Polar Bear, and the Tasting Experience, where visitors can sample over 60 different beverages from around the world. The original World of Coca-Cola opened at Underground Atlanta in 1990; the new location at Pemberton Place is part of the downtown revitalization, grouping this museum and the Georgia Aquarium near Centennial Olympic Park; the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the College Football Hall of Fame open here in the near future. Thanks John Pemberton, and Asa Candler, for your creative genius; little did you know just where it would lead!

World of Coca-Cola, 121 Baker St NW, Atlanta, 404.676.5151, www.worldofcoca-cola.com

03 zoo atlantaAtlanta’s oldest cultural attraction began the day a circus came to town. It was March 1889, and a traveling show headed for Marietta stalled due to cash flow problems. The animals were left in their cages by defecting employees and began to draw curious onlookers. Businessman George Valentine Gress (1847-1934) took pity and purchased the animals – a jaguar, hyena, black bear, raccoon, elk, gazelle, Mexican hog, and a few lionesses, pumas, camels and snakes – and donated them to the city of Atlanta. City leaders put them in Grant Park, and Atlanta’s first “zoo” opened to the public that April. Community involvement was key from the beginning; private citizens donated animals and Atlanta newspapers spearheaded fund drives. The first elephant, Clio, was purchased in 1890. The grandest collection boost occurred 40 years later, when Asa Candler Jr (1880-1953) (familiar family name?) donated his collection of wild things to the Zoo, with the stipulation that the city raise sufficient funds to house them. They did; by 1935 the collection included its first tiger. Today over 1,500 animals representing more than 220 species have a home at Zoo Atlanta; it is home to the nation’s largest zoological collections of gorillas and orangutans and is one of only four zoos in the country currently housing giant pandas. Thanks George Gress, for that kind-hearted gesture, way back in 1889.

Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave SE, Atlanta, 404.624.9453 www.zooatlanta.org

Atlantans, continue to love and support these seven special treasures; visitors, check each website for hours and options available, then get your pass and go.

Atlanta City Pass www.citypass.com