You’re invited to an audience with royalty for a weekend or a week in Atlanta, and while you’re there you’ll find plenty of other things for you and you family.
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See Egypt’s Boy King at “Tutankhamun The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs,” open through May at the Atlanta Civic Center. Click on “Planning FAQs” for a few basics, including a link at the bottom of the page for hotels offering package deals. If you want to learn more about Tutankhamun, you have to click on “Group Information” to find guides on mummification, King Tut’s tomb and history.
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From Asia, see the “First Emperor, China’s Terracotta Army,” showing in Atlanta’s High Museum of Art through April 19. According to the Georgia tourism agency, this exhibit includes the largest number of artifacts brought to this country from the tomb of King Ying Zheng. He declared himself the first emperor of the Qin in 221 BC, uniting what has since become modern China. Click on “Explore More” for a tour of the burial complex and for history of the emperor, and if you have time, watch the videos. There’s a discussion forum where other visitors have shared their impressions. Click on the museum’s red “High” logo in the upper left corner to see what else you can take in at the museum.
www.atlantaplanit.com
Once you’re out of the exhibits, consult AtlantaPlanIt to see what else is doing in the city. See what’s on stage at the local theaters, click on “Music” for concerts, and if you’re taking the kids, you could direct them to “Events for the Entire Family” to see what catches their eyes.
www.georgiaaquarium.org
The Georgia Aquarium has sharks and manta rays, jellyfish and corals, and fish of all sizes. The world’s largest aquarium also has a Titanic exhibit, a “4D Theater” and Web cams.
www.zooatlanta.org/home.htm
From the aquarium, let your kids drag you to Zoo Atlanta to see lion cubs, vultures, Komodo dragons, alligators and pandas. They also have family programs, with things for kids of all ages.
www.nps.gov/malu
For history, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is dedicated to the memory of the civil rights leader.
www.gwtw.org
Among other famous Atlanta residents, the Margaret Mitchell House &Museum honors the author of “Gone With the Wind.”
www.atlanta.net
The official Atlanta Travel Guide has more information to offer visitors, including “50 Fun Things to Do” under the “What to Do” heading. If you look further under that heading, click on “Explore Atlanta” to see a video gallery, maps and suggestions for itineraries.
www.atlantaga.gov/Visitors/Attractions.aspx
Depending on how much time you have, you might need more places to go and things to do. The visitors’ section in the city government’s Web site has a collection of links to attractions including more museums, landmarks and sports teams, including the Braves and Falcons. There’s also a list of links to colleges and universities for families scouting scholastic destinations for next year.
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Once you have destinations in mind, it helps to know in advance where they are. Try Yahoo Travel’s Atlanta guide and click on “Attractions” next to the interactive map. You can also use that map to locate major hotels. Then look above the map for links to Web sites advertising hotel and vacation packages.
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Pick up other visitor’s opinions and views by visiting TripAdvisor’s Atlanta chapter and clicking on “Traveler Photos,” “Traveler Videos” and their forum. Then check out “Before You Go” for lengthier reports on neighbors, history, getting around and health and safety.
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There’s another discussion forum in the Atlanta guide at Virtual Tourist, and if you roll down the page a ways you’ll run into nightlife tips, “Off the Beaten Path …” and local customs. They also provide two useful sections with other visitors’ opinions, some of which could be outdated, on “Tourist Traps …” and “Warnings or Dangers …”
www.itsmarta.com
Getting into the city from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is easy. Just hop on one of the trains of the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and it’ll take you right downtown. Click on “Getting There” and then “Schedules &Maps” to reach the rail system maps.
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