During my latest trip to Atlanta, I was stopped outside of a Marta station and I was asked where a particular church was located. Ten minutes later, as my husband and I waited for his cousin to meet us, another gentleman asked us for directions to a second church. As we were departing, we witnessed another lost soul looking for yet a third church. Over the course of three days, I noticed dozens and dozens of churches. I used to live in the Atlanta suburbs and never really noticed how many churches are in Atlanta. No wonder people are looking for Jesus as the poor man must be lost trying to find his way to church!

Seriously, there are some very famous churches (and synagogues as well as places of worship for other religions) in Atlanta. The most well-known church is the Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr. used to preach. Peachtree Presbyterian supposedly boasts the largest Presbyterian congregation in the United States. The Temple is a Reform Jewish synagogue which became infamous because of a bombing in 1958. Off topic plug: check out "The Temple Bombing" by Melissa Fay Green. It's a well written book and I'm related to the author.

Aside from churches, there are many attractions to see and experience in the Atlanta area. I'm going to list some of my favorites.

Watching the Braves play at Turner Field

Turner Field is so different than the old Fulton County Stadium that was torn down for the 1996 Olympics. Everything is so high tech and there's so much to do and see. The last time I was there we had very good seats in the lower level between right and center field. The only problem with these seats was that it was so blasted hot and there wasn't any shade. The sun reflected right off the seats onto people. I had a sunburn within minutes.

You can go upstairs to the Coca-Cola Sky Field where we were able to see a wonderful view of downtown Atlanta and the former outfield wall from Fulton County Stadium. We also went through the spritzers to cool off. It is so comfortable up there! You can also sit in a giant chair, see a Coke bottle constructed out of baseball bats, balls and gloves and give the kids the chance to run the distance between home and first base. It's a lot of fun.

Checking out Centennial Park

If you are interested in formerly famous places, come see the site of the 1996 Olympic bombing. Actually, this was THE place to be during the Olympic games. Today, we're dismayed to see the deteriorated condition of many of the commemorative bricks that people purchased in honor of the 1996 games. The bricks are not very old and shouldn't look like that. You can still have fun with the fountain concerts. During my last visit, we saw small children dancing to the strains of "Under the Sea" from "The Little Mermaid" while the fountain pulsed to the beat.

Imbibing all the Coke you can drink at The World of Coca-Cola

Atlanta is a company town. Everything revolves around Coke. It's everywhere. It's ubiquitous. You cannot escape it. At the laser show at Stone Mountain, people were even applauding the Coca-Cola commercial. My husband was suckered in by Coca-Cola and posed with the Coke bottle on the Coke machine outside of The World of Coca-Cola.

Inside The World of Coca-Cola, there are numerous opportunities to have your picture taken with Coca-Cola products. You can stand behind a replica of an old Coca-Cola serving tray so you can have your picture taken.

In the Barnes Soda Fountain, we each received a free coaster/postcard. The soda jerk pictured on the coaster is the same soda jerk that gave us the free coaster/postcard.

The most enticing attraction at The World of Coca-Cola is the opportunity to drink yourself sick with Coca-Cola products from around the world. We had many flavors of soda including pineapple/grapefruit soda, lychee nut soda, quinine soda, apple soda, vegitabeta soda, sweet tea that would make your teeth rot on the spot and the most disgusting flavor of all: Olympic Powerade. After drinking the vilest brews, we decided to mix them to see if it would be an improvement. It was!

Seeing Coca-Cola products advertised during the Laser Show at Stone Mountain Park

It's a very loud show with music and lasers and fireworks. The laser show is projected right onto the side of Stone Mountain. Do not bring your dog! The opening is a long commercial for Coca-Coca. That's not surprising considering that everything in Atlanta seems to be either a church or an advertisement for Coke products. Still, even though the show is quite crowded (because everyone in Atlanta loves Coke), it's worth seeing if you're in the vicinity.

Having a drink at the bar at the Sun Dial Restaurant atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza

The Sun Dial is a revolving restaurant on the 71st floor of the Westin Peachtree Plaza. The bar is on the 73rd floor. It's the highest spot in the city to get a panoramic view. The view is spectacular and if you choose to eat instead of just drink, there is no fee to go up to the observation deck and the food is pretty good.

Taking the CNN Tour

This begins by riding a very tall freestanding escalator to the tour gathering area. Back in the olden days when I used to live in Atlanta, this escalator led to "The World of Sid and Marty Kroft" which was an amusement park consisting of five rides or so. It was very expensive and we only went there once but I recall hearing that this was the world's tallest escalator. That may not be true but it is VERY tall. The tour itself is rather boring. They show you a rah-rah film about Ted Turner and then you learn how a Telepromter works. After that you see a couple of news rooms but if it is a slow news day, there's nothing happening.

The tour (of course) ends in the CNN Store.

DISCLAIMER: This tour may have changed since the AOL-Time Warner merger and the resignation of Ted Turner.

Riding out to Grant Park to see the Cyclorama

The reason go drive out here is to see the world's largest painting, "The Battle of Atlanta" which is housed in the Cyclorama. The painting is presented in the round and has a three dimensional diorama as well as a stirring musical score. If you have the least bit of interest in the Civil War/War Between the States, go see the Atlanta Cyclorama. Even if you don't have any interest, go anyway. You will not regret it! The park itself is lovely and there is a nice zoo to see as well.

Ordering a Naked Dog, 2 F.O.'s and a Bacon Steak at The Varsity!
The food is good, greasy, inexpensive, very bad for you and quite tasty. It's also an Atlanta tradition and the world's largest drive-in.

Waving at the "Fly Delta Jets" sign at Hartsfield International Airport

This is my own Atlanta tradition dating back to when I was six years old. Each time I've flown in or out of town, I've always waved at the sign. It makes me happy!

There are so many other attractions to see in Atlanta that I feel that my list of favorites barely scratches the surface. I haven't even mentioned the Fox Theater or anything dealing with Margaret Mitchell, Jimmy Carter, or Martin Luther King, Jr.

*DISCLAIMER: I have the utmost respect for people of all religious backgrounds and the first paragraph and title of the epinion is meant only to be humorous and not slanderous in any way.

Recommended: Yes

Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May