Living an hour outside of Atlanta means there is tons to do on a weekend or a whim! The Simmons crew is always up for an adventure, so when our friends the Powell’s asked if we wanted to join them at the World of Coca-Cola, it didn’t take much to get us on board. The next day we loaded up our car full of crazies and drove into Atlanta.
This was not a planned adventure, so we very easily purchased tickets on their website in the car as we dashed into town. This was a definite time saver as the line to purchase tickets was quite long, we were able to sail right through with the tickets on our phone. There are plenty of parking options near the museum within easy walking distance. Even with a special event going on in town which caused parking prices to double we found a garage just 2 blocks down the street for $20.
The experience at World of Coca-Cola is a definite must for locals and tourists alike. I mean, how can you go wrong when the second you walk into the lobby they hand you a mini coke of your choice to enjoy while you wait for the doors to open. That is “coke” according to the south, meaning which carbonated beverage would you like? Then the doors open, and the Coca-Cola heavens shine down and you are transported to the world of Coke! A “World of Coca-Cola Ambassador” welcomes you and highlights the company’s long history with both original and reproductions of memorabilia, signs and other advertisements from the very beginning to today.
Next stop is the Coca-Cola Theater for a short film that highlights the human, feel-good side of coca-cola around the world. If you are an emotional sucker like me, you may need a tissue! From the theater you then have options of what to explore next from the Vault with the secret formula, to a walk through years of memorabilia in Milestones of Refreshment and even a behind the scenes look at the bottling process. The kids loved the 4D Movie, definitely heed the warning for those that get motion sickness easily. They do offer seats that don’t move. For the younger crowd, they will love getting their picture with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear. My tweeners and teenagers wanted no part (insert sad mom face)!
The final stop in the museum, perhaps our family favorite – the tasting room! Here you can taste over 100 different Coca-Cola products from around the world. There are freestyle machines as well as five different geographical tasting stations featuring Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. If you are crazy like my 13 year old you will taste every single option. Some of the options are delicious, some not so much, and then there is Beverly (you have to try it)! Aside from the very sticky floors and the pushy people who can’t wait their turn, this was definitely the highlight. Like all good tourist attractions your exit path takes you through the gift shop where you can find just about any product adorned with the Coca-Cola logo.
Since we were on a sugar high from drinking our weight in soda, we decided to top off our Atlanta outing with another icon – The Varsity. “What’ll ya have?” (Yes, they really do yell that as they take your order.) There is always a line to order, usually it moves quickly. This day was not the case, I think we may have hit during shift change. After finding the shortest line and waiting our turn we finally got to order. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs are their specialty but I had the grilled chicken sandwich and it was surprisingly tasty. As if we haven’t had enough syrupy drinks for one day, the boys can’t visit the Varsity without a V.O. (Varsity Orange Drink).
All in all a fun day! Can’t wait to see where this Car Full of Crazies goes next. Until next time…
What fun! I felt as if I was with you on the trip.