Entertainment

Atlanta offers visitors a wealth of activities and attractions, many located within walking distance or a quick cab ride from ASTD’s conference hotels. If you have some downtime or plan to stay an extra day in Atlanta, here are some links to activities you might like to plan ahead for.

The Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tours include a visit to the Control Room theater where you can see and hear behind-the-scenes elements of 24 hour news; interactive exhibits, and demonstrations of special effects.

Drink in the World of Coca Cola as you take a self-guided tour of the pavilion that houses a collection of Coca Cola memorabilia, interactive high-tech exhibits and video presentations, including a re-creation of a 1930’s soda fountain. A new World of Coca Cola will open in May 2007 and will feature state-of the art technology and story-telling techniques and a variety of new exhibits. The new attraction will be located near Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Aquarium.

Visit the recently expanded High Museum of Art. In addition to the ongoing exhibits, an unprecedented partnership between the High and the Louvre brings hundreds of works of art from the Louvres’ collections to Atlanta from 2006-2009. During ASTD’s conference, the Louvre Atlanta will feature The Royal Collections -- paintings, sculptures, drawings, and artifacts from the collections of the Kings of France. A second exhibit will display decorative arts commissioned by Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI.

Come face-to-face with the world’s largest dinosaurs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History where you can engage in interactive exhibits and enjoy the 5-story experience of an IMAX® film. Fernbank offers ASTD International Conference attendees a $2 discount on admission during the week of the conference. Just show your conference badge to get the discount.

Visit the Atlanta History Museum and tour two historic houses --the grandiose 1928 mansion, Swan House and an 1840’s plantation-plain yeoman farm, The Tullie Smith Farm, as well as historic gardens.

See the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, including Rev. King’s boyhood home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church and the surrounding Sweet Auburn neighborhood.

Set on acres of gardens, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum houses a vast assortment of documents, correspondence, photographs and videotapes from Jimmy Carter’s White House years, including an exact replica of the Oval Office as it appeared during his presidency.

Fans of Gone With the Wind will enjoy a docent-guided tour of the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum. You will see the restored apartment where she wrote the novel from 1925 to 1932 and view a film on Mitchell’s life and writing. The Gone With the Wind Movie Museum displays original objects from the film, correspondence, and memorabilia of the making of the movie and its premiere in Atlanta.

Glide around Atlanta on a Segway! The City Segway Tour includes Underground Atlanta, the Georgia State Capitol, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Sweet Auburn District.

Walk Atlanta offers 2 1⁄2 hour walking tours of Downtown, Sweet Auburn, or Midtown Atlanta.

 

Dining

Atlanta has a wide array of restaurants to please every taste. Here's just a sample.

 

Transportation/Maps

Here are some maps to help you find you way around the city.