We are wanting to visit atlanta before school start .I thought this is the perfect place to ask for any places must see in atlanta anythting that comes to mind restaurant , coffesehops , hotels and touristy places.
Thanks a lot!
Hmm...so much! What do you like to do? Type of food? That's one thing great about the city - there is a wealth of awesome food.
As far as tourist attractions:
The new GA Aquarium is good, largest in the world.
The new Coca-Cola museum is neat and right next to it, you can knock both of those out in a day.
The CNN building gives tours of it's studios, also nearby.
The MLK Center for Nonviolence is a beautiful place to go, a must-see. Good for kids.
People always think they have to go to the "Underground Atlanta" - save your time. You're not missing anything, trust me.
Braves games.
Piedmont Park, Stone Mountain Park.
What part of town will you be staying in?
Now, the most important attractions, I know you were dying to know - Cake supply stores! LOL
If you get a chance, check out Nicholas Lodge's store off of Jimmy Carter Blvd. off of 85. Packed with all kinds of stuff. Cake Art off of Lawrenceville Hwy is the other major cake supply store in the area. (off of 285)
I gotta run but will be back to post restaurants of various cuisines/neighborhoods...I'm a big foodie! What do ya like?
Where will you be staying? That will help us help you. Atlanta is huge, but the mass transit (MARTA) is awesome. You can go practically anywhere on MARTA, and it is clean and safe-at least, it was the last time I was there. I've lived all over Atlanta.
Definitely hit the Aquarium, and the World of Coca Cola museum. I agree that Underground is overrated. I think it's gone now, but they used to have an Ann Taylor at Underground where all the metro area stores would send their clearance items, and they had racks and racks of cheap, nice things.
Certain areas have a lot of homeless people, and they will try to escort you and show you around, then ask for a tip. This is mostly downtown.
Yeah, what part of town will you be in? Our metro area is expansive and I agree to take MARTA if/when you can. Especially if you go to the places already listed, some are right off of the lines. But overall, I think our metro system is not great in terms of where it goes. It desperately needs expanding in many neighborhoods, especially going outside the main perimeter of the city. Some places, you'd still have to walk, get a bus, etc. But that's another story...just a local gripe. 
With gas prices and all...
I didn't know what a great system was until I visited Chicago and DC. When were you here Michelle? And what parts of town?
I agree with previous posts about what to see. I am not impressed with MARTA for most things, but I live in the suburbs.
Grant Park is where the zoo is, and that is pretty neat. I'd try to visit Stone Mountain at night to see the laser show. If you like theater, see what is playing at the Fox and the Alliance and Woodruff Arts Center. And if you can get to the suburbs, come and see Marietta. There is a great theater there-- Theater in the Square that will have a Sherlock Holmes play going on. The Square is pretty and has several good resaturants-- Simpatico, Le Cafe Crepe, and La Famiglia are my favorites, but there are several others.
Hope you have a great time. Oh-- and our kids mostly start school tomorrow, so traffic is up, but attendance at museums and attractions during the day should be way down. There is a Children's Museum in downtown Atlanta-near the aquarium. It's pretty neat for the 2-10 age group.
Thank you everyone for the replies!! We are not sure where we will be staying . We are actually going to orlando and just wanted to stop in atlanta. We have a 6 year old son so anything family friendly .I am also on the look out for cool pastry and coffee shop.
Thanks again
I didn't know what a great system was until I visited Chicago and DC. When were you here Michelle? And what parts of town?
Ironbaker-I left in '96 for a job. Or was it 95? Jeez, I can't remember now. I went to Ga State, lived on Briarcliff Road at N. Druid Hills, then Sandy Springs, then Dunwoody,on Roswell Road. I worked at the Ga Dome/GWCC and at a restaurant near Perimeter Mall. My family is still in GA (I grew up in Sylvester), and I always try to hit Atlanta for a couple of days when I'm down .
I didn't know what a great system was until I visited Chicago and DC. When were you here Michelle? And what parts of town?
Ironbaker-I left in '96 for a job. Or was it 95? Jeez, I can't remember now. I went to Ga State, lived on Briarcliff Road at N. Druid Hills, then Sandy Springs, then Dunwoody,on Roswell Road. I worked at the Ga Dome/GWCC and at a restaurant near Perimeter Mall. My family is still in GA (I grew up in Sylvester), and I always try to hit Atlanta for a couple of days when I'm down .
Cool! I came when you left, came here for college in 95 and stayed afterwards. I went to Spelman so I lived on campus the first couple of years eventually made it to the Smyrna area and now I'm right in between Smyrna and Vinings now and work in Sandy Springs. So much has changed over the past 13 years! I'm sure you see when you come.
A good bit has changed. They've built a strip mall on every single piece of land in Atlanta, I believe. 
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