Atlanta is one of those cities that have an odd yet charming feel to them even if at first it doesn’t look like it. Much like a pug or other ugly dog breeds, at first it doesn’t look like the kind of city that you’d fall in love with, but the more you get to know, the more you start to feel Atlanta’s charm. So, in this post, we´ll be exploring a little list of Atlanta’s odd and charming activities so that you get to know all the hidden gems that this city hides.
Now, before we start digging on Atlanta’s fun and odd activities, it’s important to make sure that you’re able to get to those activities. moving around in a city like Atlanta requires you to have a reliable method of transportation. Booking a rental car is a great way make transportation easier, as you get to move with much more freedom than you would if you were to use public transport or taxi services, after all, you don’t have to wait for no driver if you get to be the driver yourself!
Now without further ado let’s explore the fun oddities of Atlanta!
Center for Puppetry Arts
Puppetry has always been a strange and fascinating part of the entertainment world. Most people know what the Muppets are, and chances are high that you´ve seen some sort of stop motion animation picture at some point and felt the strangeness that only comes from that type of animation. Well, here in Atlanta you can find the Center for Puppetry Art, a museum dedicated to the history of puppetry!
Here you can find multiple interesting exhibits about the history of puppetry, such as one dedicated to the life and work of Jim Henson creator of the Muppets, and one dedicated to puppetry around the world. Here you can even find the original clay puppets used in stop motion classics such as Corpse Bride and Coraline. It’s the perfect museum to visit for both kids and adults!
You can find it at 1404 Spring St NW there is ample parking.
Atlanta’s botanical garden
Atlanta has a very special and endearing relationship with the plant life that surrounds it. You see, Atlanta has a very above-average number of trees, the tree coverage area is so vast that it’s possible to say that the city has both a skyline and a canopy! In fact, one of the city’s nicknames is “the city in a forest” and so, it’s just fitting that Atlanta houses one of the most amazing botanical gardens you can ever find!
The Botanical garden features many awesome living sculptures made of carefully maintained plants, for example, you can find a monumental sculpture of a woolly mammoth made by plants where a certain type of grass mimics the fur of the long-extinct beast, and that’s just one of the amazing living sculptures you can find here there are dragons, mermaids and even a couple of scenes from Alice in Wonderland all of them made of carefully maintained plants.
At night, and especially during the Christmas season, you can also enjoy nocturnal displays of light that turn the already beautiful garden into a truly otherworldly view.
The garden is located in Piedmont Park, at 1345 Piedmont Ave.
The World of Coca-Cola and Georgia Aquarium
These two are perhaps some of Atlanta’s most well-known attractions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t odd and fun enough not to put them on the list. Plus, they are so close to one another than if you visit one you might as well visit them both.
The World of Coca-Cola
Now, Atlanta is the birthplace of one of the most renown soft-drinks and brands ever to exist, and so, it just makes sense that you can find a whole museum dedicated to the history of Coca-Cola.
Here you can find exhibits about both the soft-drink and its world-famous advertisement campaigns. Along with that, there are also tasting rooms where you can taste sodas from all over the world, and you can even see the door to the vault where the secret formula of Coca-Cola is supposedly kept. It’s a little bit kitsch but hey this Coca-Cola is one of the most famous products ever to come out of Atlanta, so you might as well pay Coca-Cola a visit.
Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium is the biggest aquarium in the western hemisphere! In case you haven’t understood the magnitude of what that means. I´ll let you know that they house Whale Sharks, which are the biggest species of shark in modern times! But they also house many other types of aquatic creatures, from penguins to beluga whales to adorable sea otters. Which is, on its right, a little bit odd after all, Atlanta is nowhere near the sea!
You can find the aquarium at 225 Baker St NW, by the way, the world of Coca-Cola is right next to the aquarium so if you get to one, you won’t have any problem finding the other.
Arabia Mountain
Now, if you’re into outdoor activities and crave for places that are unique in the world, then you’re going to love this one. Due to Arabia Mountain’s unique ecology and geology, the hiking trail here features some of the most outlandish landscapes you can find in all of Georgia. Whereas the common landscape around the mountain is that of tranquil forest, and perhaps a creek or two, in the mountain you´ll only find a landscape of barren rock with pools of water where a strange red plant grows. It’s the closest you´ll ever get to hiking on another planet!
Now, Arabia Mountain is not in Atlanta proper but on the outskirts of Atlanta. Approximately a 30-minute drive away from the city, so its recommendable that you rent a car in Atlanta, as there are no public transport options to get you there.
And there you have it, next time you’re visiting Atlanta, give some of these odd places a chance, but don’t let this little list limit you. Go out and explore the many other beautiful things there are to see in this wonderful city!
