ATLANTApix: Center for Civil & Human Rights

Future Home of Center for Civil & Human Rights

"This Center will explore the universal search for a secure human existence, in a way that inspires vigilance and leadership among future generations," tops the homepage announcing the future Center for Civil & Human Rights. 

The Center for Civil & Human Rights will be located in the northeast corner of Pemberton Place, also home of Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. At the corner of Ivan Allen, Jr. Boulevard and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, visitors to the Center will enjoy easy access from downtown Atlanta and will also be near many other attractions.

The new Center promises to be a distinctive structure architecturally with stupendous vistas, an internal plaza suitable for meditation and reflection, and a design that provokes a vision of unity.

ATLANTApix and ATLANTAvidz of the tourATLANTA blog features a daily photo or video relative to Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: Upcoming at Pemberton Place

Georgia Aquarium

One week from today the new resident dolphins at Georgia Aquarium will premier in AT&T Dolphin Tales. I've been hearing about the dolphins since I moved back to Atlanta in August of last year so my excitement is nearly uncontainable.

While you're in Pemberton Place, pop by the World of Coca-Cola to see their newest exhibit, "Coca-Cola Expedition 206," a story about three young people who set out to visit as many as possible of the 206 countries and territories where Coca-Cola is sold. The visited 186!

And by time the dolphins take to the "stage," just acrosse the street the Fountain of Rings in Centennial Olympic Park will have undergone its renovation and be ready for its daily performances.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: No-Cost Atlanta

Chandelier at the Georgia Governor's Mansion

I find myself shocked, amazed, and totally baffled when I hear people say "I'm bored" or "There's nothing to do." Now, when I hear "There's nothing on TV," that I'm inclined to agree with, but will never agree that there's nothing to do. There is so much to do in Atlanta and lots of it is available without an exchange of currency.

For example, tours of the Georgia Governor's Mansion (photo) cost nothing and it's an amazing tour. Tours of the Georgia Capitol Building are also a no-cost outing and they have an intriguing museum on the fourth floor. There are free concerts at Centennial Olympic Park on a regular basis. And there's always something going on in Piedmont Park, such as films, festivals, charity walks, as there are in other public parks in Atlanta.

Those are only a few of the many examples of things to do in Atlanta. For those on a tight budget looking for something to do, scroll through my blog and at the end of each post you'll find the cost (or no cost) for the tour in question. It's an easy way to find something to do on those days when the plague of boredom visits.

While you're here, subscribe (right column) to receive regular posts of new places to visit and new exhibits to see. Happy touring!

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: Things To Do at Centennial Olympic Park

Quilt of Nations, Centennial Olympic Park

 Centennial Olympic Park in the heart of downtown Atlanta features a cornicoupia of activities for tourists and locals alike.

An icon in the Park is the Fountain of Rings. There are four Fountain performances daily at 12:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 9:00 p.m.

One of the most photographed attractions in Georgia, the Fountain is a "playground" for kids of all ages throughout tthe day, but during the four performance times, it becomes a "concert hall." The Fountain dances in synch with music to the delight of onlookers anxious to jump back in for more splish-splash fun.

Also at the Park are: Music at Noon, Wednesday Winddown, and Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days, as well as other special events throughout the year. The park also features statuary, memorials, monuments (Photo: Quilt of Nations) water features, and a children's playground.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

Centennial Olympic Park: Honoring Global Unity Through Sports

Gateway of Dreams

Centennial Olympic Park is a 21-acre expanse commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the modern Olympic Games. Located in the heart of many of the city's top tourist attractions, the Park offers a calming respite for office workers, as well as concerts, a spectacular 4th of July celebration, holiday lights at the end of the year and the Fountain of Rings—the Park's centerpiece.

Surrounding the Park are many popular tourist destinations including Georgia Aquarium, The World of Coca-Cola, CNN Studio Tours and Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta. With that said, there's a given amount of foot traffic through the Park on the way to these sites. However, the Park is indeed a destination itself.

Fountain of Rings

On my approach to the Park, a 40-something year old couple—apparently on a romantic getaway—asked me to make a photograph of them at one of the many Park gates. That to me was a tell-tale sign that I'd made a wise choice in sites to see that day. During my visit, I eventually crisscrossed the Park realizing that I'd missed much of what it has to offer by taking a linear approach during my initial walk through.

There were dozens of children playing in the Fountain of Rings, people picnicking on the grassy lawns and others exploring the gardens, statuary and monuments within the Park. I myself ventured through the gardens on the west side of the Park to explore the various sculptured "quilts" honoring Olympians and the Games.

Paralympics Monument

The Paralympic Games is hosted by the same city that hosts the Olympic Games and they're held in the same venues as the Olympic Games. In 1996, I had the pleasure of attending the Opening Ceremonies of those Games and seeing the late Christopher Reeve (Superman, Somewhere in Time), who was paralyzed following a horse riding accident, serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Vice President Al Gore officially opened the ceremony and Liza Minnelli was one of the many live entertainers.

Today, in honor of the 3,310 athletes who participated in the 1996 Paralympic Games, a monument stands in the northeast corner of Centennial Park, listing all the names of the participating athletes categorized by the sports in which they competed. The engraving on the monument reads:

"In honor of the individual and collective achievements—and in honor of the inspiration they have provided for all people with disabilities—the names of the 3310 athletes who participated in the 1996 Paralympic Games are enshrined here. For every obstacle they surmounted, for every second they devoted to their passion for sport, this wall stand as a tribute—a tribute that commemorates the glories they earned on the field of play."

Visit Centennial Park again, will I? Most definitely and I'll add it to any visit of the sourrounding tourist destinations…it's that nice of a park.

Visiting Centennial Olympic Park

Date toured: Sunday, September 12, 2010
Hours: Daily 7 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Location: Between Baker Street, Park Avenue West and Andrew Young International Blvd. (map)
Parking: surrounding public parking lots
Website: http://www.centennialpark.com/

Quilt of Nations