Around this time of year, spring breaks are being planned and cheap flights are being scooped up across the country.
When it comes to destinations, there is generally a repeating cast of characters, those who always seem to scream spring break.
Sure, they are the favorites for fun and sun. However other destinations have a great deal to offer spring visitors...even if they might not be your traditional spring break locales.
Atlanta might not be the first city that comes to mind when planning your spring break, but the advantages of heading to this Georgia city for a spring holiday are plentiful.
Without the sky-high prices on everything catered to spring breakers, this city could make for the perfect budget break. From baseball to blooming orchids, Atlanta is an unsuspecting spring break contender.
Catch an opening season game at Turner Field: In Atlanta, you better be a Braves fan. The city is proud of its home team and its stadium reflects that fact. Partially used for the 1996 Olympic Games and then transformed into Turner Field, the ballpark combines old-time baseball style with family entertainment. If your spring break falls in April and you can stand the repeating sound of the Tomahawk Chop, catch one of the first games of the Braves season at Turner Field. The ballpark features a few other highlights besides the games. You can see Hank Aaron’s bat used to hit his 715th homerun in the Braves Museum and Hall of Fame. Baseball fans will also appreciate Scouts Alley, a portion of the park that allows guests to play the part of baseball scout.
Refresh at the World of Coca-Cola: Some call this a giant advertisement, but there is no denying this attraction while in Atlanta. The World of Coca Cola traces the world’s most popular soft drink and all of its sugar and caffeine. The site loads up with Coca Cola memorabilia, exhibits and even an art gallery. The soft drink first appeared in 1886 at Jacob’s Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta. Visitors here are encouraged to grab a bottle off the bottling line and enjoy the signature drink of Atlanta.
See what’s in bloom at the Atlanta Botanical Garden: Covering 30 acres in Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Botanical Garden comes alive for the season of spring breakers. The esteemed Fuqua Orchid Center is home to a collection of rare high elevation orchids. Peak orchid blooming beings early in February and stretches into April. Visitors can enjoy the garden’s other notable spaces including the Edible Garden, the Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden. However, if you have always dreamed of living in a tree house, the Atlanta Botanical Garden makes that dream possible for a stroll. The Canopy Walk lends an aerial view of Atlanta’s forestry and flowers blooming below. The 600-foot walk takes strollers up in the trees, an experience you won’t find in any other city in the U.S.
Get out of town for award winning wine: If you find yourself wining about too much Coca-Cola, head out of Atlanta for some wine. Just 40 miles north of Atlanta, Chateau Élan Winery and Resort has been cranking out award winning wines in the area for decades. Built to look like a 16th century French estate, the winery offers tours and wine tastings of its product. It isn’t just the wine here that draws attention. The interior of the Chateau has been made to look like a Parisian street.
Hike around Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield: Across nearly 3,000 acres, the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park presents not just Civil War history, but also spectacular scener for those spring breaking in Atlanta. The park was the site of the Civil War battle in the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. Visitors can drive or hike the mountain to see Confederate entrenchments and earthworks. The park itself is home to 16 miles of hiking trails. Even if battlefields aren’t your idea of a good time, the trails show off the park’s dazzling landscape.
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