2010 Winter Guide
by Marci Miller
Area Attractions
IMAGINE IT! Atlanta’s Children Museum
This winter, the museum is opening an exciting new exhibit Cyberchase: The Chase Is On!™ from February 13 – June 6, 2010. This Emmy award-winning PBS KIDS GO! Math mystery cartoon is the classic good vs. evil adventure. Cyberchase is a fun, visually-rich experience, allowing children to approach math with an investigative, positive attitude. IMAGINE IT! is also holding their annual fundraiser, Amuse’em on Saturday, February 20 at 6:30PM. The whimsical spin on nursery rhymes will create a make-believe atmosphere and give this adult-only event a childlike charm. For more information, visit www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org.
Georgia Aquarium
With more than eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than any other aquarium, you are sure to see things you’ve never seen before at The Georgia Aquarium. Celebrate Valentine’s Day on Friday, February 12 – 13 at the Aquarium’s Motions of the Oceans Valentine’s Day Dinner, Lecture & Sleepover, which gives guests a provocative look at the secret mating ritual of animals. Also, make sure to check out Planet Shark: Predator or Prey which takes guests on a journey to discover more and uncover myths about these fascinating creatures. The exhibit features full-scale shark models, extensive collection of real shark jaws, teeth and fossils, shark cages and authentic artifacts from the movie "Jaws" and much more. For additional information, visit www.georgiaaquarium.org.
The World of Coca-Cola
The World of Coca-Cola is the only place where you can explore the complete history of the world's best-known brand. Taste over 60 different products from around the globe, experience their thrilling 4-D Theater (3D movie with moving seats), be amazed by a fully-functioning bottling line, give their 7-foot-tall Coca-Cola® Polar Bear a big hug, see the world's largest collection of Coke memorabilia and view works by artists such as Steve Penley, Haddon Sundblom and Howard Finster in the Pop Culture Gallery. Check out their newest special exhibit, Celebrating an Icon On display through May 2010, it features the work of five contemporary artists whose distinctive visions capture the essence of the Coca-Cola contour bottle, an icon of popular culture. For more information, visit www.worldofcoca-cola.com.
The Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center, located on 33 acres in the heart of Buckhead includes one of the Southeast's largest history museums. The center has several exciting exhibits happening this winter: Native Lands: Indians and Georgia, on display through the summer, celebrates the state’s original inhabitants beginning with the Mississippian peoples and continuing with their descendants, the Creeks and the Cherokees. Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits running through April 25, features 69 stunning photographic portraits that trace 150 years of U.S. history through the lives of well-known abolitionists, artists, scientists, writers, statesmen, entertainers, and sports figures. For more information, visit www.atlantahistorycenter.com.
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has grown to become the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States with its renowned collection of classic and contemporary art and renowned architecture by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano. The High has three new exhibits this winter that are a must-see for all art lovers. The Portrait Unbound: Photographs by Robert Weingarten (Through May 30) is an exhibition of new work by California-based photographer Robert Weingarten. Consisting of twenty-one large-scale (60 x 90 in.) digitally created portraits of American icons, Weingarten’s project represents a bold departure from traditional camera portraiture. Leonardo da Vinci: Hand of the Genius (Through February 21) explores Leonardo da Vinci’s profound interest in and influence on sculpture, this exhibition features approximately 50 works, including more than 20 sketches and studies by Leonardo, some of which will be on view in the United States for the first time. John Portman: Art and Architecture (Through April 18) is an exhibition featuring architectural projects, furniture, paintings, and sculpture by Atlanta-based architect and artist John Portman. The fifteen completed and current architectural projects that will be featured span five decades of national and international developments. Upcoming exhibits at The High include Allure of the Automobile (March 21 – June 20, 2010), European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century (June 5 – Aug 29, 2010) and Dali: The Late Work (Aug 7, 2010 – January 9, 2011).
ZOO ATLANTA
Visit Zoo Atlanta and enjoy over 1,000 of the world’s most amazing animals while taking advantage of exciting daily activities like keeper talks, training demonstrations, wildlife shows, and up-close-and-personal animal encounters. Gorilla and orangutan feedings run at 2 p.m. and 2:45p.m. daily and the Zoo map lists other animal feedings and opportunities available every day. Take part in their Keeper for a Day events where participants get a firsthand look at what it’s like to work at the Zoo. Spend the day helping keepers with their daily routines, including food preparation, cleaning and animal care. Keeper for Day – Elephants and Warthogs takes place on February 13 and Keeper for a Day – Australia & Carnivores is happening on February 20. For more information, visit www.zooatlanta.org.
Bodies…The Exhibition
Held over through May 2010 at the Premiere Exhibition Center at Atlantic Station, BODIES . . . The Exhibition, which features actual human specimens, takes visitors through galleries providing an up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and other systems of the human body. Visitors will gain a once in a lifetime understanding of how elaborate and fascinating the body truly is. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.bodiestheexhibition.com
Dialog in the Dark
Held over through May 2010 at the Premiere Exhibition Center at Atlantic Station, Dialog in the Dark, a groundbreaking exhibition, is an hour long experience where visitors are lead by blind or visually impaired guides through everyday environments in complete darkness where scents, sounds and textures become alive and are experienced in a whole new way. The exhibition takes visitors on a life changing journey that will challenge conventional thinking as they learn to “see” without sight. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.dialogtickets.com.
Nearby Travel Destinations
Tennessee Aquarium
The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is offering college students, faculty and staff a 50 percent discount throughout the month of February. Students can use this offer to mingle with more than 10,000 animals or check out the 3D action on the six-story screen at IMAX. Visitors must present a valid college ID when purchasing tickets to receive this half-off deal. Family members may also receive this discount when accompanied by a student or faculty member with current college ID. This offer is valid for admission to the Tennessee Aquarium, IMAX 3D Theater or combination tickets to both attractions. For more information, visit www.tnaqua.org.
North Carolina Skiing
Visitors to North Carolina can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, snowshoeing, ice skating, and a winter zip line. Several of the state’s resorts feature new activities and special deals this year. At Ski Beech at Beech Mountain, the popular Oz run returns this winter with new padded quad chairs and newly installed airless electrical snowmaking hookups along the run so the slope can be blown in within 24 hours. Sugar Mountain Resort is even sweeter this year with special programs and deals throughout the season to honor its 40th anniversary. Other must-see attractions include the Beech Mountain Sledding Park, Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center and Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing. For a complete list of resorts and winter activities, please go to VisitNC.com.
The Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC
This 8,000 acre estate, home to over 75 acres of professionally manicured gardens, is the most popular tourist destination in Asheville. The Biltmore attracts over 1 million visitors each year. The estate is offering Wintertime Serenity and Chilly-Weather Specials now through March 31. Also this winter, Biltmore will partner with six of Asheville’s performing arts venues as part of the Asheville Encore Ticket program. Visitors may bring their ticket stub or playbill to Biltmore’s Welcome Center to receive a free Biltmore House Audio Tour or a Buy One Get One Free Specialty Tour with the purchase of an adult daytime admission ticket. For more information, visit www.biltmore.com.
Mardi Gras, New Orleans, LA
This two week non-stop party runs through Fat Tuesday, February 16th. It is New Orleans' premiere party season. Enjoy the many parades, balls and raucous atmosphere. If you have been to New Orleans before and were blown away at the revelry then you may be able to envision its celebration of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is celebrated in cities worldwide but no one does it better than New Orleans. Visit www.mardigrasguide.com for more information.
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