Atlanta Georgia

Wilson’s Blog

After eating way too much great food at The Varsity restaurant – Ditch got more hungry the more he ate! – we went to a river with a very long name - the Chattahoochee River. It's fun to say – Chattahoochee! Ditch said "Chattahoochee" about a million times. The river is 48 miles long and has a nickname – The Hootch! My GoBro and I did what so many people do on the river – we went there to Shoot the Hootch! That means you get in a boat, canoe, kayak or river raft and shoot down the River. We are the first gophers to Shoot the Hootch in a raft! It was crazy fun! Ditch got so wet he looked like a gopher sponge. The whole time he yelled, "Chattahoochee!"

After Ditch dried off and looked like a normal GoBro, we visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Martin Luther King was a very important man who made many famous speeches about how everyone should have the same rights. That means that everyone, no matter what you look like or sound like or where you were born, could do the same things in the US. Maybe even gophers could have the same rights? We saw the house where MLK was born, and watched movies of some of his speeches. What a great person!

Later, Ditch and I went to a baseball game at Turner Field. The team is called the Atlanta Braves. The Field was opened in 1996. It has over 50,000 seats. Ditch and I just sat in two of them. We ate peanuts, hotdogs, and Cracker Jacks. Then… Ditch sang 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' over and over, till everyone in the stadium sang with him! My GoBro even got on the huge movie screen! He danced like a fur-faced fool. What a night!

Before we left Atlanta, Ditch stood on the corner of Peachtree St. and Peach Plaza and ate a peach! Bye y'all!

Apple Pie Picks

Center for Puppetry Arts

Who doesn't love puppets? The Center for Puppetry Arts is home to more than 2000 puppets! This Center is the largest place in North America dedicated to the art of puppetry. The Center features all types of puppets including: shadow, rod, hand, marionette and hybrid puppets that use both hands and rods. The interactive exhibit, Puppets: The Power of Wonder includes puppets from different time periods and all over the world. Visit The Puppet Store Room where performance puppets are displayed on the ceiling, walls and even on the floor! The Center also has Special Exhibits, several starring world-renown puppeteer Jim Henson and his puppet friends. Jim Henson: A Man and His Frog highlights the world's most famous frog: Kermit. Want to see the Swedish Chef or Rowlf the Dog? Visit the exhibit Jim Henson: The Puppeteer to see these beloved characters up close. Be inspired further by viewing personal photographs, designs, sketches, quotes and behind-the-scenes video of Mr. Henson's work in the world of puppetry. Learn how puppets are made in The Art of Puppet Making exhibit. Before you leave, see a performance! Enjoy one of the weekly puppet shows or stop and watch a video of the late Jim Henson interviewing six puppeteers from around the world.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

Come visit the historic sites of a great leader! At The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, explore Dr. King's birth home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, and The King Center. Take a 30-minute guided tour of Dr. King's birth home. At the Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King was an ordained minister and Co-pastor with his father, you can listen to audio sermons. The King Center is an amazing place to learn about the life and times of Dr. King through exhibits, photographs, artifacts, videos and audio displays. Be sure and visit replicas of Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom on display in Freedom Hall. The King Center is also home to exhibits honoring other great leaders including Rosa Parks and Gandhi. Any child between the ages of 9 and 12 can become a Junior Ranger at Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. To earn your Junior Ranger Badge you must complete an activity booklet and agree to live by the Junior Ranger Promise and Dr. King's Six Principles of Nonviolence.

Stone Mountain Park

Stone Mountain Park is a must see while in Atlanta! Just 16 miles outside of Atlanta, this 3200 acres of outdoor beauty and attraction-filled fun is Georgia's most visited attraction. Take a trek through the treetops on Sky Hike, the nation's largest family adventure course, travel to the top of the mountain on Summit Skyride or brave Geyser Towers, an obstacle course of suspended rope bridges and net tunnels high above water-spraying geysers. Take a five mile trip around the mountain on an old fashion full size locomotive with open-air cars. Visit homes and buildings built between 1783-1875 at The Antebellum Plantation and Farmyard. Visit the delicious cookhouse and garden and take in the smells of good Southern cooking. If you want to just relax in nature, head over to Stone Mountain Lake or take a hike on one of the many wooded trails in the park. End your day at the world's largest laser light and fireworks show staged to music.

Local Chow

Peaches

Georgia is nicknamed "The Peach State" in honor of its state fruit--the peach! Each year Georgia farmers produce more than 2.6 million bushels of peaches. Peaches are in season in Georgia during the warm summer months from June to August. There are two main types of peaches: Clingstone where the fruit sticks to the stone, and Freestone where the stone easily comes away from the fruit. Less than 100 miles from Atlanta is Peach County, home to the Annual Georgia Peach Festival. The festival is home to the World's Largest Peach Cobbler. The huge cobbler is 11 by 5 feet across and about eight inches deep. It takes 90 pounds of butter, 150 pounds of sugar, 150 pounds of flour, 32 gallons of milk and 75 gallons of peaches to make. If you can't make it to the festival, don't fret! There are many ways to enjoy peaches in Atlanta including: pies, crumbles, crisps, ice creams and even in a salad. The best way is fresh! Look for a peach that is firm to the touch and smells "peachy." Grab a napkin--they are juicy!

Digging History

1821

White settlers first move into former Creek Indian land, present day Atlanta.

1837

Present-day Atlanta is chosen as the site of the Western & Atlantic Railroad connection of Georgia with the north.

1845

The city is officially named Atlanta.

1847

Atlanta is incorporated as a city.

1853

Atlanta is named the county seat of Fulton County.

1856

The Atlanta Gas Light Company is the city's first corporation.

1861

The Civil War begins.

1864

General William T. Sherman captures Atlanta.

1865

The Civil War ends.

The Georgia State Convention abolishes slavery.

1868

The city's first daily newspaper, The Atlanta Constitution begins publication.

1871

Jefferson Franklin Long becomes the first African-American congressman from Georgia.

Horse-drawn streetcars begin operating in the city.

1877

Atlanta becomes the capital of Georgia.

1889

Electric streetcars begin operating in the city.

The State Capitol building opens.

1917

The Great Atlanta Fire destroys over 1900 buildings and 73 square blocks.

1929

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. is born in Atlanta.

Atlanta's first airport opens.

1964

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

1968

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

1986

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is established as a national holiday.

1996

Atlanta hosts the Summer Olympics.

Wilson & Ditch

Atlanta Georgia

Center for Puppetry Arts

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

Stone Mountain Park

Peaches

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