Vacation Part Two: Atlanta

The second city on our road trip vacation was Atlanta.  Kerry and I had been to Atlanta when we worked for Upward Bound several years ago.  So we already had a few places in mind we wanted to take the kids to see.

We left Nashville on Sunday morning.  What should've been around a 4-hour drive turned into 7 hours.  We drove through several storms that produced buckets of rain pouring from the sky.  We, along with everyone else on the interstate, were driving around 25 miles per hour for long stretches of time.  At one point we could barely see the road so we pulled over at a Cracker Barrel and ate lunch and then just stayed until the storms passed.

We made it to Stone Mountain twenty minutes before all the attractions (aka things my kids would be interested in) closed. The kids got to play in a tree-house type splash-pad called Geyser Tower for twenty minutes and that was it.  Luckily the park stayed open for a few more hours so we could at least walk around and look.

The kids in front of Stone Mountain

The next day we crammed in as much as the kids (really pregnant me) could handle.  First stop was the World of Coca-Cola, or "Coco-Coco World" as Deacon called it.  Coke World was my favorite place when we came with Upward Bound back in 2001.  Kerry and I both were excited to take the kids here.  

The kids watching the Coke be filled into glass bottles

Deacon was so giddy to meet the Coca-Cola Polar Bear.  He giggled and squirmed with anticipation the entire time we were in line.  When the kids finally got their turn to meet him Deacon was very excited to give him a five and a big hug.

The soda sampling room has soda from all over the world.  The kids of course went nuts in here trying all the pop they could.  

After Coke World we walked over to Centennial Olympic Park to look around.  We could hear lots of squeals and laughter as we got closer to the park.  When we got to the Fountain of Rings we saw kids everywhere playing in the water.  

We hadn't planned on playing in any type of water that day, but I did have extra clothes for the kids back in the car so Kerry and I decided, "Why not?"  We told the kids to go for it.  It was one of those times where living in the moment was such a beautiful thing.  I had such joy in watching my babies live it up!

After the impromptu water fun we headed back to the car, got the kids all dried off and in a dry set of clothing.  We then drove over to The Varsity for some lunch.  The kids and I got chili dogs, Kerry got a burger.  No offense to our friends that love The Varsity, but we thought it was just "okay." I actually ended up giving most of my chili dog to Hayden.

Next up was the Atlanta Zoo.  Deacon was actually a baby the last time we had taken him to a zoo, so this was like the first time for him.  

The first thing we saw when we walked in was the flamingos.  Deacon exclaimed, "Look, gooses!" Like I said, he had no recollection of the zoo, or animals in it.

My little meerkats

This gorilla held his foot the entire time we watched him.

Checking out the gorillas.  Several of them were nursing their babies.  Hayden knew what they were doing; Deacon was very curious...thanks, nature.

Checking out the pandas.  This one was enjoying a pile of bamboo.

After the zoo we planned on going to an ice cream shop that got some great reviews online. However, when we got to the location we decided to not to stop.  It was in a shady looking area with bars on the windows.

Instead we just went ahead and drove over to Turner Field and went in early for batting practice.

I'm not a big fan of baseball, but I love going to Major League Baseball games.  I love the environment.  I love hot-dogs (yes, this pregnant gal eats them). I love cotton candy.  I just love it.  Maybe the food has a lot to do with it.  

This was the first MLB game for the kiddos.  They both had a good time and we actually made it to the 7th inning before they tuckered out.  I actually tuckered out as well.  This was the only day of our vacation that my ankles and feet actually swelled.

Kerry and Deacon desperately hoping to catch a home run ball during batting practice.

Hayden and I were trying to take a picture when Deacon photo-bombed us at the last second.

Enjoying our cotton candy while we watched the Braves.  It was awesome weather.

Atlanta was great.  It's definitely better in May than when we went in July several years ago.

Next up: Savannah, Georgia!