Janice McDonald - Georgia Off the Beaten Path: Discover Your Fun

Any new travel find is a new adventure! Traveling isnt just a pastime for Janice McDonald, its a lifestyle. She has traveled to all seven continents, producing videos, writing books and articles, and just simply exploring. Yet, she still gets a kick out of what she discovers in her own backyard in Georgia. A native of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Janice has called the Atlanta area home for more than half her life. She enjoys nothing more than discovering new places to see in her adopted state. A favorite rule of hers in any country is to avoid the main roads and take the road less traveled. She invites you to do the same as you get Off the Beaten Path in Georgia with her.

Updating a book about travel in the midst of a pandemic can be daunting. I found myself on the road when no one else was, at times peering into windows. This book is about discovering new places and getting reacquainted with old familiar ones. A lot of people went with me on these journeys, both physically and figuratively. Some went along simply through the phone calls on the way. I would like to thank my sisters, Paula Miles and Anna Boyce, who are always great to travel with. Offering suggestions and companionship were Barbara Lynn Howell, Steve Green, Sheila and Ed Hula, Karen Rosen, Sandee LaMotte, Kathleen Saal, Sandra Holmes, and Kristal Baker. There isnt enough space to list all of the convention and visitor bureau personnel in various towns and counties who were willing to talk me through and to guide me. Dear Vivian Walker, who owns a few bed and breakfasts in the little town of Washington, was incredibly helpful in making sure I knew history and favorite places in her hometown. As always, I also want to thank the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Department of Economic Development for their insight and guidance.

With a population of 6.1 million, Metro Atlanta is one of the nations fastest-growing and most diverse urban centers. New suburbs with cookie-cutter subdivisions and shopping malls, threaded by busy freeways, sprawl in all directions. In the city of Atlantapopulation 524,000an energetic young population is busily reviving many older neighborhoods. Downtown is a bustling center of activity which was largely sparked by the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.

Centennial Olympic Park was created for the Olympic Games, transforming a blighted area into the centerpiece of new tourist activity. The park is now surrounded by new high-rise condos, hotels, retail shops, restaurants, and major new visitor attractions. In the 22-acre park, at Marietta Street and Andrew Young International Boulevard, you can sit in the sunshine and admire downtowns striking skyline. If the weathers warm, shuck your shoes and splash in the parks Fountain of Rings and perhaps look for your name on the 500,000 bricks that pave the walkways. The Quilt of Dreams, made of brick and marble, tells the story of the largest games in Olympics

history. The Southern Company Amphitheater has a stage that has regular performances. Unity Plaza on the northeastern corner includes a water feature and a sculpture called Androgyne Planet which stands as a tribute to the Olympic spirit.

Attractions include the massive Georgia Aquarium. Built by one of the co-founders of The Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, the Georgia Aquariums tanks hold more than 10 million gallons of water. One tank alone is 6.3 million gallons. Its home to the worlds largest fish, whale sharks destined to reach the size of school buses, and a supporting cast of over 120,000 fish and mammals from around the world. The ark-shaped aquarium is at 225 Baker St. (404-581-4000; georgiaaquarium.org). Open daily. Tickets are $35.95 for general admission. Children under 3 are free.

The nearby Imagine It! The Childrens Museum of Atlanta (275 Centennial Olympic Park Dr.; 404-659-5437; childrensmuseumatlanta.org) has scores of interactive ways to keep energetic youngsters busy. The museum was redesigned and reopened in 2015. Open daily. Age 3 and up $18.95, 2 and under free.

The World of Coca-Cola attraction opened in summer 2007. For details, see the Ill Have a Co-Coler sidebar, page 24. Get information on area attractions at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce on the edge of the park (235 Andrew Young International Blvd.; 404-880-9000; worldofcoca-cola.com). General admission is $14.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.; 678-999-8990; civilandhumanrights.org) pays homage not just to Atlantas countless contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, but to human rights struggles around the world. It shares the plaza with the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coke. Open Tues through Sat. Adults $19.99; seniors, military, and students $17.99; children ages 7 to 12 $15.99; and children 6 and under free.

For quick eats, step across Marietta Street to the food court and sit-down restaurants in the CNN Center atrium. You can take the Inside CNN Tour of the Cable News Network Studios and Turner Broadcasting Network and see news broadcasts around the world. Fifty-five-minute tours begin every ten minutes. Adults, $16.50; seniors and ages 12 to 18, $15.25; ages 4 to 12, $14; under age 4 admitted free. For information and reservations phone (404) 827-2300 or visit tours.cnn.com.

A block from CNN is the football shaped College Football Hall of Fame (250 Marietta St.; 404-880-4800; cfbhall.com). An interactive experience, this tribute to all things college football is open daily. Adults are $22.99; kids 3 to 12, $17.99; 3 and under are free.

The best way to view it all may be from Skyview Atlanta (168 Luckie St. NW; 678-949-9023; skyviewatlanta.com). This giant Ferris wheel towers 20 stories high and is across the street from Centennial Park. Tickets for those 13 and older are $14.50; ages 3 to 12, $9.50; 3 and under free. Groups can get discounts. Rides last between 7 and 12 minutes.

West Midtown is one of the happening neighborhoods in the heart of Atlanta. Spurred by the rebirth of downtown after the success of Centennial Park and the Georgia Aquarium growth, a once almost abandoned area of old warehouses and vacant lots has been reborn. Located just west of the park, bordered by Marietta Street and stretching as far as 8th Street NW, West Midtown, it is now the location for many of Atlantas hottest restaurants, trendy shops, coffee shops, galleries, and cool loft residential complexes.

The King Plow Arts Center (887 W. Marietta St.; 404-885-9933; kingplow.com) is housed in a factory built in 1890 and is the anchor in what is called the Marietta Street Arts Corridor. It was followed by the ever-popular Goat Farm Arts Center (1200 Foster St.) which has become a destination for people wanting to experience art in the making through visual and performance art. The Arts Corridor includes theaters, galleries, and designer as well as architectural firms.

Galleries in West Midtown include the Sandler Hudson Gallery (1000 Marietta St., #116; 404-817-3300; sandlerhudson.com), and the Jennifer Schwartz Gallery (675 Drewry St.; 404-885-1080). They host an art crawl on the third Saturday of each month.

The restaurant scene includes the hard-to-get-into-but-always-awesome Bacchanalia and its side kick Star Provisions (1460 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. NW; 404-365-0410), upscale Southern fare at JCT Kitchen (1198 Howell Mill Rd.; 404-355-2252), inexpensive but good tacos at Taqueria del Sol (1200 Howell Mill Rd.; 404-352-5811), or amazing seafood with signature cocktails at The Optimist (914 Howell Mill Rd.; 404-477-6260). The brick oven pizza at Antico (1093 Hemphill Ave. NW; 404-724-2333) is consistently rated the best in Atlanta and you can BYOB.