Girl About the World

Kids gather around a touchpool at Georgia Aquarium.

I’ve written quite a bit about Atlanta before — like my search for the adorable newsman Anderson Cooper and my obsession with a fish that looks exactly like a grandpa — and this time, I’ve tackled the family-friendly attractions in the city for The Family Groove.

There’s tons to do in Atlanta with kids of all ages. You might want to start downtown, where the Georgia Aquarium (the world’s largest) and the World of Coca-Cola sit as two behemoth attractions within sight of each other. But that’s just the beginning of this friendly Southern city’s sights for small fries. For more suggestions on where to eat, play, and sleep in the area, check out the story here.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site is located in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, and is run by the National Park Service.

Across the street is Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King co-pastored with his father. He was also baptized here. The church is currently undergoing a major restoration project.

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In 2010, I moved halfway across the country, drove through six states, flew to many more, took two cruises, and visited eight countries in all. These 10 experiences encapsulated my year in travel:

1. Laguna Beach, California. I admit it: I watch too much of MTV’s reality TV. And while I avoided Laguna Beach in its early days, I eventually succumbed my senior year of college and have now seen every episode. So getting to stop by and sit at the same dinner table Lo was at when she had that terrible date while the rest of the gang was camping was way more exciting than it should’ve been. But exciting nonetheless!

2. The real Full House house, San Francisco, California. Continuing on my California and television theme, seeing the real Full House house (which is not one of the Painted Ladies across from Alamo Park) was the fulfillment of a dream of any good ’90s kid who loved TGIF.

3. The Blue Lagoon, Iceland. The icy blue water, the hazy mist, the volcanic rocks, a massaging waterfall — it all adds up to the Blue Lagoon, a mystical place that proved the perfect topper for my stay in Iceland.

4. Atlanta, Georgia. The only new U.S. state I made it to in 2010 (still 11 more to go!), Georgia has been on my list for a while now, and despite the sweltering July heat, I packed a ton into a less-than-three-day stay: Georgia Aquarium, CNN, The Colonnade, Centennial Olympic Park, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, The Varsity, The Flying Biscuit, and a cute vintage shop called My! My! My! Oh, and I made it to all my client meetings, too!

5. Dominica. Dominica is not an island I would drive around on. More than once, our tour bus came face to face with another on the narrow, winding roads, necessitating that someone backed up and just missed the edge of a cliff. But it’s said that Dominica is the only place Christopher Columbus would still recognize, and it was certainly beautiful in its rustic nature.

6. Seabrook, Washington. One of Washington state’s newest towns, Seabrook is a tiny beach community where the pace is a little slower. On a girls’ getaway with my family, we roasted marshmallows, hiked to the beach, cruised on old-fashioned bikes, and marveled at the adorableness that is this little village by the shore in the middle of nowhere.

7. The Celebrity Eclipse out of Miami. The latest ship from Celebrity’s Solstice class, the Eclipse, debuted this year, and it lives up to the hype. Elegant accommodations, fun entertainment, and more bars than you could visit in an evening make for a relaxing and classy floating escape.

8. Uppsala, Sweden. Learning about a different culture is one of the best parts of hopping a plane. I dedicated one day while in Uppsala to living like a typical Swede, which involved a traditional breakfast, recycling, fika, foraging for berries, and a trip to IKEA.

9. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. This may not count as traveling, given that I lived there, but as I was readying to depart Texas after four years, I fit in all my favorites and a few new things, plus I welcomed a steady stream of visitors. Strolling down Main Street in Grapevine, riding the mechanical bull at Gilley’s, reliving history at The Sixth Floor Museum, and entering the cowboy culture of Fort Worth will be missed.

10. The Winter Olympics, Vancouver, BC. I am a major Olympics buff who stays glued to the TV 24/7 during the Games every two years, so I was thrilled to attend my first one in person. After planning for almost two years, I couldn’t believe the time had actually come — and while it was exhausting, it was worth every sleepless minute.

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If there’s one thing they know how to do in Georgia, it’s cook up some good Southern grub. On my first night there, I met up with fellow freelance writer Jill, whom I’ve only known via e-mail till now, and we decided to try out Atlanta landmark The Colonnade.

The Colonnade is notable for a few things: being next to an adult “novelty” store, attracting a geriatric clientele, and serving Southern classics since 1927. (Okay, so it may not be known for those first two, but that’s what Jill and I noticed.) In all seriousness, its loyal patrons and authentic food are what stand out. I feasted on turkey, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and as much sweet tea as I could guzzle, then spent the whole night wishing I hadn’t eaten five times what I normally do. Those are the sacrifices you make when there’s so little time, so much food to try.

One really cool feature was a board with menus displayed from throughout the restaurant’s history. Ah, the good ol’ days when a meal cost 50 cents (and soup was only 15).

My next quintessentially Southern stop was The Flying Biscuit in Midtown at 10th and Piedmont. You can probably guess what they’re known for, and the biscuits earned their place in the title — fluffy and flavorful, they were topped off perfectly with a cranberry apple butter. I also went for some more sweet tea here (the North doesn’t have this delicious drink, which is probably a good thing, since I’m sure it rots my teeth) and a black bean quesadilla. They have a huge selection of egg dishes and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day, so whatever meal you’re in the mood for, you’re in luck. The décor is kitschy; the waiters sport mullets and tattoos; and Piedmont Park is just down the street for a post-meal stroll. Bring your patience, though, as this place can get mighty packed, even on a weekday afternoon.

I’m glad to be back to lighter meals, but I enjoyed stuffing myself silly with Southern staples while I had the chance.

“The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ The question is, ‘If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?’ That’s the question.” –MLK

When I asked friends who’ve lived in Atlanta what I should see in my short time there, many didn’t recommend the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. In fact, many have never been. But given how much I enjoy the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, the FDR Memorial in D.C., and the Clinton Library in Little Rock, I knew this look at such a prominent American figure would be something I needed to squeeze in.

It’s a bit farther afield than some of Atlanta’s other popular attractions, but there’s a lot to see in one area. I got there using the MARTA East/West line, and from the stop, it’s about a five-minute walk if you’re moving briskly. (Side note: While the area around the MLK site is quite populated, the walk up from the station included significant stretches with no one else around and quite a few people asking for money. A cab is another option.)

A good starting point for the area is the visitor center, where park rangers will answer questions and help orient you to what’s around. Everything is free, including tours of King’s birth home (but the tours fill up fast, as only 15 people can go at a time, so sign up early if this is something you want to do). There are some really compelling exhibits on King’s life and death, as well as the history of segregation in America. Reading through a long list of Jim Crow laws, I was horrified; it made the section on Rosa Parks and the bus strike all the more moving.

As I missed out on the birth home tour, I took another ranger-led one through Sweet Auburn, which went over how the area was once the richest black neighborhood in the world; the fire station that was one of the first to be integrated; Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King co-pastored with his father from 1960 to 1968; and the significance of some of the statues and monuments in the park.

As I walked back to the train, I thought about that small amount of fear I felt when no one was in sight or as I passed by homeless people who called out to me — it doesn’t even compare to the fear civil rights leaders and others faced on a daily basis because of their race or station in life or the fact that they chose to speak out against injustices.

The history of any country is filled with good and bad — and at the MLK National Historic Site, true heroes and true tragedies are both remembered.

Not to be outdone by the World’s Largest Aquarium, The Varsity has a pretty big title of its own: world’s largest drive-in. Founded in 1928, The Varsity — known for its catchphrase “what’ll ya have?” — can accommodate 600-plus cars and more than 800 people inside. Two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2,500 pounds of potatoes, 5,000 fried pies, and 300 gallons of chili are made from scratch daily.

I’ve heard about this place for years from a client whose magazine I manage, so I was pretty excited to finally check it out in person. It didn’t disappoint. And if it had, it would’ve been a long-awaited disappointment, because there were, no joke, at least 100 people in line on a random weekday night. The fare is what you’d expect: hot dogs, hamburgers, milkshakes, fries, onion rings, chicken fingers, etc. I went for a grilled cheese sandwich and French fries, which were, as the French say (despite the fact that French fries aren’t French), delicieux. I topped it off with a Frosted Orange, which hit the spot after an entire summer day without fluids (don’t try this at home). It was like drinking orange sherbet, and it was wonderful.

The food was all super reasonably priced and didn’t come in ginormous portions, two things I really appreciate. If you go at a peak time, be willing to wait a bit, and remember, this is drive-in food, not haute cuisine — and that’s the fun of it.