A Summer in Georgia

Summer 2019 was spent in a brand new place- a state I’ve never visited before, Georgia! On the weekends, I took the time to soak in everything Atlanta and its surrounding areas had to offer. Here, I’ve compiled a list of some of the places I’ve explored. Maybe you can visit some of these if you ever visit GA! Here’s to the good old south. “Just an old sweet song…keeps Georgia on my Mind,” –Ray Charles

1. MLK Jr. National Historical Park: The entire essence of one of U.S history’s most prominent and inspiring leaders in one place. Here you can visit MLK Jr’s childhood home, as well as the same exact church where he used to preach. The museum chronologies his entire life, from his early days growing up in Atlanta, to challenging segregation and leading the Civil Rights movement. Such an inspiring place.
2. Centennial Olympic Park: A beautiful and expansive park in the heart of Atlanta. It was built by the Atlanta Olympic Committee, and hosts live music, a large fountain show (which takes the shape of the olympic rings) and a giant ferris wheel overlooking the entire city. It’s in the center of many of Atlanta’s popular visiting sites, including the World of Coca Cola.
3. CNN Headquarters: The world HQ of one of the country’s largest and oldest news broadcasting platforms. Inside are the main newsrooms and studios for many of the news channels. You can take a studio tour to get a glimpse of how it all happens.
4. Stone Mountain: Literally a huge mountain/hike where you can climb to get a 360 degree view of the Atlanta skyline. The view really cannot be described in words or through a picture. It also has a sky lift that can take you up and down the mountain, and even a food court at the very top of the mountain. The popsicles really came in handy in the 90 degree weather.
5. A TON of hiking trails: It seemed like every street corner had a walking trail here in GA. There are so many trees, so many places to just go to when you want to escape in nature (complete opposite to Dallas). It’s great exercise and perfect for finding your “zen”.
6. Shopping: I love the malls here. Sugarloaf Mills and North Point mall have a huge selection of stores. Gwinnett Place Mall is an older mall where the third season of Stranger Things was filmed!