Great Things in Atlanta

Great Things in Atlanta

[PHOTO/CAPTION: The figures of Confederate

leaders carved into Stone Mountain]

[PHOTO/CAPTION: The Plantation House at Stone

Mountain]

[PHOTO/CAPTION: A night view of the Coca-Cola

Museum]

Great Things to See and Do in Atlanta:

1999 Convention Tours

by Al Falligan

From the Editor: The clock is running on

preparations for the 1999 Convention of the National Federation of the Blind Wednesday,

June 30, through Tuesday, July 6. If you have not yet made your hotel reservation, you had

better get to it immediately. We will meet at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown

Atlanta, a truly beautiful and spacious world-class hotel. Rooms have been reserved for us

at both the Marquis and the Atlanta Hilton and Towers, a short walk away. Our hotel rates

at the Marquis are excellent. For the 1999 convention they are singles, $57; doubles and

twins, $59; triples, $61; and quads, $63. A tax of 14 percent will be charged, but there

will be no charge for children rooming with parents as long as no extra bed is requested.

For room reservations write directly to Atlanta

Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, or call (404)

521-0000. Marriott has a national toll-free number, but do not (we emphasize not) use it.

Reservations made through this national number will not be valid. They must be made

directly with the hotel. The hotel will want a deposit of $60 or a credit card number. If

a credit card is used, the deposit will be charged against your card immediately, just as

would be the case with a $60 check. If a reservation is canceled prior to June 4, 1999,

$30 of the $60 deposit will be returned. Otherwise refunds will not be made.

But before you pick up the phone to make your

travel and hotel reservations, read the following article and make sure that your arrival

and departure times will allow you to take advantage of the wonderful tours the Georgia

affiliate has arranged for our enjoyment. Here is what Al Falligan has to say:

On behalf of the National Federation of the Blind

of Georgia, thank you for coming to explore Atlanta, host city of the National Convention

in 1999 and 2000. With its southern charm and warm weather, Atlanta has always been a

great place to visit.

Visitors to Atlanta can enjoy world-class

museums; great restaurants; memorable shopping; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Center;

Zoo Atlanta; the World of Coca-Cola; and Stone Mountain.

We are offering nine tour packages and one

Atlanta Braves baseball game for your enjoyment. Sign up early. Please note that the

deadline for reservations and cancellations is June 18, 1999. Also keep in mind that the

prices quoted are dependent on guaranteed minimum sign-ups, so decide now to take a tour

or two and invite your friends to join you. See y'all!

The prices for tours listed below include buses,

experienced guides, and sales tax and admissions where applicable. Tours leave from the

Courtland Street entrance of the Marriott Marquis, which is just across the street from

the Hilton.

Tour 1: Wednesday, June 30, 1999, 1:00 to 5:00

p.m.

City Tour: a tour of Atlanta landmarks, with a

visit to the Martin Luther King Center, driving past Turner Field, the state capitol,

underground Atlanta, to CNN Center, and a walk through the brand new Olympic Centennial

Park. You will find plenty of places for a snack and souvenir shopping. Price: $18, adult;

$14, children (3 to 12).

Tour 2: Wednesday, June 30, 1999, 11:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m.

Atlanta, Yesterday and Today: Also a drive

through downtown Atlanta with a stop at the Martin Luther King Center (visiting Ebenezer

Church, the Visitors' Center, Dr. King's grave, and the gift shop). This tour includes

time for lunch on your own at Atlanta's beautiful shopping complex, Underground Atlanta; a

drive through Buckhead, a northside residential neighborhood of beautiful homes; and a

visit to the Atlanta History Center Museum. Price: $30, adult; $26, children.

Tour 3: Wednesday, June 30, 1999, 11:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m.

Stone Mountain Park: Georgia's number one

attraction, 3,200 acres of greenery surrounding the gigantic granite mountain is the

setting for our third tour. Time to visit Memorial Hall with its many exhibits and tapes

of the history of the mountain and a choice of one of the following attractions: tour of

the famous nineteen-building plantation, ride on the skylift to the top of the mountain,

or a riverboat cruise.

Enjoy lunch on your own and browsing in the many

shops

located throughout the park. Price: $28, adult;

$23,

children.

Tour 4: Sunday, July 4, 1999, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00

p.m.

Black Heritage: Spend two hours browsing in the

Martin

Luther King Center, Ebenezer Church, Visitors

Center, and

the Crypt. Reboard the bus for a drive through

downtown

Atlanta with your knowledgeable guide pointing

out historic

landmarks. Tour the Atlanta University Centers

(six

campuses), disembarking at one of the schools

before driving

past the Shrine of the Black Madonna on the trip

back to

your hotel. Price: $20, adult; $15, children.

Tour 5: Sunday, July 4, 1999, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00

p.m.

Coca-Cola Museum, Underground Atlanta: The

Coca-Cola Museum

has many exhibits, entertaining as well as

informative. This

self-guided tour, with time to browse in the gift

shop, is

followed by a stroll through Underground Atlanta,

adjacent

to the Coke Museum. There will be lots of

entertainment on

the 4th and many choices for food and shopping.

Price: $25,

adult; $23, children.

Tour 6: Sunday July 4, 1999, 6:45 p.m. to 10:45

p.m.

Ray's on the River Dinner: A beautiful

contemporary restaurant, popular with Atlantans, nestled on the banks of the Chattahoochee

River, provides the perfect setting for a Fourth of July celebration. After a stroll along

the garden paths beside the river, enjoy a delicious dinner (choice of chicken, prime rib,

or fish entrees; salad; rice; green vegetable; Ray's trademark key lime pie; and coffee or

tea.) Entertainment will be provided during dinner. The restaurant is usually closed

Sunday evenings, but is being opened especially for our enjoyment. Price: $56, per person

(no children's rates).

Tour 7: Wednesday, July 7, 1999, 10:00 a.m. to

4:00 p.m.

City Tour and Atlanta History Center: Drive

through downtown Atlanta, stopping at Olympic Centennial Park and CNN Center with lunch on

your own before driving north on Peachtree Street for a tour of the Atlanta History Center

Complex. First tour the many exhibits in the museum dating from pre-Civil War times to the

present, followed by a walk through the gardens to the Tulle Smith Farm, a small, charming

farm dating from the 1840's. The final stop is the famous Swan House Mansion, built in

1929 by the Inman Family, a prominent Atlanta family who made their money in the cotton

industry. Price: $35, adult; $30, children.

Tour 8: Wednesday, July 7, 1999, 9:30 a.m. to

3:30 p.m.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Underground Atlanta,

and Coca-Cola Museum: The Botanical Gardens, located in Piedmont Park, a short drive from

our hotel, has a wonderful collection of plants (roses, herbs, summer bulbs, and a

delightful fragrance garden). Tour the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory with its

collections of exotic tropical plants such as palms, cycads, ferns, orchids, and

epiphyses. Reboard the bus and drive to Underground Atlanta for lunch on your own and

shopping, topping off the day with a self-guided tour of the fabulous Coca-Cola Museum.

Price: $33, adult; $29, children.

Tour 9: Wednesday, July 7, 1999, 10:30 a.m. to

4:30 p.m.

Martin Luther King Center and Stone Mountain

Park: First enjoy a leisurely visit to the Martin Luther King Center, visiting Ebenezer

Baptist Church, the Crypt, the Visitors' Center, and gift shop. Next drive to Stone

Mountain Park for lunch on your own and your choice of a tour of the nineteen-building

Plantation, Riverboat Ride, or skylift to the top of the mountain. And finish with more

browsing in the gift shops. Price: $25, adult; $21, children.

Consult later issues of the Braille Monitor for

details of the July 6 Atlanta Braves—Florida Marlins baseball game. The Georgia

affiliate has arranged for tickets and will work out details for reserving them.

Transportation to the game will be by MARTA train and Braves shuttle bus.

To place your tour reservations, designate the

tour number and title (listed above), indicate the number of adult and children's tickets

you are requesting, give your name, address, phone, and send with a check for the total

amount made payable to Fran O'Reilly & Associates. Mail your order to Post Office Box

720336, Atlanta, Georgia 30358-2336. For more information call (404) 255-3682.