ATLANTA — After 28 years, the Clean Show returns to Atlanta this month. For those of you planning to attend, when you aren’t eyeing the new products or attending educational sessions, exploring the city will keep you entertained.
Pack your walking shoes and comfortable clothing, because Atlanta has an abundance of attractions.
In downtown is the Georgia World Congress Center, the exhibit space for the Clean Show.
Adjacent to the Centennial Olympic Park and conveniently located near major shopping centers, dining and transportation hubs, this spot makes for convenient Atlanta sight-seeing.
Historically, the average high temperature in Atlanta in mid-April has been in the low 70s, with the average low in the low 50s, according to U.S. Climate Data.
That mild spring weather sounds like an ideal vacation, right? When not on the show floor, get out and about to explore the city the Clean Show is calling home April 16-19.
GUIDED TOURS
For those who love such tours, Atlanta has plenty to offer.
Atlanta Movie Tours has multiple options for guides to the city. In a Gone with the Wind tour, an actor portraying author Margaret Mitchell tells tourists of her 20th-century Atlanta while aboard a luxury coach.
Because Atlanta is the site of many horror flicks, two zombie tours are also available. Just a few of the films and TV shows mentioned are Zombieland, The Walking Dead and The Vampire Diaries.
To learn more, visit www.atlantamovietours.com or call 855-255-FILM.
Another destination is the Atlanta BeltLine, a former railway hub transformed into a park and transit space. According to the BeltLine website, the space connects 45 neighborhoods.
Walking, bus and bike tours are available for education about the history, projects and art involved with this space. Visit www.beltline.org for more information.
NIFTY NEIGHBORHOODS
There’s more to Atlanta than downtown. With popular shopping districts and hot spots for wining and dining, exploring outside the “main drag” can be an opportunity for unique memories.
Midtown, along Peachtree Street, is where the arts thrive. With the Fox Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, Museum of Design Atlanta and Savannah College of Arts and Design, there’s plenty to see. Piedmont Park hosts festivals throughout the year.
Westside brings a young Georgia Tech crowd to destination dining spots. Top-rated kitchens bring top-rated food to the tables of this loft community.
Buckhead, an affluent neighborhood north of downtown, is most famous for its shopping. Mansions abound here, and luxury shopping is ample. Home of the Atlanta History Center and Governor’s Mansion, this area is also full of local history.
Warehouses frame Castleberry Hill, a space bustling with art galleries, wine bars and tapas lounges, according to the ACVB. This neighborhood, which is west of downtown, brings art-minded citizens to their art walks, which are on the second Friday of each month.
Little Five Points, located east of downtown, has theaters, a tavern, coffee shop, shopping and a park that are all within less than a mile. This typically hipster neighborhood is a destination for vintage finds and live music.
The Sweet Auburn District, a previous center for African-American commerce, houses the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, where visitors can learn about this influential figure of peace. Bakeries and a curb market, which was established in 1928, bring fresh food to this district.
SURROUNDING SIGHTS
If the big city isn’t your cup of tea, or if you’re looking to explore other areas of Georgia once Clean 2015 has concluded, rent a car for these day trips around the state.
Driving an hour-and-a-half from Atlanta to Athens, Ga., is worth the trek. At the home of the University of Georgia, city tours and live music are classic go-to’s. Downtown features Victorian architecture and unique shopping experiences.
Cable cars, train rides and adventure courses, oh my! Only a 30-minute drive from Atlanta is Stone Mountain. The attraction’s many activities celebrate the wonder of this mountain and its three-acre relief sculpture. There’s even a laser show in the base’s natural amphitheater. Visitors can stay in one of multiple hotels or pitch a tent in its campgrounds.
Missed earlier parts of this story? You can read them now: Part 1, Part 2
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].