Below are the Awesome in Atlanta Tours for 2008.

Each state has a different process for selecting or offering the tours for their delegates. Please check with the state coordinator for National 4-H Congress pertaining to your tour.

Heros of Our City

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stand in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at time of challenge and controversy.”

Begin your tour on Sweet Auburn Avenue with a stop at the Martin Luther King Jr., Center for Nonviolent Change. You will have a chance to see Dr. King’s Crypt, the Visitor Center, his Birth Home and Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. King and his father were co-pastor.

The Carter Presidential Center is a 37-acre retreat located just 2 miles from downtown. The Center in partnership with Emory University is guided by a commitment to human rights, wages peace by bringing warring parties to the negotiating table, monitoring elections, safeguarding human rights, and building democracies through economic development. Visit the Carter Library and Museum, where President Carter’s life, administration, and the office of the presidency are portrayed through films, videos and displays. 

Headline News and Landmarks

Make a little new of your own during a behind-the-scenes tour of the worldwide headquarters for CNN, Headline News and CNN International. During this 40-minte guided walking tour, you will have a backstage view of the high-tech world of 24-hour TV network news in action. Explore the control room and special effects studio and learn the secrets of the TelePrompTer. In the main CNN newsroom you’ll see the hustle and bustle of the domestic desk and writers composing news scripts as well as CNN newscaster at work.

On the way to CNN you’ll see many historic and modern landmarks of downtown Atlanta. The merchandise marts, Centennial Olympic Park, convention venues, Olympic sites, historic houses of worship, impressive state and local government buildings, and Underground Atlanta are some of the points of interest your guide will show you. You’ll even tour past Turner Field, home of the world-champion Atlanta Braves and the spectacular reincarnation of the Olympic Stadium.

Drive Sweet Auburn Avenue on the way to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change. From the motor coach you will see Dr. King’s Crypt and Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Travel down world-famous Peachtree Street past the Margaret Mitchell House, affectionately called “The Dump” by its best-known resident. It was in this turn-of-the-century structure that Mitchell wrote the bestseller “Gone With The Wind.

Hotlanta’s World Class Attractions

See, hear and taste the magnificent story of the world’s most popular soft drink at World of Coca-Cola. It’s a truly unique experience that encompasses the rich history and progress of the refreshing beverage created in Atlanta in 1886. Today with nearly 500 flavors, Coca-cola beverages are served a billion times a day in 200 countries across the globe. After touring the interactive exhibits, take a moment to try one of the exotic flavors that Coca-Cola produces for other parts of the world. Make your trip complete with a souvenir from the extensive gift shop.

Next you’ll see many historic and modern landmarks of downtown Atlanta. The merchandise marts, Centennial Olympic Park, convention venues, Olympic sites, historic houses of worship, Underground Atlanta are some of the points of interest your guide will show you. You’ll even tour past Turner Field, home of the world-champion Atlanta Braves and the spectacular reincarnation of the Olympic Stadium.
Drive Sweet Auburn Avenue on the way to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Change. From the motor coach you will see Dr. King’s Crypt and Ebenezer Baptist Church. Travel down world-famous Peachtree Street past the Margaret Mitchell House, affectionately called “The Dump” by its best known resident. It was here that Mitchell wrote the bestseller Gone with the Wind.

History Comes Alive

Come see two of Atlanta’s latest new additions – a full scale skeletal mounting of the world’s largest carnivore and the world’s largest dinosaur ever discovered? This is the only place in the world that you’ll see skeletons of the 45-foot long Giganotosaurus and 120-foot long Argentinosaurus.   

A Walk Through Time will take you on a trip through eighteen galleries, re-creations and theaters to explore the beauty of Georgia and the chronological development of our planet. The Spectrum of the Senses, a collection of interactive learning stations demonstrates the physical properties of light and sound. On special display will the: The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition. The extraordinary, true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary 1914-1916 Trans-Antarctic expedition is re-created in this exhibition that chronicles the survival of 28 men stranded in the barren, frigid Antarctic after their ship, Endurance, was caught in pack ice and was eventually crushed.

How would you deal with such hardship? Would you be the quiet, steadfast member of the team, would you leap at the challenge of leadership, would you provide hope and comfort to others through your unwavering faith in the warm light at the end of this freezing tunnel? After seeing the exhibit, move into Fernbank’s IMAX movie theater, where you will be transported into the very middle of this gripping tale.

Hairy Apes!

This tour will take you on a trip you won’t forget to the wilds of Africa, the tropics of South America, the plains of Australia, the mountains of Asia and the forests of Europe! The trip will show you the stars of Zoo Atlanta: Ivan and Kudzoo the Gorillas, Starlet O’Hara the Elephant, Roma and Rosie the African Rhinos and Allen the Sumatran Orangutan.

You’ll also have a chance to see what was inside the special package delivered to Atlanta just a few months ago by United Parcel Service – the newest additions to the Atlanta Zoo family, Lun Lun and Yang Yang the Giant Pandas from Chengdu, China. The zoo’s collection consists of nearly 1,000 specimens, representing 250 species of animals from all over the world, living in natural environments. The Zoo’s fun scavenger hunt will make your trip challenging.

High Speed and Hot Action

ESPN Zone is the ultimate sports and entertainment venue…. It’s ESPN in 3D. Feel the need for speed? Climb aboard a NASCAR car at the Daytona Special and strap yourself in and take it for a spin around 3 different tracks. Compete with your friends to see who can take the checkered flag with their driving skill.  Or step into the MoCap Boxing arena for the fight of your life! This boxing game simulates a real pro fight, forcing you to bob and weave to avoid your opponent’s punches, while throwing punches of your own.

Perhaps you prefer ESPN Biathlon, Hyperbowl, Downhill Biker, Super GT, Hot Flash Air Hockey, or Wave Runner? The possibilities are endless, and you will leave the sports arena exhausted and exhilarated!

Home of the Brave

This tour will show you two very different kinds of battlegrounds from two different eras. Begin your journey as the 1864 Civil War Battle realistically revolves around you, in the immense painting in the round featured at the Atlanta Cyclorama. This Civil War museum is home to the world’s largest painting. “The Battle of Atlanta”. With narration, music and surround sound, the immense 112-year-old painting comes alive as you step back to 1864 and become part of the battle for Atlanta.

Next - the twenty-first century. Again, the scene is set with flags and music, alternate cries of disappointment and cheers of encouragement and colors representing two sides of a fierce battle. You have moved from the Land of the Free to the Homes of the Braves – Turner Field.  The stadium served as the site for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and all of the Track and Field events for the 1996 Centennial Olympic games. The Atlanta Braves Museum displays more than 200 pieces of one-of-a-kind baseball memorabilia. During your stadium tour, visit also the Braves Clubhouse and Dugout, Scouts Alley, the press box and broadcast booth and Coca-Cola Sky Field.

Georgia Aquarium

Georgia’s newest attraction is the Georgia Aquarium, the World’s Largest Aquarium. With 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water and more than 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe, you’re sure to see things you’ve never seen before! Trixie and Alice the new female whale sharks, beluga whales, California sea lions, sea otters and African black footed penguins just to name a few. Exhibits include the Georgia Explorer, Ocean Voyager, River Scout and the 4-D Theater. The tour allows you to examine each exhibit at your own pace.