Road Trip to Atlanta

The last few days have been crazy busy - fun, but busy. Last Thursday, my dad and I drove over to Atlanta for a quick trip to see the sights. Our first stop was the World of Coca-Cola. I had been once before when I was a kid, but it has obviously been a while so we decided to make it one of our stops. I got us free tickets through the My Coke Rewards program which was nice. 

We took two hours or so to tour the facility. They had a lot of interesting and neat memorabilia and a lot of interesting facts about Coca-Cola, most of which I didn't know. At the end of the tour (and the only thing I remember from the last time I was there) you can taste different sodas from all over the world. I've got to say, Diet Coke is still number one in my heart even after tasting all those other flavors. 

At the end of the tour you get a free bottled Coke and then you are deposited into the gift store (of course). I bought a Diet Coke magnet and pen and my dad bought a lapel or hat pin, which he collects. When we checked out, you could buy a surprise bag for $1.99, $4.99 or $7.99. So, we both went for the $4.99 bag and both got the same thing which was a Coca-Cola notebook and pen. 

After our trip to the World of Coca-Cola, we walked back to the car and went over to Turner Field for the Braves vs. Mets game. There was no traffic on the way (probably because it was early and because the Braves are terrible) and we arrived at the park about two hours before game time. We got a free Bobblehead doll of Julio Tehran upon our arrival. There were so few people at the game they probably had enough dolls to give everyone two. We ate a hamburger at the restaurant in the stadium. It wasn't the greatest food ever, but it also wasn't the worst. 

When we finished our burgers, we walked around and watched the Braves drumline which was a lot of fun. They should play during the game too, I think it would make the game way more enjoyable. We then went to the gift store because all the merchandise was 50% off - it's the end of the season, y'all. Even though I'm not what one would consider a Braves fan, I still bought a t-shirt. They were my Papa's favorite so I'll wear it in his honor. 

We made our way to our seats which were on the first base line under the upper deck which was a good thing because not long after we sat down, there was a torrential downpour. We actually had to get up from our covered seats and move back because the wind was blowing water under the upper deck. There was thunder and lightening and quite a show by mother nature. The rain delay ended up being two and a half hours long. While we waited, they showed some documentaries on the jumbotron of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux who were great Braves players back in the 1990s. My Papa loved watching those guys play. So, at least we were entertained while we waited for the rain to pass. 

Finally, at 9:30 p.m. we had the first pitch. The Braves are terrible and were losing 4-2 when we left at the bottom of the seventh. We only stayed that long because I bought a 50/50 raffle ticket and I was just sure I was going to win. Sadly, I did not. We then drove west down 1-20 for about 15 miles to our hotel for the night. FYI, the Braves lost 7-2.

The next morning we got up and ate breakfast pretty much right before it was shut down for the morning. Our plan was to go to the College Football Hall of Fame (CFBHF) and it didn't open until 10:00 a.m. so we weren't in a rush. After breakfast, we made our way back downtown and parked in the same lot we had parked in the day before and then walked over to the CFBHF. We got our tickets and made our way inside. 

When you go in, you sync your badge (ticket) to the computer and pick your team (Alabama, of course). Then, when you go through all the exhibits and you scan your badge, the tour is catered to your team. The second floor is all interactive exhibits. You can film yourself picking a winner on College Gameday, you can record a play-by-play of a famous game, you learn about teams and coaches and uniforms and the history of rivalries and how to run certain plays - it's all so much fun! 

There is also a movie at the beginning of the tour on the second floor about college football and it was very entertaining as well. There's lot of memorabilia to look at including trophies and old uniforms and items that belonged to famous coaches. 

On the third floor are the list of members in the CFBHF as well as some more trophies and a few more interactive items. There wasn't as much to look at on this floor. Then, on the bottom floor is the Chick-Fil-A fan experience where you can toss footballs into a net (I got two out of three!) and you can run through and obstacle and dive as someone throws you a ball (I caught it!) . You can also try ti kick a field goal which I didn't get to of because I wore sandals and I didn't think kicking a ball with my bare feet would feel too good. My dad gave this one a try and had the distance, but not the height. It's harder than it looks I guess. 

When we were done playing on the field, we perused the gift shop. I bought a Christmas ornament which I've been doing the past few years as I visit places and my dad got a hat pin. In all we spent about four hours at the CFBHF and probably could have spent even more time there. 

We wrapped up the afternoon by eating a meal at Legal Sea Foods. I happened to spot it as we were walking back to the car. My dad had the seafood casserole and I had a lobster roll and we were both happy with our decisions. We got back to Huntsville around 5:30 p.m. It was a very quick trip, but lots of fun. I'm glad we were able to get away to enjoy some time together.