The Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

There are two Ebenezer Baptist Churches along Auburn Ave., one is the church exactly located at 400 Auburn Ave. built in 1999, and is currently an active church, and the other one (historic Ebenezer Baptist Church) which is at 407 Auburn Ave., and is now used as a heritage sanctuary, and a tourist attraction.

The new church building at 400 Auburn Ave. is the new Ebenezer Church which is the horizon sanctuary and is not open for tours. It is open to all visitors who want to attend Sunday services though.

The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church has a long, rich history and has been a popular place visited by many tourists due to the fact that MLK (Martin Luther King) Jr.'s life has mostly revolved in this church including his father. Jr. became as a co-pastor in 1960 while his father was the pastor. It was also in this church where MLK Jr.'s funeral was held when he died in 1968.

In 2001, the National Park Service began the restoration which will be completed in 2 phases.

The first phase restoration was done costing to $1,885.000 which included installation of major electrical, heating and air conditioning and fire suppression. Exterior renovations were also done such as the Ebenezer sign that was repaired and lit in 1990, and structural repairs were also made to the roof system as well. The 2nd phase has yet to be determined.

A Stroll At The Centennial Olympic Park

This is just one of the common sight you will see when walking in the park. This statue "Man on Steps" is designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French free mason, and founder of the modern Olympics.

I have done several trips to Atlanta, Georgia but it was my first time to lay my steps on this park ;).

If you are in the park, you will notice those commemorative bricks which are mostly laid evenly on the ground making up the majority of the side walks.

These bricks have engravings on each of them which served as primary fundraisers that made the construction of the 21-acre park possible. These bricks raised approximately $7.5 million from private donors with approximately 8000,000 bricks used in the park's construction.

The park is exactly located at downtown Atlanta, and are walking distances to many attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN, Underground Atlanta, and some museums.

One of the most popular feature of the park is the fountain of rings. It is considered to be the centerpiece of the Centennial Olympic Park.

The Fountain of Rings has free shows daily that plays 4x a day, starting at 12:30PM, 3:30PM, 6:30PM and 9PM. It is also considered as the world's largest interactive fountain that synchronizes with popular music tunes, sounds and lighting effects.

It is highly recommended to watch the fountain shows at night time for a more artistic colors if you want to take colorful photos and videos on it.

Another great feature in the park is the availability of free wi-fi internet around and close to the park's Visitor Center. Park admission is always free as well.

You might as well try the audio walking tour at your own pace for free throughout the park. This is a self-guided audio tour designed for the visitors at their own convenience and at the same time learn and enjoy more about the park's history, architectures, trivias and more.
You can start your self-guided audio tour right directly from your phone! Every structure included in the audio tour are numbered and with just simple instructions to follow, it's always a breeze, with a lot of learning you can get at the end.

That's me doing the self-guided audio walking  tour ;)

Don't forget to drop by at the Visitor Center which is located adjacent to the Fountain of the Rings, at the south end if you have further questions about the park or any other concerns you may have.

MLK Jr.'s National Historic & Grave Site Tour

Several blocks somewhere in Atlanta neighborhood is a place of history worth visiting about MLK Jr.'s birth home, the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church where he served a pastor, and his grave site.

MLK Jr.'s birth home.

I was able to tour the neighborhood, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to tour inside his home, which is located at Auburn Ave. His birth home is a 2-storey Queen Anne style house at a neighborhood known as "Sweet Auburn."

The historical Ebenezer Baptist Church where his father and him became as its pastors is a short walking distance from his home which is at the corner of Auburn Ave. and Jackson St.

The church was constructed in 1914 and was completely done by 1922. It is a red brick 3-story building made of stone with stained glass window groupings. Not far from the church is MLK Jr.'s Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. which shows King's works and legacy. In here is where you can see the Freedom Hall too.

At the east of Ebenezer Baptist Church is a cleared lot occupying King's grave site unto Blvd. St. Then, a memorial park was constructed around the marble crypt in 1976.

In 1977, MLK Jr.'s grave site in South View Cemetery was moved in this dedicated tomb. The tomb used to be surrounded by bricks and by a plaza with an arch-covered walkway and later on replaced by a reflecting pool.

MLK Jr.'s tomb was later joined by his wife Coretta's tomb when she died in 2006.

Entertainment & Shopping at Underground Atlanta

If you prefer to do shopping, see some entertainment, love to eat, - try going underground - at the Underground Atlanta!

The place is located at the middle of downtown Atlanta. You can as well sign up for a guided Walking  History Tour, and reservations are required ahead. You can either call them or book online thru undergroundatlanta.com for tour packages. Otherwise, you can just do a self-guided History tour by picking up your brochure at the information booth, and discover the historical facts all at your own pace.

Underground Atlanta has been a long common destination enjoyed by many visitors and residents for more than 100 years now. It has 3 levels and has an area of 225,000 sq. ft. with 6 city blocks that expands up to 12 acres, - all for restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

The Atlanta Cruzers Electric Car Tour

Me and hubby after the tour.

If you happened to be visiting Atlanta for the first time, the electric car tour of Atlanta is worth recommending. This would be the best way to see most of the famous landmarks and attractions of Atlanta at a faster pace, particularly if you have limited time for a visit. 

The tour last for 90 minutes and journeys 15 miles throughout Atlanta area. You'll get the chance to see famous attractions like Fox Theatre, CNN, Centennial Olympic Park, and the historic Inman Park, and many more.
During summer, bring anything like water particularly if the temperature soars high during mid day. Some warm jackets also help when you are scheduled for a tour during cooler season. Remember, this is an hour, 30 minutes tour.

The electric car is said to be eco-friendly and can accommodate only 5 guests, with a total of 6 passengers including the driver (tour guide).

By the way, this tour is not only for tourists but for residents of Atlanta as well. It is actually recommended for Atlanta natives including its residents who are interested to further explore and discover those areas that are not yet familiar to them. It is a tour about how Atlanta got its early existence up to how it was being referred to as the Capital of the South.

If you are a history lover as well, you'll get to know more of its eclectic neighborhoods like Inman Park, the Old 4th Ward, the birthplace and home of Dr. Martin Luther King including Atlanta's historical culture and restaurants.

Advanced booking (at least 24 hours) is required. You can either call ahead or order your e-tickets online.

If you're checked in at a hotel in downtown Atlanta, they can pick-up/drop you off before and after the tour.

All other information are reflected on their website. (atlcruzersdotcom)

Big Zombie Tour Part-1 (by Atlanta Movie Tours)

No wonder many call Atlanta the "home to Zombieland" in Georgia. But if you are a "Walking Dead" fan or just one of those who are so fascinated with any kind of zombie movie, - then definitely you'll agree, talking about zombie tours.

This tour is a 3-hour experience as you board a luxury coach courtesy of Atlanta Movie Tours, ad you can then get the experience on what it is like to be on the scenes where the zombies walked themselves! You'll be taken to locations in Atlanta where movies and TV series such as "The Walking Dead", "Zombieland", "The Vampire Diaries", etc. were filmed.

Tour guides will be with you all throughout the tour. Best thing is that the tour guides are the actors/actresses themselves that are/were part of the TV series "The Walking Dead". They can even entertain the group by giving interesting scoops and exclusive behind-the-scene stories about the series and movies where the best zombie hang-outs were filmed.

By the way, it is highly recommended to book your tour and get your tickets online at the Atlanta Movie Tours website (atlantamovietours.com), because tickets sell so fast! Also take note that only small children that can be seated on an adult's lap are free of charge.

Instructions will be given regarding the meeting place, time, etc... which will be reflected on your e-tickets.

First part of the tour is a quarter mile walk at a slow pace but fairly ADA accessible. The rest of the tour will be on the bus with some various stops on some areas for photo ops and breaks.

Some expected highlights of the tour will be your visit to the hospital where your favorite sheriff, Rick Grimes woke up from coma, a visit to the goat farm where they filmed the episode "Vatos" of Season 1 of the "Walking Dead", and the CDC building (Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center) where it was blown up in the final episode of Season 1, - the truth is, it wasn't really blown up, - camera trick, yeah! Sorry for the spoiler alert guys, but it still won't hinder anyone to visit these locations yourself, right? 

Then, a photo op from the Jackson St. Bridge with the tour group and the tour guide at the end of the tour.

Entrance to the Goat Farm. This scene on the photo was filmed on the "Hunger Games-Catching Fire" from the scene of District 12. If you're lucky enough, you can still find some fake coals that was used as props reflecting the effect of the coal district in the movie.

The King County Sheriff Station. On the further end on this building (not shown) was the location where Rick shot a police officer who became a zombie.

The hospital where Rick had woke up from a coma. This was also the scene where lot of dead zombies were lined up on the ground (those "zombies were actually man-made dummies).

This was the spot where Rick crossed the railway entering Atlanta on a horse.

The department store still with the chains on the doors to keep the zombies out. It was in this store where the group was trapped in.

Our tour group photo at the Jackson St. Bridge

It will be quite of a unique experience to try this tour. Very entertaining!

Atlanta, Georgia Trip (2nd Visit)

August 4-9, 2006

Yes, this is our second visit after a month :) We had 2 1/2 days free time before hubby's schedule for symposium teaching. This time, we made at least 4 itineraries touring around attractions frequently visited by many.

Georgia Aquarium - (Aug. 5, 2006)

We went to the aquarium early in the morning to catch up with the long lines of going inside. It was weekend, so it was crowded.

Anyway, once inside, there are a lots of places to visit. This is considered to be the largest aquarium in the world. Just imagine, it has eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium.

Obviously, it is all aquatic life scenes that are present there, so below is one of my many photos which includes the various marine life inside the aquarium. Georgia Aquarium is actually highly recommended for the kids, and for the whole family as well.

Stone Mountain Park - (Aug. 6, 2006)

This was the most thrilling ride I ever got for the first time...the summit skyride! This is the rock's top attraction. This high-speed Swiss cable car provides a stunning view of the Confederate Memorial Carving as it transports guests more than 825 feet above ground to the top of Stone Mountain. I closed my eyes most of the time since I have phobia for heights.

But we got the chance to see the famous Stone Mountain Carving up-close. I forgot the fearful scene of the height for a while and so I was able to get good shots of the carving :) The shots of the pool below was done by hubby. Remember, I couldn't look down..:)

Reaching the top was awesome! From there, we saw amazing views of the Atlanta skyline, the Appalachian Mountains and more up to 60 miles away. Then, another few more poses for the camera. lol!

We also tried the riverboat excursions and paddlewheel riverboat cruise along Stone Mountain Lake. I only was able to take limited shots during that time...I didn't remember why, but I guess I got so tired with the sweltering heat of the sun..so I didn't know exactly what was I aiming for LOL!

6 Flags Over Georgia - (Aug. 7, 2006)

The temperature during that day went up as high as 99F. That's more than the hot temperature in the Philippines! We were both sweating like crazy. With the help of the thirst quenchers close by, these helped us gained back our strength and enjoyed meeting Bugs Bunny and friends. Hanging out with these toons were fun...at least we became like kids only for a few minutes. It's good to be child like once in a while, right? :)

Atlanta, Georgia Trip

July 3-8, 2006
Atlanta was our main destination during the entire trip. I can say this is the only place most widely visited by me and my husband. One thing that got me excited during this trip was the July 4th big event...fireworks! It would be my first July 4th to witness the big fireworks only to be disappointed at the end because there was a big thunderstorm that night, and so it was cancelled!
On the other side of it, we had 4 itineraries four our trip:

July 4, 2006 - Our visit to Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Main Entrance

Among the special highlights of the garden that we went to visit is "Niki in the Garden" which are mostly large exhibits of a renowned international artist Niki de Saint Phalle's outdoor sculptures. The Garden was the ideal place for Saint Phalle's work to be displayed because of her love of nature. Saint Phalle's imaginative, monumental artworks are beautifully displayed throughout the Garden. To me, they are captivating and very catchy that makes them unique too.

The Nepenthes Chandelier

The Nepenthes Chandelier is a one-of-a-kind creation by Dale Chihuly and was a favorite of visitors during the 2004 Chihuly in the Garden exhibit. A captivating assemblage of brightly colored glass in hues of yellow, chartreuse, and gold with touches of red, the chandelier sparkles in the Special Exhibitions space in the Fuqua Conservatory. The Nepenthes Chandelier was donated by David Jost Tufts in memory of Jeff Lewis.

Then we went to visit the garden's huge collections of plants, both indoor and outdoor. Of course, if you are a person who loves flowers and plants, this is worth it. I only got a few flower photos since I got more interested in the sculptures ;)

July 5, 2006 - CNN Studio Tour

Good thing is CNN was just a walking distance from our hotel, so we didn't have to take a cab to go there. This is CNN's global headquarters. Our tour was for 55 minutes, no photography allowed inside the studio, but photos are allowed on the lobby area.

Our tour started at the bottom of the world's largest freestanding escalator. Some shots of me were taken on the escalator, behind me were our tour group. Of course somebody was still ahead of me, who else...my husband! He was the one taking the photos :))

Once inside, it is pretty much tight in security, equipped with Xray machine. You have to pass the machine before you go inside the main studio.

Studio 7E - No photos were allowed, but lucky me...my husband was able to get 2 shots inside the studio :).

Studio 7E is a blackbox studio where it gives you an up-close look at the technology used at CNN everyday while delivering the news and the weather. This is where they do the actual reporting of the weather.

Other Tour sites (strictly no photos):

CNN Control Room - here, we witnessed the taste of the fast paced environment of live television news.

The CNN Overlook - this is the bird's eye view of the news room in action. Here they showed how news flows in from their sources and then out to their viewers.

July 3, 2006 - The World of Coca-Cola Tour

This tour was the only chance for me to know that Coca-cola originally came from Atlanta...the home of my most favorite drink..Coke! lol!
It's the only place where you can explore the complete story past, present, and future of the world's best-known brand!

July 8, 2006 - Atlanta Zoo