Georgia

The 20th Century Veterans Memorial in downtown Smyrna, Georgia, was dedicated on October 12, 2002. A Veterans Memorial Committee chose the site for the monument in August 1999, and it was expected to be finished by Labor Day 2001 at a cost of between $1 million and $1.5 million. In March 2000, the Smyrna City Council and the Smyrna Downtown Development Authority signed off on the plan despite opposition from nearby residents. However, work was delayed about a year, and officials broke ground on the project in January 2002. Then-Gov. Roy Barnes, U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson and U.S. Sen. Max Cleland were among the dignitaries at the memorial’s dedication. A mix of private and state money funded the $650,000 memorial.

Just south of Adairsville, the raiders stopped to tear up the track, prohibiting their pursuers from continuing the chase in a locomotive. At this point, the pursuers abandoned their second locomotive — the William R. Smith — and continued on foot. Minutes later, they commandeered their third engine. They ran the Texas in reverse for the remainder of the chase. Today, a small museum located in the historic 1847 Western & Atlantic depot interprets the city’s role in the Great Locomotive Chase and features a number of exhibits related to the town’s history.

After Atlanta fell, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood began marching toward Nashville, Tenn., hoping to break Sherman’s supply line. Hood attacked at Union troops positioned at a railroad pass southeast of Cartersville. The Battle of Allatoona Pass on Oct. 5, 1864, is among the Civil War’s bloodiest battles, and roughly 1,600 soldiers on both sides died. The railroad has been rerouted, but the battle site now sits on the edge of Lake Allatoona and is part of Red Top Mountain State Park.

The Arch was constructed in the 1850s as part of a larger iron fence protecting the university campus. It is generally regarded as the entrance to both the University of Georgia and the city of Athens. The Arch comprises three pillars representing Georgia’s state motto: “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.”

The Atlanta BeltLine is a 22-mile multi-use trail along a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta. A Georgia Tech student proposed transforming the former rail corridor into a trail in a 1999 master’s degree thesis. The Atlanta BeltLine aims to reconnect neighborhoods and communities divided by infrastructure, improve transportation, add green space, promote redevelopment, create affordable housing, and showcase arts and culture. The BeltLine has opened in sections, including the Eastside, Westside and Northside trails.

Located in the heart of Atlanta’s trendy Buckhead community, the Atlanta History Center was founded in 1926. The museum, which sits on a 33-acre campus, features six permanent exhibits and temporary exhibits. In addition to the main exhibits, the museum is also home to the historic Swan House, Tullie Smith Farm and Wood Family Cabin. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of Civil War artifacts in the United States.

IN 2022, THE CITY OF SMYRNA DEMOLISHED AUNT FANNY’S CABIN.

The building that today serves as the Smyrna Welcome Center was once a famous restaurant serving up Southern-themed fare. Isoline Campbell MacKenna opened Aunt Fanny’s Cabin in 1941, turning an 1890s-era cabin into a country store selling food made using the recipes of Fanny Williams, her family’s retired cook. The restaurant, originally located a few miles away from its current location operated until 1994.

Located inside Memorial Park in the Five Points neighborhood, Bear Hollow is a zoo and natural habitat for rescued animals that cannot be released into the wild. Some are physically disabled, while others cannot care for themselves in the wild or are too trusting and fond of people.

The Big Chicken, located along Cobb Parkway in southern Marietta, is a true Atlanta landmark. Motorists reference the 56-foot-tall big chicken when giving directions. Radio stations mention it when describing traffic. Airplane pilots even use it as a landmark for navigation. Today, the Big Chicken is a bit of an anomaly, something unique at a fast food restaurant. Cobb Parkway is a string of urban sprawl, one fast food joint after another. Originally built as more or less a marketing gimmick, the chicken has been embraced by locals and has remained a landmark for more than 45 years. After it was damaged by a storm in 1993, KFC debated whether to rebuild the Big Chicken. The community seemed to be in agreement: The Big Chicken was a local landmark, and it needed to remain; KFC shelled out $700,000 to rehabilitate the restaurant and return the giant bird to working order. Today’s incarnation of this local icon features a moving beak and rotating eyes.

The Booth Western Art Museum opened in August 2003 and showcases Western art. The Smithsonian Institution affiliate is said to be the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art nationwide. The 120,000-square-foot museum is the second-largest art museum in Georgia, featuring works by Frederic Remington, Albert Bierstadt, George Caitlin and Charles Russell. Visitors can explore America’s history through contemporary Western artwork, a Presidential Gallery and a Civil War art gallery.

Directions: Booth Western Art Museum, 501 N. Museum Drive, Cartersville, GA 30120. Take I-75 to exit 288 – Main Street, Cartersville. Head West. Follow Main Street (Highway 113/61) into the business district, approximately 2.2 miles. Turn right on Gilmer Street, travel two blocks under the bridge, and the museum is on the left. Free parking is available in the Tabernacle Baptist Church parking lot on Gilmer Street, across from the Museum entrance.

Hours (as of April 12, 2023): Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday: 1-5 p.m. Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, July 4, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Admission (as of April 12, 2023): Adult: $13.00; Senior (65+): $11.00; Student (with ID): $10.00; Children 12 and under are free (must be accompanied by parent or guardian); Active Military Personnel (with ID): Free (half price regular admission for all immediate family members of the active-duty person); Booth Museum members are free; First Thursday of each month: free admission for all between 4-8 p.m.

The Casimir Pulaski Monument stands in Monterey Square near the battlefield where Polish nobleman Casimir Pulaski died during the siege of Savannah. Pulaski, along with Michael Kovats de Fabriczy, is considered “the father of the American cavalry.” Workers laid the cornerstone for the monument in either 1825 or 1853, depending on the source. The monument’s inscription reads, “Pulaski, the Heroic Pole, who fell mortally wounded, fighting for American Liberty at the siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779.” On October 29, 1779, Congress passed a resolution that a monument should be dedicated to Pulaski, and the Savannah monument was the first monument in the United States dedicated to Pulaski.

In November 2008, Athens dedicated “The Character of a Champion,” a 14-foot-tall bronze statue of Vince Dooley, the legendary former football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. Athens sculptor Stan Mullins crafted the statue of Dooley, depicting the former coach being hoisted onto the shoulders of his players after winning the 1980 national championship. Dooley was head coach from 1964 until 1988. He was the university’s athletic director from 1979 to 2004 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. The memorial was dedicated in 2008 before the annual Georgia-Georgia Tech football game.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign.

The College Football Hall of Fame opened in Atlanta in August 2014 in Downtown Atlanta next to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park. The College Football Hall of Fame was previously located in South Bend, Ind. More than 975 players and more than 210 coaches have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. More than 300 schools are represented. The 94,256-square-foot facility includes exhibits, interactive displays, event space and a 45-yard indoor football field.

Concord Woolen Mills dates to 1847 when Robert Daniell and Martin Ruff opened the mill. The mill was destroyed on July 4, 1864, by Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops. The two men rebuilt the mill, which reopened in 1868. By 1870, the mill had 16 workers, making it the largest employer in the area. The two men sold the mill in 1872. The mill went out of business in 1916, and the ruins are located along what is today the Heritage Park Trail and Silver Comet Trail.

Coopers Furnace Day Use Park is open seasonally and is situated along the north bank of the Etowah River. The park has lots of single-car parking, and no trailers are allowed. This park also allows a great view of the dam from downstream. Cooper’s Iron Works is the last remaining remnant of the 19th century town of Etowah. Jacob Stroup established the works in the 1830s, and Mark Anthony Cooper purchased the ironworks in the 1840s. In 1862, Cooper sold the iron works. The Confederate States of America subsequently purchased the works, and federal soldiers, on May 22, 1864, destroyed the ironworks and mill, bringing about an end to the city’s livelihood. Following the Civil War, the town never again returned to its antebellum prominence. A smokestack is all that remains of the ironworks.

The Crime and Punishment Museum in Ashburn, Georgia, opened in August 2003 in a bucolic community of about 4,100 located along Interstate 75. The building — known to many as “Castle Turner” — served as the county jail from about 1907 until 1993. Miles Cribb was the only inmate hanged inside the jail. Today, visitors to the museum can see the trap door that dropped, sending the condemned Cribb to his death. They can also gaze upon the blood-stained collar he was wearing at the time he was executed and see a replica of an electric chair, affectionately nicknamed “Old Sparky.”

The Delta Flight Museum was established in 1995 and opened publicly in June 2014. Located in a pair of 1940s-era maintenance hangars, the museum is home fleet of rare vintage aircraft and artifacts from more than 40 airlines related to Delta. Among the artifacts is the Spirit of Delta, Delta’s first Boeing 767. Employees, retirees, and friends purchased and donated the plane to Delta in 1982.

The Double-Barreled Cannon was the brainchild of Dr. John Gilleland, a dentist from Jackson County, Ga., and a member of Mitchell’s Thunderbolts. Built in 1862 at the Athens Foundry and Machine Works, the Double-Barreled Cannon is today little more than a bookmark in history and a rather unique relic. The cannon was designed to fire two cannonballs connected by a chain so as to “mow down the enemy somewhat as a scythe cuts wheat.” According one account, the cannon was tested on a site along Newton Bridge Road, but since the two barrels did not have the same range, the chain broke in mid-air. According to some sources, one of the cannon balls killed a cow in a field nearby. According to a number of sources, including books and newspaper accounts, the cannon was not used in battle. But, according to a Confederate Veteran article, the cannon was used during a skirmish, but not as originally designed.

Located on the north shore of the Etowah River and south of modern-day Cartersville, the mounds were inhabited from 1000 to 1550 by Muskogean Native Americans of the Mississippian culture, so named because the culture originated along the banks of the Mississippi River. Designated a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s, this 54-acre state park includes a museum with artifacts discovered at the site, six mounds the natives built, and a number of other related sites. The now 1,000-year-old Native American town is generally believed to be a city Hernando de Soto visited in 1540 when he was exploring the area. By that time, according to historians, the civilization was in decline and the Etowah Indian Mounds may have been abandoned.

A Coca-Cola syrup salesman named James Couden painted a sign advertising the soda on the side of Young Brothers Pharmacy (known as Young Bros Drug Company at the time). It turns out he made history with his work of art as this was the first Coca-Cola painted wall sign in the world. The pharmacy celebrates the advertisement with a display of Coke memorabilia and collectibles. Interestingly, the Coca-Cola Co. regularly repainted the sign until the late 1970s, but underneath all those paint jobs was the original sign, which was restored in 1989.

James Oglethorpe established Fort Frederica on what is today St. Simons Island in 1736, just three years after he founded Georgia.. The goal of the settlement was to to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from the Spanish. At times, more than 600 British troops were stationed at the fort. A visitor to the fort in 1745 described it as “a pretty strong fort of tabby,” noting the structure was “surrounded by a quadrangular rampart, with four bastions of earth well stocked and turned, and a palisade ditch.” During the battles of Bloody Marsh and Gully Hole Creek in 1742, Oglethorpe’s successfully repulsed Spanish attempts to invade St. Simons Island.

The first European settlers came to the area in the late 1700s and built a series of forts, including Fort Yargo, to protect themselves from the natives. The 260-acre Fort Yargo State Park is home to a long fort was built in 1792 or 1793. The structure may have been built at the request of the Creek Indians who were then at war with the Cherokees. The Creeks likely were the first Indians to arrive in the area of what is now Barrow County and created the village of Snodon in what is now downtown Winder.

Philadelphia-based Baldwin Locomotive Works built Gainesville Midland No. 116, which sits in Jefferson, Georgia, as a memorial to the Gainesville Midland Railroad. The Gainesville Midland bought the class C-3 2-8-0 locomotive from the Central of Georgia Railway, which ordered it in about 1906. The Gainesville Midland used the steamer until its retirement in 1958 following a crack in its boiler. The locomotive is on display outside of Jefferson High School. The railroad donated it to the city in 1959.

IN JULY 2022, A VANDAL DESTROYED THE GEORGIA GUIDESTONES.

Since first unveiled in March 1980, the Georgia Guidestones have confounded and intrigued tourists. An anonymous benefactor, using the name R.C. Christian, showed up in Elbert County in 1979 to build the monument. According to sources, Christian was working on behalf of an anonymous group. The 19-foot-tall monument, comprised of six granite stones, sits along Georgia Highway 77 on one of the highest tracts of land in Elbert County. The monument, known as “America’s Stonehenge,” was built using granite from Elbertson, the “Granite Capital of the World.”

The Georgia State Railroad Museum is home to more than 40 railroad locomotives and cars and house in the historic Georgia State Railroad Museum roundhouse. The building dates to 1851, but the railroad demolished about half of the roundhouse in 1926 and re-engineered the facility to accommodate larger steam engines. Southern Railway, successor of the Central of Georgia Railroad, closed the facility in 1963 and subsequently started demolishing buildings on the property. The Coastal Heritage Society in 1989 took over management of the facility to preserve the shops for future generations.

The High Museum of Art, the premier art museum in the South, is in the midst of a multi-year partnership with The Museum of Modern Art. Through 2013, the partnership will bring many international exhibitions to Atlanta and past exhibitions have included masterpieces by Claude Monet and Leonardo de Vinci.

The James Jackson Memorial in downtown Jefferson, Georgia, honors an American Revolution hero and general of the Georgia Militia. He is also the namesake of Jackson County, Georgia. Jackson served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He also served as the 23rd Governor of Georgia from 1798 to 1801. The Jackson County Bicentennial Committee dedicated the monument, which is on the grounds of the Historic Jackson County Courthouse, on May 11, 1996.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park offers the opportunity to connect with an important time in American history and a free outdoor experience. Located between Marietta and Kennesaw, the 2,923-acre national park offers visitors the chance to learn about an important time in history and also enjoy the great outdoors. The national park features 18 miles of walking trails, some rather steep as they approach the top of the mountain. The park features three battlefield areas: one located in front of the Visitor Center, another off Burnt Hickory Road and the main site at Cheatham Hill, which during the Civil War was called the Dead Angle. The visitor center is a logical place to start because it provides an abundance of information about what happened during the battle.

The Marietta City Cemetery, adjacent to Marietta Confederate Cemetery, was established in the 1830s. The city cemetery is the final resting place to a number of the city’s prominent denizens, including S.V. Sanford, the namesake for the University of Georgia’s football stadium. It is also where 13-year-old Mary Phagan was buried after she was killed April 26, 1913.

The story of fighting fires in Marietta, Ga., from bucket brigades to pumper and ladder trucks, is on display at the Marietta Fire Museum. One of the highlights of the museum is an 1879 horse-drawn Silsby steamer, which is nicknamed “Aurora.” The unit is said to be one of only five of its kind still in existence. The horse-drawn steamer remained in service until 1921 when it was replaced by an American LaFrance Pumper, also on display in the museum. The pumper is famous for being one of the first motorized fire vehicles in North Georgia. Also on display are a 1929 Seagrave pumper, a 1949 Pirsch ladder truck and a 1952 Chevrolet panel truck. In addition to the fire vehicles, a number of antique helmets, firefighting accessories and a “Wall of Flame” featuring photos of some of the city’s larger fires from over the years are on display.

The Monastery of the Holy Spirit is located in the eastern Atlanta suburb of Conyers and is often referred to as “Georgia’s Most Remarkable Concrete Building.” The community was started on March 21, 1944, by 21 trappist monks who relocated to land donated by media mogul Henry Luce and the Archdiocese of Atlanta from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. The Monastery itself was built between 1944 and 1949, the Monastery. A 17,000-square-foot Heritage Center, which opened in 2011, includes information about the history of the Monastery, a bonsai nursery and a café. Visitors looking to take home a piece of the experience need to stop by the gift shop or the bonsai nursery.

Located on 51 acres next to Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia, the Museum of Aviation is the second-largest aerospace museum of the U.S. Air Force and the fourth most visited Department of Defense museum. The museum, which opened in 1984, has four exhibit buildings displaying U.S. Air Force aircraft, missiles, cockpits and other exhibits. The museum is also home to Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.

Ebenezer Methodist Church (now Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church) founded Oak Hill Cemetery in 1838. Famous burials include Uriah Stephens, the switch master in Kingston during the Civil War; Pleasant Stovall Shelman, the operator of a Cartersville hotel; and Sam Jones, a famous preacher.

The Ocmulgee National Monument preserves traces of over ten millennia of Southeastern Native American culture. Natives first came to the area during the Paleo-Indian period hunting Ice Age mammals. While many different cultures occupied this land for thousands of years, the centerpiece of the monument is a series of earthworks built before 1000 CE by the South Appalachian Mississippian culture, a regional variation of the Mississippian culture.

The 189-acre Piedmont Park hosted the Piedmont Exposition of 1887 and the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895. Much like Central Park is to New York City, Piedmont Park is a centerpiece greenspace for the city of Atlanta.

Rock Hawk Effigy Mound is comprised of thousands of pieces of quartzite. While referred to as a hawk, scholars do not know what type of bird the original builders intended to portray. The mound is one of two such effigy mounds found east of the Mississippi River. Current archaeologists believe Woodland Indians built the site between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago. These Native Americans may have been part of the Adena or Hopewell cultures, or they may have represented a different group.

Shoupade Park preserves a rare but essential remnant of the Civil War’s River Line. Confederate Brigadier Gen. Francis Shoup in 1864 built a series of earthen forts shaped like arrowheads large enough to hold 80 soldiers. The fortification, known as “Shoupades,” allowed them to fire shots to the right, left and straight ahead as the enemy approached. Confederate troops wanted the shoupades to stop Union troops from crossing the Chattahoochee River and entering Atlanta. Modern development wiped out most of the Shoupades over the years. However, through an agreement with a developer, the city of Smyrna helped preserve one of the works. A shoupade model is on display at the Smyrna Museum.

Smyrna First United Methodist Church in downtown Smyrna, Georgia, is one of the oldest institutions in the Jonquil City, dating to about 1838. The current structure dates to June 1967, replacing a five-and-a-half-decade-old structure. In 1911, the church built its first brick structure, an edifice along Atlanta Road.

Since it officially opened on April 25, 1999, the Smyrna Museum has dedicated to keeping alive the stories that make the Jonquil City unique — from images of the city’s past to artifacts from important events in history.

Located in a replica of the city’s railroad depot that was build in 1910 and razed in 1959, the museum is home to thousands of photographs, a number of exhibits and other displays, the museum is also home to a number of genealogical research materials.

While admission is free, the museum, which is operated by volunteers, does accept donations.

The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, features collections of rare Civil War weapons, uniforms and other personal items; an exciting exhibit about the Great Locomotive Chase, including the General locomotive; and a full-scale replica of a locomotive factory that helped rebuild the South after the war. The Jolley Education Center features a variety of hands-on exhibits to inspire a love of learning in children. During the sesquicentennial, 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Southern Museum hosted events exploring topics relevant to this tumultuous time in history.

The statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, stands outside the Classic Center and faces downtown Athens. The statue symbolizes the city’s namesake — Athens, Greece. On the base of the statue is the Athenian Oath, which the youth of ancient Athens took when they reached 17 years old. Around the pedestal, the words Wisdom, Learning, Arts, Athletics, Industry, Commerce, and Agriculture are inscribed. Jean Westmacott, an artist from the area, created the statue. The design was selected from submissions by Project Athena, a group formed in 1993 to promote public art in Athens.

Make the 1.3 mile trek or ride the sky lift up Stone Mountain. With more than 3,300 acres of natural beauty, a variety of outdoor attractions, entertainment and recreation, Stone Mountain is the most visited attraction in Georgia. Visitors can now climb to new heights on Sky Hike, a quarter of a mile course that allows visitors to trek through the treetops by mastering wooden bridges, balancing on a single rope suspended in the air and climbing to the top of vertical net bridges.

Taylor-Brawner Park sits on what was once the Brawner Hospital complex. Following a 2005 Parks Bond, the city of Smyrna removed dilapidated buildings and developed a 10-acre park, which today includes a gazebo, two picnic pavilions, walking trail, amphitheater, playground, and open space. The park is also home to a pair of historic buildings: Brawner Hall and the Taylor-Brawner House.

Athens, Ga., was once home to Navy Corps Supply School, which was located in the city’s Normaltown neighborhood from Jan. 15, 1954, until 2011. In 1990, as a tribute to the school, the Athens community placed a 4,000 pound, haze gray anchor in the median of Broad Street. The anchor for a destroyer ship was apparently donated because its bent shaft left it unusable for naval purposes.

The largest aquarium in the world is home to tens of thousands of marine animals. More than 10 million visitors have passed through the aquarium since it opened in November 2005. Highlights include great hammerhead sharks, four beluga whales and four whale sharks, which call a 6.3 million gallon tank home. In 2011, the aquarium launched a daily Dolphin Tales show.

The Pace House in Vinings, Georgia, dates to after the Civil War. Before the war, Hardy Pace, operator of Pace’s Ferry, built his home in what was then called Vining’s Station. Federal troops, pursuing Confederate forces as they abandoned Smyrna, occupied Vining’s Station from July 5-17, 1864. Union Gen. William T. Sherman used Pace’s house as his headquarters and planned the siege of Atlanta. After federal troops left Vinings, the house served as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the Atlanta fighting, but because it was infected with disease, it was burned to the ground. Following the Civil War, Solomon Pace, Hardy Pace’s son, returned to find the homestead in ruins. Sometime between 1865 and 1874, he built a new home here, using whatever could be salvaged.

Crews building the Western & Atlantic Railroad from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn., faced a number of natural obstacles. None, however, were as foreboding as Chetoogeta Mountain. What workers built was a 1,477-foot-long engineering phenomenon that has stood the test of time. Work on the tunnel started on July 15, 1848, and the first train rolled through the tunnel on May 9, 1850. The railroad actually started rail service between Atlanta and Chattanooga in the 1840s. The tunnel remained in service until 1928 when a new tunnel opened a few feet away to accommodate larger trains. For years, the older tunnel sat unused, and eventually fell into disrepair.

There are different theories about this unknown soldier buried near Allatoona Pass. Perhaps, he died during the Battle of Allatoona Pass and was buried where he fell. Or, he died elsewhere, and his body was shipped back to his hometown of Allatoona. Western & Atlantic Railroad workers apparently rediscovered his grave in 1880 and placed a headstone that reads, “He died for the cause he thought was right.” The railroad relocated the grave to its current location in about 1950.

Savannah’s Waving Girl Statue is a tribute to Savannahian Florence Martus. Between 1887 and 1931, Martus would wave a cloth at ships approaching Savannah from the lighthouse on Cockspur Island. She did this in hopes of catching a glimpse of her long-lost lover. Although she was not well known in her community, her fame spread worldwide among maritime communities. Ships passing through the area would return her greetings by sounding a blast from their horns. Even today, many ships still pay tribute to her statue.

The William Root House Museum & Garden showcases what life was like for a middle-class Georgia family during the 1860s. Hannah and William Root built the simple frame house circa 1845. William Root an early merchant in Marietta, and the first druggist in town. The structure was more typical of houses in the south than the grand plantations and columned mansions.

The Woodstock, Georgia, community unveiled the Woodstock Memorial in May 2009. The memorial, located in The Park at City Center in the heart of the city, consists of 10 tons of polished granite and is dedicated to local veterans. The monument, designed by Robert Young, reads, “To the men and women of Woodstock, Georgia who served in the armed forces of our country preserving our freedom and our way of life Erected in their honor.”

Pharmacist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886. The original World of Coca-Cola opened in Atlanta in 1991, but was upgraded in its current location near Centennial Olympic Park in May 2007. The 35,000-square-foot exhibition features the largest collection of Coke memorabilia, a 4-D theater and a bottling operation that produces eight ounce commemorative bottles for guests.

Zoo Atlanta was founded in 1889, when businessman George V. Gress purchased a bankrupt traveling circus and donated the animals to the city of Atlanta. City leaders opted to house the collection in Grant Park, where the zoo remains to this day. The zoo’s original animals included a black bear, a jaguar, a hyena, a gazelle, a Mexican hog, lionesses, monkeys and camels. Today, Zoo Atlanta features more than 40 exhibits that are home to 800 animals from 200 species. Highlights include a five-acre African Plains and The Asian Forest that is home to the zoo’s giant pandas.