Don’t wait for visitors to have fun playing tourists in Atlanta

Credit: Distributed document

Credit: Distributed document

Amy Leavell Bransford, owner of Aviary Beauty + Wellness, likes to be a tourist while entertaining visitors. “It’s pretty basic, but we go to Piedmont Park for a picnic, a game of Frisbee, and the best view of the Atlanta skyline. We also can’t miss Oakland Cemetery, especially if there’s an event going on. It’s more of a park than a cemetery, and the gardening is incredible.”

Other favorite activities for the Decatur family of four include the Starlight Drive-In, Ponce City Market and Stone Mountain Park. “How do you explain to people that there’s a giant granite mountain you can climb or rocket up?” she asks.

Marietta resident Loretta Rieman and her family venture a little further afield, regularly renting a boat at Lake Altoona near Cartersville or riding horses at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville. Family activities have changed as her children, now teenagers, have grown, but favorites include trips to the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville and hikes at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

“When the kids were little, we went to puppet shows (at the Center for Puppetry Arts), Wren’s Nest, World of Coca-Cola and (Zoo Atlanta). We always went to see Broadway shows at the Fox Theatre,” she said.

Credits: Erica George Dines

Credits: Erica George Dines

Shelby Salisbury, a therapist at Peachtree Comprehensive Health, enjoys the “classic” sights. “I love doing the touristy stuff like going to the Georgia Aquarium. You never get tired of it. The (Atlanta) Botanical Garden is a lot of fun and a great place to meet people. I see ‘The Nutcracker’ every Christmas.”

When it comes to food, locals are missing out if they don’t explore the authentic, exotic flavors of Buford Highway’s family-owned ethnic restaurants and occasionally indulge in the Michelin-starred ones—and make some excellent choices in between.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

“The food scene is one of the most underrated parts of the city,” Pate said of Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have fantastic chefs who are doing great things with a wide variety of cuisines, and they’re not getting recognized. We have a rich food scene.”

Pano I. Karatassos has had a front-row seat to the city’s culinary evolution and is now part of its “rich food scene.” His father, Pano, co-founded the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and, with the opening of Pano’s & Paul’s in 1979, is credited with elevating the city’s culinary scene.

Now co-president and executive chef of Buckhead Life, Karatassos has seen the scene evolve from a few notable restaurants to a “foodie mecca,” he said. “The rest of the country was light years away from Atlanta, but that’s changed. You have really great restaurants in neighborhoods like the Westside, Inman Park, Alpharetta. These are places that residents are looking for.”

Many Atlanta restaurants are on the radar of tourists (and locals) thanks to their celebrity chefs, who have appeared on TV cooking competitions. Karatassos and Ian Winslade separately won “Beat Bobby Flay,” while Kevin Rathbun beat Flay on “Iron Chef America.”

“There are exceptional chefs like Kevin Rathbun, Ford Fry, Aaron Phillips of Lazy Betty,” Karatassos said. “But Atlantans also like the tried-and-true restaurants that they go to regularly, talk to their friends and take visitors to.”

If you’re a resident looking for more ideas for playing tourist in our city, here are some great places to try, just to get started:

Credits: Jason Getz

Credits: Jason Getz

Atlanta Botanical Garden has 30 acres of outdoor gardens. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (through Sept. 2). Weekdays: $26.95 adults, $23.95 children ages 3-12. Weekends: $29.95 adults; $26.95 children ages 3-12. 1345 Piedmont Ave. 404-876-5859, https://atlantabg.org

Center for Puppetry Arts offers puppet shows and is home to one of the world’s few puppet museums. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. $16 for the museum. Show prices vary. 1404 Spring St. 404-873-3391, puppet.org

Chattahoochee Nature Center is located on 127 acres adjacent to the Chattahoochee River. 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday; noon-5pm Sunday. $20 adults; $16 seniors and students ages 13-18. 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-205 www.chattnaturecenter.org

College Football Hall of Fame Highlights include a three-story wall displaying helmets from 775 colleges. Visitors can test their football skills on the Peach Bowl field, watch recorded marching band performances and learn about those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Tuesdays in July). $30.25 for adults, $23.75 for children ages 3 to 12. 250 Marietta St. 404-880-4800, cfbhall.com

Georgia Aquarium is one of the world’s largest aquariums, featuring shark exhibits, a dolphin show and more in 10 million gallons of water. Hours vary. $39.99 – $64.99. 225 Baker St. 404-581-4000, georgiaaquarium.org

Credits: Matthew Timothy Demarko

Credits: Matthew Timothy Demarko

High-level art museum is one of the nation’s leading art museums, with temporary exhibitions including “Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston” (closing July 14) and “Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection” (through January 5, 2015), as well as permanent collection galleries curated from 19,000 works of art. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. $23.50. 1280 Peachtree St. 404-733-4400, high.org

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, where 5,350 Civil War soldiers died, is a favorite spot for hikers. 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily (through November). $5 per person. 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive. 770-427-4686, www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park The King Center covers 39 acres and 28 historic structures around Sweet Auburn, including several related to the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., including his birthplace and Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached. The King Center includes Freedom Hall, which features art from around the world, the Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden and the final resting place of the first couple of the civil rights movement. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Free. 449 Auburn Ave. 404-526-8900, thekingcenter.org

Credit: Courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Credit: Courtesy of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

National Center for Civil and Human Rights explores the civil rights movement in the South from the early 1950s to the late 1960s; and global human rights challenges today. Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Sunday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. $19.99 for adults, $17.99 for those 65 and older, $15.99 for those 7 to 12, 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. 678-999-8990, civilandhumanrights.org

Oakland Cemetery is a 48-acre historic cemetery — the final resting place of famous Atlantans including Margaret Mitchell, Bobby Jones, Maynard Jackson and Kenny Rodgers — and public park. Dawn and dusk daily. Free. 248 Oakland Ave. 404-549-8932, oaklandcemetery.com

Starlight Drive-in Cinema, Atlanta’s only drive-in movie theater dates back to 1949. Hours vary daily. $10 for adults; $1 for children ages 5-9. 2000 Moreland Ave. 404-627-5786, starlightdrivein.com

Credit: Distributed document

Credit: Distributed document

Stone Mountain Park offers 3,200 acres and family-friendly attractions. Park admission 5 a.m. to midnight; attractions 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. $39.99 for adults; $34.99 for ages 3 to 11. 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain. 770-498-5690, stonemountainpark.com

Tellus Science Center is a 120,000-square-foot science museum. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $20 for adults; $16 for ages 3 to 17. 100 Tellus Drive, Cartersville. 770-606-5700, tellusmuseum.org

Trap Music Museum highlights the culture of trap music, a subgenre originating in Atlanta hip-hop. 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Friday; noon to 8 p.m. Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. $29.99. 630 Travis St. trapmusicmuseum.com

Credit: Distributed document

Credit: Distributed document

The World of Coca-Cola tells the story of the Atlanta-born soda, with a beverage tasting room. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. $21 to $24 for adults; $17 to $20 for ages 3 to 12. 121 Baker St. 404-676-5151, www.worldofcoca-cola.com

Troglodyte nest is the home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of “Uncle Remus”” Storytelling. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. $12 for adults; $10 for students and seniors; $8 for ages 3 to 10. 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. 404-753-7735, wrensnest.org

Credit: Distributed document

Credit: Distributed document

Zoo Atlanta Home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 200 species. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $31.95 for adults; $25.45 for children ages 3 to 11. 800 Cherokee Ave. 404-624-5600, zooatlanta.org