The aquarium is great.

The ikea is fun if you've never been to one and in June it's hot!

Thanks bumblebees. Those both sound great, but I can't help but think how much my girls (14 and 9) would enjoy them. This is the first time I'll be leaving them for more than a day and I'm getting a bit stressed. Not sure if it will be worth it to stay. My oldest (who will be doing the sitting) is encouraging me so I can have time to go shopping and get them something. I have to admit, I've been drooling over Longchamp wallets and we can't get them any where near home. They are booking the flights today, so need to decide.

Daisychain, whether or not it's worth staying an extra day probably depends on where you're from, what you like to do and how much you hate to leave your kids.

If you just want a day free to do whatever you want, there's plenty to do in Atlanta. Will you have access to a car or do you want to just use the MARTA train?

If you like history, the Martin Luther King Center is here and the Jimmy Carter library. Also the World of Coke.

The aquarium is nice. I personally wouldn't spend an extra day to see the aquarium if I really wanted to get back home, since I've been to nice aquariums plenty of times.

I love gardening, so I'd probably go to the Atlanta Botanical garden, even though there are much nicer botanical gardens in a lot of other places. I'm always up for a trip to a garden even if it's just someone's backyard.

Ikea is fun if you haven't been. Also, if you have daughters ages 14 and 9, it's a great place to pick up cheap fun things for them.

If you want to shop for your daughters and they like funky cool things, you might try someplace like Little Five Points. Look it up first, though, to see if it's someplace you might like. I live in suburban Atlanta, so I'd rather go see Little Five Points and the like rather than Atlantic Station, but all my relatives and friends who come from small towns would rather go to malls.

If you like art, the High Museum is in Atlanta. I like the Metropolitan Museum in New York and many of the art museums in Washington, D.C., but I'm not crazy about the High Museum. But I'm not a person of discerning taste as far as art goes, so you might like it better.

If you don't get much time to shop, then there is plenty of shopping here. I don't find Atlanta as easy to get around in as some of the other cities I've been to, so personally I would just go shopping, download a good book and eat a nice meal somewhere.

If you haven't been to Atlanta before, the traffic downtown on the interstates is bad during rush hour(s), and you'll want to take that into account if you have a rental car. If you're depending on MARTA, in my opinion the train doesn't go to as many convenient places as subways in New York or Washington, so you may want to stick to places convenient to a good MARTA station. However, this is advice coming from someone outside the perimeter.

If I had reasonable access, I think I'd tour the Fox Theater and go to the botanical garden. But almost all my out-of-town friends and relatives would shop and eat.

Have fun if you decide to stay!

Well, a bit of a compromise. I'm there for an extra half day. The woman I'm going with wants to shop, so I'll see if we can find somewhere near the hotel - hopefully a Longchamp wallet is in my future.

So funny, daisyinga, I love botanical gardens and would do the same thing but add the downtown farmers market too. However, I'll pass on Five Forks! I've only been there once, had dinner at some outdoor cafe Mexican place that was good, but we were walking down one street afterwards and turned around as it got scary!

Mmmmmm, farmer's markets! I love those, too. So where is the downtown farmer's market you go to, Bumblebeez? I'm SUCH a suburban girl that I'm shockingly ignorant of a lot of what's in town.

I love the DeKalb Farmer's Market and also the one near the airport - I like the area where they sell hostas and garden pots.

I wouldn't drive downtown to shop for clothes, but I'd drive down there for a good farmer's market.

Yeah, I wouldn't go to Little Five Points just for myself, either, Bumblebeez. My daughter likes the Junkman's Daughter and some of the stores like it. If it weren't for my kids I'd probably just stay up here in the burbs.

Daisychain, I hope you enjoy your half day here.

It is the Dekalb market, I still think of that part as downtown! Sorry!

You're probably right that the DeKalb Market is downtown. Except for the areas right around Georgia Tech, I'm woefully ignorant of inside-the-perimeter geography. Anyway, sounds like we have similar tastes - a visit to the botanical garden and the DeKalb Farmer's Market.

No one has mentioned STONE mountain, so much to do. Can spend a day there but it will be HOT!

Oh you must go to DeKalb Market. But, the one I go to when visiting ATL is in Decatur, Ga. OMG, you can buy large containers of fresh spices for a buck. Every kind of wine imaginable. Talk about vegetables and pastries, they have them all.

I have always wanted to go to IKEA in ATL. We don't have one here in Birmingham. Sounds great to hear all of you talk about it so. I am going to check it out myself soon.

When you want to do some serious shopping go to Lenox Mall. The most gorgeous mall in the southeast or on the planet if you ask me.

The second weekend of every month Scotts Antique Mall is the place to go. I'm talking high end antiques or go across the street to the flea market. Killer stuff! I've heard it is the second largest flea market in the world. Paris being the first. But, that just might be Georgia talking. (lol) But, it is absolutely a must to see. Wonderful stuff for sure.

Fox theatrea has great shows indeed. Great restaurants from The Four Seasons to The Varsity drive thru hamburger joint.

The traffic is a killer between 5-7 p.m.

I go to ATL often but never really wanted to live there.

Have fun!

.....Jane

I prefer Phipps Plaza to Lenox Mall. The latter is filled with people who are just there hanging out, so much that it's become almost an obnoxiously crowded shopping experience.

The Atlanta History Center in Buckhead with its historic homes and structures and special exhibits is a wonderful place to visit in conjunction with a trip to Phipps or Lenox as it's in the same part of town. I can't really recommend the Martin Luther King Center because of the disgraceful way it has been neglected and fought over and monetized, and IMO the World of Coke is not worth the time and trouble to find a parking place. The Carter Center is definitely worth the effort to tour, and the Fox Theatre downtown is an architectural treat! The Fox, Carter a Center and the High Museum are not too spread out to do all three in a day. There are a few places to eat at the Woodruff Arts Center (where the High is located) but they seem to change their hours of operation quite a bit so you'd want to confirm that if you're interested. Atlanta has an excellent symphony, ballet and regional theatre (the Alliance) and the complex is served by rapid transit, so check out their schedules if you are looking for evening entertainment.

Have fun on your trip!

I second Scott's! Of course, I am one who loves antiques, but there is more there than antiques. All kinds of decorating accessories, etc. It's one of the few things that will get me to Atlanta!!! (I am not a big city person at all, and the traffic/driving in that area just kills me!)

tina

Love Scott's, but their June dates are this weekend, not the end of the month. Scott's is in Atlanta the second weekend of every month.