What is there to do? Where to stay?

We are a family of 4 (2 kids 12%26amp;10). Flying into Atlanta on 30th June for 3 or 4 nights before going on down to SC coast for a week. Need some advice on where to stay and what to do and see for those days? My 12yr old want to hit the malls for shopping and both kids LOVE a pool for swimming??? We usually stay in 4* accommodations - advice/suggestions welcome. Clean, safe and convenient are the priorities (don%26#39;t mind saving the pennies for mall spending for 3/4 days!). Do we need car hire while in Atlanta - would car be safer/easier than public transport to get around? Initially we were going to drive down to SC but intend to fly down now as the flights seem cheap enough so going to put off hiring the car till SC -again advice welcome please. Also love suggestions on other attractions to see in Atlanta. Many, many thanks for help.

What is there to do? Where to stay?

First, check out this sticky thread that discusses the relative merits of the three areas you%26#39;re most likely to consider staying in, Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead: tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60898-i104-k16962…

Also check out the Things to Do articles, tripadvisor.com/… in particular the one on Family Travel: tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60898-s401/Atlanta:G…

Once you%26#39;ve looked through those and familiarized yourself with what%26#39;s here, please ask us whatever more specific questions you might have about them.

What is there to do? Where to stay?

I agree, do a little reading, and then ask specific questions about things that interest you, as the possibilities are endless. The obvious choices would be the Aquarium, Six Flags Austell, Six Flags Water Park Marietta, and/or a Braves Baseball game. Any four star hotel you choose in atlanta should have a nice outdoor pool.

I%26#39;d advise renting a car with two kids, especially if mall shopping is in the plan. For shopping, try Lenox mall or Perimeter mall. Phipps Plaza is more upscale and probably won%26#39;t have as many stores that appeal to the younger set.

I also agree that the kids will probably most enjoy the Aquarium, Six Flags, the water park, and a Braves game.

Fabulous information! Thank you all SO much!! I will now look for a hotel in the Midtown area of Atlanta -the kids would LOVE the water park (how far is it away from the city?). Am sure my 10yr old sport-mad son would love to experience an American baseball game as opposed to all the rugby, cricket and golf he plays at home! Has the baseball team has a website where we can check out games/tickets? Was really hoping to do without the hassle of car hire when we%26#39;re only there for 2 full days(could do without the experience of driving round cluelessly!). Suppose it depends on what activities we choose to do and how easy they are to get to.

Atlanta Braves (Major League Baseball) team web site: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com . Stadium (Turner Field) is just south of downtown -- the local transit system, MARTA, runs a shuttle bus between Five Points Station and the stadium before and after games, and if you%26#39;re staying at a Midtown hotel that%26#39;s probably the easiest way to go, avoiding downtown traffic at rush hour and the congested parking lots.

I%26#39;m assuming the water park referred to was Six Flags White Water Park in Marietta: tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g35091-d10… . It%26#39;s 15-20 miles northwest of Midtown -- about a half-hour drive. There%26#39;s no practical way to get there other than by car.

Honestly, for most of the destinations you%26#39;ve mentioned (with the exception of White Water Park) there%26#39;s no reason you%26#39;d need a car. If you%26#39;re staying at a hotel with ready access to a MARTA rail station (as would be the case for nearly all downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and Perimeter Center hotels) there are only a handful of other places that are difficult/impossible to get to on the train: Stone Mountain Park, Zoo Atlanta, Fernbank Natural History Museum, The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Carter Center, and Six Flags Over Georgia are the main ones that come to mind. Zoo Atlanta, the Carlos Museum, and the Carter Center are accessible via public transportation, but require bus rides of varying lengths (or some long and in some cases inadvisable walks). Atlanta Botanical Garden and Atlanta History Center will require either a short bus ride or a moderate walk on top of the train ride. The other tourist attractions I can think of are all within walking distance of MARTA stations.

The Midtown and Buckhead shopping areas, including Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza, as well as Permieter Mall and its neighboring stores, restaurants, etc., are also within walking distance of various rail stations, as is the downtown Decatur area. The Virginia-Highland district isn%26#39;t readily accessible by rail, but can be reached on the #16 bus, or by walking north from the Inman Park-Reynoldstown station, through the funky Little Five Points neighborhood; also, the Ponce de Leon bus route makes it relatively painless to get from Ponce and Highland to either North Avenue or Decatur stations, so you can walk out and take the bus back, or vice versa.

If you really have to hit the water park, you could rent a car for a single day just to get there and back -- off-airport car rental agencies often have lower rates, but make sure you%26#39;re clear on all of the required insurance coverages.

Also as you get closer to your trip you may want to check out the website accessatlanta.com - it will tell you what events are going on! I also definitely suggest Lennox or Perimeter Mall for your 12 year old. If you do go to White Water/American Adventures there is an outdoor shopping area not too far away called the Avenue at East Cobb where a lot of younger kids like to shop but there is also great shopping for adults --- its a nice alternative to the mall %26amp;amp; a good excuse to be outside!

Thanks again everyone! Will check out the Baseball game definitely. Think we%26#39;ll give the water park a miss - we%26#39;re going to have lots of %26#39;water%26#39; for the 10 days at the coast anyway! Am searching out hotels in the midtown area - so far I like the Ellis hotel. Did think of taking a chance on booking a 4* through priceline or hotwire websites. Thoughts or experience on that appreciated.

Ellis is a decent choice -- it%26#39;s downtown rather than Midtown, but it%26#39;s an interesting old building that%26#39;s recently been completely rebuilt inside.

One caveat on Priceline/Hotwire and similar booking services -- most of the time, these services stipulate that they are guaranteeing you a room at the hotel only -- you can request specific bed configurations or room types, but they are only guaranteeing that there will be a room with a bed. That%26#39;s usually fine for leisure travel solo or as a couple, but is potentially problematic when you%26#39;re traveling with kids -- unless you want them sleeping in the same bed with you. Make sure you understand what you%26#39;re buying before you pull the trigger, as they%26#39;re generally non-refundable.

Good point on using priceline/hotwire. Am a bit confused about the descriptions of %26#39;midtown%26#39; and %26#39;downtown%26#39; hotel locations. The ones I looked at on various websites were described as %26#39;midtown%26#39; -eg, Ellis %26amp; Twelve Centennial but on tripadvisor the same hotels were described as %26#39;downtown%26#39;. Basically we are not intending to hire a car so we need something close as possible to MARTA/public transport. Need suggestions on 4*+ quality hotels similar to The Ellis in good location? Very Much appreciated.

To distinguish from midtown and downtown, a good guideline is that anything along or near Peachtree St south of North Avenue will be downtown, and north of North Avenue will be midtown.