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The capital of Georgia in the nation’s south-east, Atlanta has become the South’s most important economic and sporting cities. This was largely confirmed with Atlanta’s hosting of the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Some of the major tourist attraction in Atlanta are in fact remnants of Atlanta's past that have been "tarted up" for tourist consumption, such as Underground Atlanta, a multileveled shopping mall that is located under the City Centre.
It is the modern part of Atlanta, such as the Olympic Park complex, which is situated near the CNN Center and Coca Cola headquarters, where many sporting tourists will want to head. Besides being located near all the sporting facilities listed below, the CNN Center, in particular, provides a fascinating tour of the inner workings of the premier global cable news network.
The best place to eat and stay within Atlanta when not going to a sporting event may be Buckhead, which houses the cities nicest and trendiest restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The district also houses some of the nicest of Atlanta’s heritage buildings. Buckhead is located some 4 km north-east of the Downtown area.
Fly to Atlanta
Within USA
Getting to Atlanta is not difficult. Atlanta's huge Hartsfield International Airport (ATL) is a major regional hub and international gateway. There are trains (the MARTA Subway system) that connect the downtown of Atlanta from the airport. Amtrak’s main terminus is located north of the City at 1688 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, which is connected to the MARTA system. The main Greyhound terminal is located downtown at 232 Forsyth Avenue.
Getting around Atlanta is made very easy by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), which provides a wide covering subway and bus system.
ATLANTA BRAVES
Atlanta’s sporting fortunes have been carried by the Ted Turner owned MLB Atlanta Braves, who have qualified for the play-offs every year during the 1990’s and the early part of this decade. However, the Braves have only won one World Series during this time - in 1997 against the Cleveland Indians. Before Ted Turner’s involvement, the Braves franchise hardly met with any success.
Up until 1953, the Braves franchise was located in Boston, under the nicknames of Red Caps, the Beaneaters, the Bees, the Doves, the Rustlers and finally the Braves, a name that has caused consternation with the American Indian population. From 1953 to 1965, the Braves were located in Milwaukee, where they won their second World Series.
When moving to Atlanta, however, it took and age for the Braves to come good. From 1966 to 1990, the Braves only won their division twice, which is a far cry from these days where it is a surprise that they don’t win their division yearly.
ATLANTA FALCONS
Ticket information through NFL
The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons success has been much more fleeting. Besides reaching the Superbowl final in 1998, their record has been relatively poor. The Falcons started life in 1966, with their first winning season in 1971 and their first playoff berth in 1978. Since then it has been much of the same, with only a few playoff berths in the 80’s and the 90’s.
The Falcons are probably just as famous for being part of Deion Sanders spectacular achievement of playing baseball with the Atlanta Braves and football with the Falcons in one day back in 1992. Today's team hinges on star quarterback Michael Vick, who basically missed the whole of 2003 with a broken leg.
ALTLANTA HAWKS
Ticket information through NBA
The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks go back to 1946, when the squad was known as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. At that time the team was shared by three neighbouring river cities (Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa) that straddled the Mississippi River. In later years the team played in Milwaukee and St. Louis. In 1958, as the St. Louis Hawks, the club earned its only championship.
In 1968, the Hawks moved to Atlanta. However, it took until the late ‘80’s for the Hawks to seriously challenge for title honours, but in the era of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, they fell short of getting through to the Final each time. The Hawks again made the finals in the mid to late 90’s under their famed coach Lenny Wilkens, but again failed to advance. Since this time, the Hawks have again become major underachievers in the Eastern Conference.
ATLANTA THRASHERS
Ticket information through NHL
Philips Arena hosts the Hawks and the Thrashers and is located at 1 Phillips Drive, next to CNN Center and the Georgia World Congress Centre, at the intersection of Marietta St and Techwood Dr. It is within the sporting precinct that houses the Georgia Dome and Turner Field, part of the large Olympic Park sporting complex that was developed for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Arena was built in 1999 and has a capacity of 20,300 for basketball and 18,750 for Ice Hockey. The Phillips Arena replaced the Omni, Atlanta’s previous large indoor stadium and home to the Hawks up to 1997.
The Arena is located not far from the Downtown area but is best accessed by transit. MARTA provides easy access with a station located at Philips Arena called the Omni/Dome station. The station is one stop west of Five Points Station, the first station on the MARTA Blue West Line.
Georgia Dome hosts the Falcons and is located within the same sporting precinct as the Phillips Arena at 1 Georgia Drive, NW Atlanta. The Dome was opened in 1992 and has a capacity of 71,000 for football. It often converts for indoor sporting events as well, having a capacity of 40,000 for basketball. It was the home of the Hawks between 1997 and 1999 whilst the Phillips Arena was being built. The Dome is rated one of the best indoor football stadiums in the world and is actually the largest cable-supported domed stadium in the world (although, it may not have much competition in that sense).
Again, the best form of access is by public transit. The Omni/Dome Station is again the best access for this stadium
Turner Field hosts the Braves and is located in the same complex as the Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome at 755 Hank Aaron Drive Atlanta.
Turner Field was opened in 1997 after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was completed. It has a capacity of 49,000 people. It is actually the Olympic Stadium converted down to a Baseball Stadium. So visiting Turner Field is the only way to visit Atlanta’s Olympic Stadium. It replaces the old Fulton County Stadium, the former home of the Braves. One of the features of getting into Turner Field is walking through Monument Grove, which features statues of famous baseballers such as Hank Aaron and Ty Cobb. Turner Field was also the site of the 2000 All-Star Game.
As Turner Field is a much further walk from MARTA's Five Points Station than the other stadiums, a Stadium Shuttle is available - leaving from the Five Points Station 90 minutes before the game and continues until the stadium is empty.
Herndon Stadium hosts the Beat and is located at 643 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, near the Georgia Dome some 2km west of downtown Atlanta. The stadium, which has a capacity of about 15,000, served as the Olympic hockey stadium in 1996 and was converted back to natural grass to facilitate soccer.
From downtown Atlanta, you can also get off at the Omni/Dome Station and continue walking further west along Martin Luther King Drive until you get to the stadium.
Late April/Early May – LPGA Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, Eagles Landing Country Club, 100 Eagle's Landing Way, Stockbridge, GA.
Ticket information through www.lpga.com
Early November - PGA Tour Championship, East Lake Golf Club, 2575 Alston Drive, Atlanta
Ticket information through www.pgatour.com
GEORGIA TECH
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are located just off Route 75/85 on North Av, which is some 3km north of downtown Atlanta. Georgia Tech has teams in most sports, including football and men’s and women’s basketball. The football team plays out of Bobby Todd Stadium at Grant Field on North Avenue, which is located on campus and has a new capacity of about 55,000. The basketball teams play out of Alexander Memorial Coliseum at McDonald's Center, which is also located on campus and also has a capacity of about 9,000.
Take the METRA Subway Train to North Avenue station and then walk three blocks west on North Avenue to the campus.
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Ticket information through Georgia State
The Georgia State Panthers are located in downtown Atlanta at University Plaza, which is centred on Courtland Street. The Panthers have teams in several sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. The basketball teams play out of the Georgia State Arena, which is located on campus at the intersection of Piedmont and Decatur and has a capacity of 5,500. Some bigger games are played at the Georgia Dome and the Phillips Arena.
As GSU is located in the centre of downtown, the Arena is easily accessible from all locations. The Arena is adjacent to the METRA Five Points Station.