As the South’s most dynamic business center, Atlanta is home to a sprawling cityscape of towering buildings made of glass and steel. But there’s a lot more to the city than high-rises and commerce. Dotted with expansive green spaces and often referred to as the “City in the Forest,” this urban oasis is a multicultural haven for residents and visitors alike, with individuals from all walks of life adding to the city’s charm and personality.
Most of your time at MODEX will be spent at the Georgia World Congress Center, the third-largest convention center in the United States with 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space. However, to really experience the breadth of what Atlanta has to offer, you need to step outside the convention center and explore.
The recently refreshed Centennial Olympic Park is downtown Atlanta’s centerpiece and is anchored by the Fountain of Rings, an everlasting reminder of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Next door, attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and Center for Civil and Human Rights surround Pemberton Place. Atlanta Streetcar is the city’s modern-day trolley, carrying passengers from the convention and entertainment district to the Eastside section of the city.
Atlanta’s rich history comes to life in Sweet Auburn Historic District, once the wealthiest black community in America. The area is a focal point for the American civil rights movement, as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and Ebenezer Baptist Church are located within the district.
Beyond the city’s core, Atlanta’s in-town neighborhoods are packed with personality. Midtown mixes elegance with culture. The Westside has become a magnet for foodies, design enthusiasts, and shoppers. Buckhead blends boutiques and galleries with fabulous dining, while Little Five Points keeps it funky through bohemian grunge paired with eclectic shops and music spots.
In Atlanta, chef-run restaurants dish up modern American cuisine in strikingly beautiful spaces. Among the cutting-edge eateries are cozy diners, cafés, and bistros. The ethnic mom-and-pop restaurants along Buford Highway offer menus with little English and lots of flavor. Locally owned craft breweries are sprinkled across the city, creating an unofficial “ale trail” for visitors to enjoy.
Atlanta welcomes more than 1 million international visitors each year. Seventy-one countries have representation in Atlanta through a consulate or trade office, giving it a diverse economy. From arts and culture to music and cuisine, the city is full of multicultural opportunities for everyone.
For more information on dining, shopping, and things to do in the City in the Forest during your stay, visit the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.atlanta.net.
1. Atlanta was originally named Terminus and Marthasville (the latter for Governor Wilson Lumpkin’s daughter).
2. The city’s current name originated with railroad engineer J. Edgar Thompson. It’s thought to be a shortened version of “Atlantica-Pacifica.”
3. Atlanta, burned to the ground by Gen. Sherman during the Civil War, is the only city in North America to have been destroyed by an act of war.
4. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is as big as 45 football fields.
5. It was once illegal to put an ice cream cone in your back pocket in Atlanta. If that isn’t strange enough, the city also outlawed tying a giraffe to a telephone pole.
6. Stone Mountain outside Atlanta is one of the largest blocks of exposed granite in the world.
7. Atlanta resident Margaret Mitchell wrote ital{Gone with the Wind} because an ankle injury kept her from walking, and she was bored.
8. The Continental Divide out West gets all the love, but Atlanta is home to the Eastern Continental Divide, which separates water draining into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
9. The fastest baseball game in history happened in Atlanta when the Mobile (Alabama) Sea Gulls beat the Atlanta Crackers 2–1 in just 32 minutes.
10. One of the largest Hindu temples outside of India is located in the Atlanta metro area.
Source: “25 Things You Might Not Know About Atlanta,” Mental Floss.
All good things must come to an end, and MODEX 2020 is no exception. Every day at 5 p.m. (3 p.m. on Thursday), MODEX will close its doors for the evening. What to do then? Here’s an arbitrary selection of special events taking place in and around the MODEX show’s venue in mid-March:
For more ideas, check out www.atlanta.net/events/.
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