Atlanta, GA: College Tour Planning - 2

Here’s the Plan

Here is a sample itinerary for your college visit weekend in Atlanta, stopping at the major schools mentioned earlier, with some attraction options thrown in as well.

Day One

Start at Georgia State University, located in the heart of downtown Atlanta (about five blocks away from the Westin.) Once you’ve explored the campus (which, although once fragmented, is undergoing a massive centralization push), pop over to Underground Atlanta, a retail and entertainment district, now underground, built on the original streets of Atlanta and using what were once the lower levels of historic buildings.

Next, drive northeast 6.5 miles (US-278 to SR-42) to Emory University, located in the tree-lined suburb of Druid Hills. Walk around the beautiful campus and admire its unique architecture, then relax on the grassy quadrangle. Also check out the Michael C. Carlos Museum on campus, with a permanent collection of some 18,000 objects ranging from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.

• Georgia Tech cheerleaders help to root on the Yellow Jackets.
• johntrainor

Day Two

Start your second day at the Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, consistently ranked as one of the Top 10 public universities in the country. Tech is located on 400 acres in Midtown, which is just north of Downtown. The campus has lots of greenery, especially in comparison to urban Georgia State. Most of the important buildings are in Central Campus, also home to the Old Campus (or Historic District) and the amenity-laden student union. No visit to Georgia Tech is complete without a meal at the Varsity, the world’s largest drive-in. (When they ask you “What’ll you have,” try a chili dog and a Frosted Orange…magical.)

From Tech, hop on I-75 and head southwest to Morehouse College, only six miles away. Or, if it’s your daughter that is school-shopping, Spelman College is a stone’s throw from Morehouse. Check out the historic buildings on these campuses, and don’t miss the statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of King Chapel at Morehouse.

Day Three

If you’ve got a third day to spend in Atlanta, visit one of its other prestigious schools, like Oglethorpe University, named after Georgia’s founder, James Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe is about 10 miles north of Downtown on I-85. Spend your last minutes in the city visiting Downtown’s Centennial Park, created for the ‘96 Olympics, or the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium, both located across the street.