Discovering The World of Coca-Cola

As mentioned previously, the first leg of our journey in Atlanta commenced at Legoland Discovery Center {see the cute map below post}.  This time, we're headed to the fizzylicious and pop-tacular World of Coca-Cola! Find out if I was able to drink all 60 different beverages at the Taste It! station and how I reacted to some of it -- more like see how my facial muscles contorted into different expressions! You might just like this one.

First Time Appeal
The first thing you will notice upon approach is the gigantic bottle of Coke in a transparent encasement towering above the museum and the dominant statue of Atlanta pharmacist, Dr. John S. Pemberton, who invented the famous drink, welcoming visitors to the exhibit. And of course, it's hard not to miss the long lines snaking inside the building! Just as to be expected out of a popular attraction.

The Fizz and Pop

What immediately gets you upon entry to the lobby is the focal art in the middle of the room featuring a visually appealing canvas in the shape of Coca-Cola's famous bottles. Then you're whisked away into the Loft to travel back in the past with an entertaining Ambassador before you are sent to the Happiness Factory™ Theater to watch a fun 3D presentation which almost reminded me of Loraxx! From there, you're basically set free to discover the rest of the exhibits on your own pace and style of approach. Exhibits are spread on two levels and are mostly self-guided tours.

Lowdown on the Highlights

The Vault of the Secret Formula, Milestones of Refreshment and Bottle works, personally, was not that exciting but it was neat to see collectibles, the kind of evolution Coca-Cola went through over the years and the on-site bottling of the drink. Not entirely appealing to a younger audience but certainly interesting to those who grew up with the product and or huge fans!

Lobby

Loft

Character Greeting  at the main hall 

Coca-Cola fascination in different languages!

Taste It! station

Soda-mized! 

Gotta love the face! Yeah. Go ahead and laugh!

We had a blast at the Taste It! experience where my taste buds literally burst and somersaulted from the different flavors it had to process. And yep! If you must know, I went through all 60 flavors successfully! My secret? small sips! There are five tasting stations arranged geographically {Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America} and a sixth station dedicated solely to Coca-Cola brands. You have to be very creative if you want to get through all the stations sans soda'd-out-tummy and a tummy ache! 

Flavors to watch out for:

Africa:  Spar-Berry - very bitter
Asia : Crush - very tangy
Europe: Beverly (Italy) - very bitter
Latin America: Ciel Aquarius - very neutral. Almost taste like Hibiscus refresher

From here, the tour exits at the store! But before you finally exit, you are afforded one commemorative bottle of Coke bottled in the facility as a souvenir. Now, the second level also houses two additional theaters but we decided not to visit in place of going to the very crowded tasting station and spending more time there and fighting our way to the dispensers!

Recommendations

World of Coca-Cola is a great family travel destination for those looking for something fun, unique and highly interactive and  informative for the young ones as well. It almost felt like a mini-park complete with a Character greeting feature. The Polar bear looks cute and comical at times but it was funny that its mere appearance brought fear on some of the young children and even some adults in attendance! Could be its size. Nonetheless, he was a great addition to the appeal of the entire museum. The attraction is unmistakably a must-see! Even for those who are a big fan of the other drink! It's a great reason to go on a road trip!

See more fascinating photos in our Flicker photo journal for World of Coca-Cola.

Our Family Tour Map

Our next destination: Georgia Aquarium. But first we'll do a detour at Centennial Olympic Park and CNN Center. 


+ World of Coca-Cola generously provided us media passes to experience the attraction and cover this story.