Discover Atlanta: Top Accessible Things To Do

By alantvuong on June 1, 2019

Atlanta is the most populous city and capital of Georgia. It is the 38th most populous city in the USA with an estimated 2017 population of 486,000. Thanks to both Shaky Beats Music Festival and Discover Atlanta, I got a chance to visit the city in May 2019 to check out some of the top wheelchair accessible things to do. Using CityPass from Discover Atlanta, there are tickets to use for 5 of 7 of the city’s top attractions all bundled up in one little booklet making things easier.

Olympic sign in front of Centennial Olympic Park

CityPass for Atlanta normally costs $76 for adults and can be bought online or at any of the participating attractions. This bundled price saves 40% rather than buying individually. Included are Georgia Aquarium, World Of Coca-Cola, CNN Studio Tours, Zoo Atlanta OR National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and lastly Fernbank Museum of Natural History OR College Football Hall of Fame. The booklet is valid for 9 consecutive days with the first use counted as day 1. Tickets can only be removed by attraction staff only.

CityPASS ticket booklet

World Of Coca-Cola

new drinks at the sampling bar of Taste It! exhibit

World of Coca-Cola opened in 2007, relocating and replacing the original museum. It moved from one side of downtown to it’s current location at Pemberton Place, nestled in between the Georgia Aquarium and the Center for Civil & Human Rights. World of Coca-Cola has many exhibits including Vault of the Secret Formula, Milestones of Refreshment, Bottle Works, Pop Culture Gallery and more. My favorite exhibit is the Taste It! exhibit where you get to sample over 100 different Coca-Cola products. Everything here is pretty accessible with ramps, wheelchair seating at the theaters, elevators and washrooms. I review this attraction in more detail here. The admission price is only $17 and can be bought online or at the counter or get it bundled in the CityPASS to save. Highly recommended and can be seen in 2 to 3 hours.

actual couch from American Idol season 4 at Pop Culture Gallery

CNN Studio Tours

CNN Studio Tours is held at the CNN Center which is the world headquarters of CNN. It is located downtown since 1987 and is across from Centennial Olympic Park. The 50 minute tour is where we get exclusive, behind the scenes access of CNN. A tour guide was with us the whole time and we got an inside look at how a live broadcast was produced and sent to viewers around the world. He gave us the history of CNN and how it became the worldwide leader in news. Me and my buddy were the only 2 in this tour group so it was a more relaxed atmosphere and only lasted about 40 minutes. Due to privacy, only the first half of the tour allow photos.

behind a mock CNN desk reading the teleprompter

Before heading on this tour, I actually sent a message to CNN Studio Tours asking about accessibility. I was told that reservations had to be made for ADA and elevator assisted tours by calling 1-877-4CNNTOUR a minimum of 72 hours in advance. I booked for Tuesday 2.30pm but we never made it on time and arrived a bit later. When we made it to the front desk of CNN Studio Tours, they told us that there were daily ADA tours at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30pm. We took the 4:30 tour. Tickets are $15 and could also be bundled with CityPASS. You can also pay upgrades for a VIP tour or meet your favorite news anchor. I had a fun time doing the tour but I think doing this once would be enough.

our tour guide explaining how the green screen and weather map works

Zoo Atlanta

Zoo Atlanta was actually founded in 1889, when businessman George Gress purchased a bankrupt traveling circus and donated the animals to the city of Atlanta. Grant Park was decided as the location to house all the animals which remains as the zoo’s present location. There has been many renovations and additions throughout the years. This was the only attraction on this list that we had to take a taxi to as it was an 11 minute drive from our hotel. Zoo Atlanta is a smaller zoo with a land area of 16 hectares (40 acres) compared to the San Diego Zoo at 40 hectares (99 acres).

nice day for the zoo

Currently there are 7 habitats: The Ford African Rain Forest, Trader’s Alley and Complex Carnivores, African Plains, Giant Pandas, Asian Forest, Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience, and Outback Station: Children’s Zoo. There is currently a $42.5 million dollar expansion that includes a new African Savanna and a brand new plaza entrance. With construction happening on one side of the zoo, there were no interruptions with our visit. There were a few steeper pathways throughout the zoo, but overall it was quite doable with signs pointing to accessible routes. Tickets cost $22.99 online or $25.99 at the gate and totally free for active or retired military with proof. This attraction is also included in the CityPASS. I think 2 to 3 hours at this zoo is a perfect amount of time to see everything.

Zoo Atlanta is one of 4 institutions in USA to have giant pandas

Georgia Aquarium

reserved wheelchair mat at the puffin exhibit

The Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 at Pemborton Place directly across from the World of Coca-cola. It is one of the world’s biggest aquariums in the world and features 7 exhibits: Tropical Diver, Ocean Voyager, Cold Water Quest, River Scout, Pier 225, Dolphin Coast and Aquanaut Adventure. Each centers on a specific environment. Current expansion to include a new shark gallery in 2020. There already is so much to do like dolphin and sea lion shows, touch pools, discovery zone at Aquanaut and more. I enjoyed the massive water tanks with sharks, belugas and everything sea life. The whole aquarium was quite accessible with ramps, elevators and wheelchair reserved mats at certain viewing areas. I go more into detail here. Tickets cost $32.95 for adults, but there are special discounts if purchased for certain times. Again, this attraction is also bundled with CityPASS to save even more. Had so much fun here and I definitely need to come back when the expansion is complete. I recommend spending 4 to 5 hours here.

Ocean Voyager exhibit

College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame opened in 2014 and is located downtown right across from Centennial Olympic Park. It is not only a museum or hall of fame, but it is an interactive attraction complete with an indoor playing field, theater and bookable event space. When entering, we get an All-Access Pass where we personalize our experience by choosing a team of over 760 schools and following along throughout the visit to see how well our team does. There were exhibits about players, teams, records, helmets, memorabilia and trophies.

some of the trophies

I even got to try to be a sports anchor at the ESPN studio and got to learn more about how College Football is so important to Americans at the theater (yes, they had wheelchair seating). I found this place to be very accessible, even some of the interactive displays had a touch wheelchair button that slowed down images, games and made text/pictures larger. The games and activities at the indoor field weren’t really wheelchair accessible but I was fine missing it. I don’t think I could throw or kick a football or run an obstacle course. I wasn’t really a football ban but still enjoyed my visit here. Tickets here cost $21.99 and can be bought bundled in CityPASS. I think 1 to 2 hours here is a great amount of time to visit this attraction unless you are a huge football fan, you might need longer.

indoor playing field on the main floor

Skyview Atlanta

Skyview Atlanta opened in 2013 and is a 20 storey Ferris wheel that has 42 gondolas and is located downtown in Centennial Olympic Park. We were brought by a staff member to the exit as the ramp is located there. A different staff member then brought out a portable ramp and helped me in one of the gondolas that had seats that could flip up. After getting my wheelchair positioned in, the door was closed and the ride began. The gondola was quite comfortable as we can control the temperature inside. There was an emergency call button if needed too. The ride was never scary and it provided us with great views of the city. Click here for my full write up about this attraction. The ride lasted almost 15 minutes and was worth the $14 per person. This ride is unfortunately not bundled with CityPASS but there are deals on groupon. I recommend doing this at least once in the day and in the night to get a different perspective of the city.

ramp all ready for me to wheel in

Shaky Beats Music Festival

green mat near front of main Peachtree Stage

I visited Atlanta during this time in May because I wanted to attend the annual Shaky Beats Music Festival. It is now a 2-day electronic music festival and now takes place at Central Park. The event runs from 1pm to 10.30pm both the Friday and Saturday. I thought the venue was really wheelchair accessible as there were ramps, paved pathways, accessible porta potties and ADA raised viewing platforms. Event organizers really did a great job making it easier for wheelchair users. I go into a lot more detail about my experience if you click here. I had an amazing time here and met some really cool people and saw great artists like Martin Garrix and Galantis. If you like this type of music, general admission for the weekend starts at $160 and up.

met some cool people at this festival

Over all, my trip to Atlanta was so amazing and I truly enjoyed everything about the city. There was so much to do and thanks to Shaky Beats and Discover Atlanta for making this very memorable. I was happy with the accessibility of all these attractions that I listed here. Please visit their website to learn more about each of these places I been to. Make sure to buy the CityPASS too if you plan on doing all these attractions. I am definitely coming back to Atlanta, especially when the renovations are done at the zoo and the aquarium and for another year of Shaky beats.