Atlanta

The 5 million-gallon Georgia Aquarium, to be among the largestin the nation, is scheduled to open this fall. It will containmore than 50,000 freshwater and saltwater fish and mammals. Abanquet room overlooking the aquarium will seat 1,200 fordinner. The aquarium will bring in an estimated 2 millionvisitors in its first year of operation. The first phase of the $2 billion Atlantic Station project isscheduled for its opening this spring in Midtown. It willinclude 12 million square feet of space, as well as 11 acres ofparks. The development is divided into three areas. The Districtwill include one million square feet of retail, entertainment,office, apartment and town home space. The Commons will beresidential properties on a two-acre lake. The Tech Village willoffer large retail locations surrounded by neighborhood shops,office space and loft apartments. The development will alsofeature a 26-story hotel and condo high-rise called Twelve,scheduled to open this fall. The Centers for Disease Control is building a $62 millionvisitors center highligh...

...ting the history of the CDC. Visitors will learn about the CDCs work around the worldby observing a working laboratory where researchers handle theworld's most dangerous pathogens, a 100-foot screen showingfilms of major CDC programs and more than 60 interactiveexhibits. The center will open this year. The Atlanta History Center has begun construction on a new20,000- square-foot wing dedicated to memorializing the 1996Centennial Olympic Games. The $10 million addition will be ahighly interactive three-level museum and is expected to open in2006 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Atlanta Games.The facility will occupy 7,500 square feet and offer anexploration of Atlantas Olympic legacy - how the Games came totake place here and changed the city. World of Coca-Cola will be moving from its Underground Atlantasite to the new area beside the Georgia Aquarium. Expected toopen in 2007, the new 75,000-square-foot attraction will housemore than 35,000-squarefeet of exhibit space. The Cobb Galleria Centre is developing a multipurposeperformi...

...g arts center that will open in 2007. The first phaseof the facility calls for a 2,750- seat theater, 10,000 squarefeet of meeting space and a five-level parking facility.Full-service food and beverage capabilities, rehearsal rooms, acafé and a gift shop are additional features of the development.The design will be avant-garde and will feature a pedestrian-friendly entry park with green space, walking paths, botanicalgardens, plazas and water features. Future phases of the projectinclude plans for a 700-seat recital hall and 200-seat black boxteaching theater. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will break ground on a newfacility in 2005. The $240 million new home of the symphony willbe on 6.2 acres at Peachtree and 14th streets. Plans call for an836,000-square-foot office building with ground-level retail anda Symphony Center with 2,000 seats in the main hall and 350seats in the chamber hall. Symphony officials chose SantiagoCalatrava to design the new facility slated to open in 2009. GroupTravelBlog For more information visit :GroupTravelDirectory