USA
Coke Attraction Captivates Visitors to Atlanta
by Randy Mink
What’s more American than baseball, hot dogs and apple pie? It could be an ice-cold Coca-Cola.
One of the most famous brands on the planet takes center stage at World of Coca-Cola, a top tourist attraction in Atlanta, Georgia, the city where the ubiquitous beverage was invented in 1886 and where the company is headquartered today.
A collector of Coke and other soft drink memorabilia, I made a beeline to the shrine soon after my arrival in downtown Atlanta. My kitchen, I should add, is decorated with Coca-Cola metal signs, not to mention magnets, a clock and various bric-a-brac bearing the red-and-white logo recognized around the globe. Out on the deck, potted plants fill vintage wooden Coke crates purchased at antiques stores.
Coca-Cola is a feel-good that makes me happy and nostalgic. When I travel to foreign countries, the familiar sight of a red Coca-Cola sign lends a sense of comfort, a touch of home.
Emotional connections between the fizzy drink and its fans are dramatized in a six-minute introductory film in the World of Coca-Cola’s theater. Showing how Coke is there for joyous moments in life, scenes depict memorable events like a family’s surprise party for their parents’ anniversary, a soldier returning from the Middle East and a marriage proposal in a hot air balloon. Some audience members exit the theater misty-eyed.
Touring the World of Coca-Cola, visitors learn that Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton, like an alchemist of old, used a long wooden paddle to mix the first batches of Coca-Cola syrup in a cast-iron kettle over an open flame. He delivered it to friends at Jacobs Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, where it was mixed with carbonated water and served for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink. Pemberton’s partner suggested the name Coca-Cola as the syrup contained extracts of the Peruvian coca leaf and African kola nut.
In a gallery called The Vault, one learns how the secret formula has been carefully guarded over the years. The Icons gallery sheds light on the origins of the contoured Coca-Cola bottle, the brand’s red disc found on storefronts around the world, and the sweeping lines and elaborate flourishes of script spelling out the product’s name.
The iconic Coca-Cola polar bears made their TV debut in 1993, but they were first seen in France in 1922 and over the years in print advertising. Guests can cuddle with a seven-foot-tall bear mascot that poses for pictures.
A new experience called Coca-Cola Stories immerses guests in the brand’s rich history through AI magic, interactive displays and hundreds of artifacts. Photo opportunities let them pose in a vintage Coca-Cola ad and with a 1939 delivery truck.
Most fun is Taste It!, a room full of multiple tasting stations offering unlimited sampling of 100+ beverages from around the world, many of them quite exotic. How about a sip of cucumber-flavored Sprite from Romania or Melon Frosty Fanta from Thailand? Wandering across a sticky floor from station to station, I tried non-alcoholic Stoney Ginger Beer from Tanzania and Minute Maid Joy Apple Lychee, a favorite in Korea.
The gift shop has everything Coca-Cola, from pajamas and boxer shorts to Christmas ornaments and kitchen towels. For $8.95 you can customize a Coke can with your name or a message.
For those thirsting for nostalgia, World of Coca-Cola is the Real Thing. Admission is $17 for adults, $13 for ages 3-12.
