Attractions to Enjoy During the 2017 Annual Conference in Atlanta

Nighttime in Downtown Atlanta near the Marriott Marquis, the Official Hotel of the 2017 VGEC Annual Conference

By Kay AnderSon, St. David's Episcopal Church, Roswell, Georgia, [email protected]

Atlanta is a city that lives and breathes community, activities, and excitement. There is not a silent weekend in Atlanta, and not an hour when an event does not begin. Atlanta keeps people moving from town to town, park to park, museum to museum, production to production, and it just keeps giving.

In October 2017, you will get to experience a little bit of our life in the little Southern city with the BIG Southern attitude.

Outside of our Conference, there is a mountain of venues, restaurants and events to explore. My job is to give you a taste and let your mind and your scheduler fight it out.

On the VGEC website you can read about the historical and most popular attractions in Atlanta, but here are a few more that you may not know about. Most of them are VERY close to the conference location.

But you have a choice, and I want to make sure you have the opportunity to know about them all. You know about the Center for Civil and Human Rights, CNN Center, Martin Luther King Center, World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, and the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-Fil-A Fan Experience - BUT I bet you do not know about the following:

Tours

Best of Atlanta Film Tour
Sweetwater Brewing Company
Red Brick Brewery
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
SunTrust Park Stadium
Atlanta Segway/Cruzers Electric Car
Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Shows

Woodruff Arts Center
The Fox Theatre
The Alliance Theatre
SkyView Atlanta (The Big Eye in the Sky)

Parks

Piedmont Park
Centennial Olympic Park
Stone Mountain Park

Museums

Museum of Design Atlanta
Fernbank Museum
High Museum of Art
Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Atlanta History Center

Festivals (all FREE admission)

Pumpkin Festival
Fall Festival
Destination East Point
Festival on Ponce
Chalk Art Festival (Chalktoberfest)

Atlanta Falcons versus the Miami Dolphins

Sunday, October 15th, 2017, 1 pm at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Shopping and Restaurants

Everyone loves Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza, but the side-street boutiques are the heart of Atlanta.

Plain Fun

LegoLand Discovery Center (some adults come without children)
The Center for Puppetry Arts

Atlanta is home to all things and everyone. You have options, plan ahead, and plan carefully. Atlanta Fun, Atlanta Culture, Atlanta Life, and Atlanta Love are just a few months away.Your Host Committee is working hard to make your visit a great visit. Come and enjoy everything that we have to offer.

We look forward to having y’all visit us. See you in October 2017!!!

---

Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Atlanta Conference

1. Spend a day with the Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, in service, worship and in grand conversation as our keynote speaker.
2. Worship in community at churches throughout the city.
3. Meet the Bishops of Atlanta.
4. Be part of a service project in support of Crossroads Community Ministries for the un-housed.
5. Have an unbelievably low conference hotel rate.
6. We're expecting a record turnout of Vergers from around the world.
7. Did we mention that traveling to Atlanta is EASY? Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International is generally known as the world's busiest airport, serving more than 260,000 passengers daily and 950,119 flights each year.
8. You will really like what is planned for the official Reception and Banquet events.
9. The VGEC Guild Shop, along with a stellar group of liturgical vendors and sources, will be in the Exhibit Hall for your dedicated browsing.
10. Nearby attractions include the Centennial Olympic Park, College Football Hall of Fame, Georgia Aquarium, MLK National Historic Site, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the World of Coca-Cola, and everything listed above in this blog.

---

The 2017 VGEC Annual Conference will take place in Atlanta, Georgia from October 12th through October 15th. We hope you can join us! Click the big red button to register today. You can also read more about the conference and book your hotel.

Editors note: Send ideas for Vergers Voice topics to [email protected]

---

Abstract: Atlanta is a city that lives and breathes community, activities, and excitement. Outside of our Conference, there is a mountain of venues, restaurants and events to explore. Our job is to give you a taste and let your mind and your scheduler fight it out.