Up and at it early in Roanoke... Still kind of working on Atlantic Time. We had breakfast, a smooth departure and were moving south by 6:45 AM catching some pretty wide open highway. The route we chose was the I-77 from the Skyline Drive directly south to Charlotte, NC. A highlight of the Route is the awesome view one gets on this highway as you peek through south of Fancy Gap across Virginia into North Carolina. Gorgeous look out. All tallied, about 7 hrs into Atlanta.

We were ahead of check in, so instead of opting for downtown immediately we took in an attraction just north in the Buckhead neighbourhood, the Atlanta History Museum. Fine facility, and we enjoyed a wide variety of exhibits inside and outside the centre. Upon entering, we purchased 4 Atlanta CityPass booklets that gave us entry to a choice of 5 different Atlanta attractions, including the History Centre.

Inside, we first visited the 1996 Olympic Games exhibit, celebrating the Summer Olympiad held in Atlanta. Looked specifically designed for school visits, with a mix of reading, video and interactive activities. One item I'd forgotten about was the pipe bombing that killed and injured so many during the games. Atlanta seems busy anyway, let alone dropping the games in the middle of it! Regardless, wonderful collection of fact and memorabilia accessible to all ages.

Also a solid Civil War exhibit, charting an Atlantan view of the war as it unfolded in the south. I enjoyed this look, as it focused more on characters/participants of the South than previous museums I've seen. It was a serious collection of artifacts, including a broad selection of munitions and rifles, clothing and accouterments, as well a good mix of video information. Beyond these stops, we saw a display on Atlanta golfer Bobby Jones, and visited Swan House and the outside garden and farm. Parked for free in a parkade, everything clean and easy!

Time to check in... And "at the gates of the city" we simply got bogged in midday "Saturday" traffic. I estimated it to be eight lanes headed in the same direction. We navigated it all perfectly, stopping in front of the Hampton Inn. Unfortunately, I'd copied the wrong Hampton into my notes so after a brief period of confusion, we quickly trekked to the correct accommodation and checked in. Great location just outside of Georgia Tech. The covered port helped nicely in what was becoming a steady rain.

After all was moved in, we quickly rallied to hail a taxi and head for Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks. After a quick cab ride we were dropped off at the door at the exact entry required and cozied into our seats. Nice facility, and we had an excellent view of the court and all the "goings on"! In fact, like a lot of American and pro sports events, the actual sport will sometimes take a backseat to the other forms of advertising and entertainment going on. There was plenty of music, kid's night activities, acrobats, parachutes from the ceiling, video/lighting from the scoreboard, cheerleaders... You name it. A real circus!

Along the way, however, was an excellent basketball game. The match swung back and forth, the home team making a late game surge and buzzer beating 3 pointer to tie and send into OT. The Bobcats were tough, but the Hawks hung on to win by a basket. Pretty exciting game... Kids loved it and were keen to the end. The crowd was super as well... Very friendly, chatting it up with us and those in the seats surrounding us. Too much fun.

We opted to walk back and made our way through the doors after a 20 min walk. The promise of fairer weather on Sunday and a day of driving / attractions sent us to bed almost immediately. Great sleep... And looking forward to seeing the Atlanta skyline (without fog) in the morning.