STREETCAR TOURS & LITTLE MUSEUMS MAKE ATLANTA GREAT (1/10/15)

     After visiting all the major attractions in Atlanta, take a day and see the areas and museums that are often overlooked.  The new Atlanta Streetcars are in service, so it's the best place to start an "off the path" tour. 

     These modern streetcars pass through the historic districts of Edgewood Ave and Fairlie-Poplar along with the sight-filled Centennial Park.  The cars pass the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, Sweet Auburn Market & SkyView Atlanta. 
     Now celebrating 35 years, our pick here is the APEX Museum, highlighting the contributions of African Americans to the United States and the world.  It's called the Gateway to the Sweet Auburn District.  See www.apexmuseum.org/ for museum details.
     From there, catch the Northbound MARTA (add trademark) train to Arts Center Station and visit the William Breman Jewish Historical Museum.  The current exhibition is Absence of Humanity, and features the many moving stories of Atlantan survivors of the Holocaust. 

     But don't miss the Children's exhibit "Where The Wild Things Are: Maurice Sendak in His Own Words and Pictures".  This presentation is very interactive and fun for all ages who want to find their "...inner Wild self."  Visit http://thebreman.org/ for more details. 

     Just across the way, construction is complete on the new additions to the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts.  What's interesting here is the Puppet Museum and the History of Jim Henson, who created the Muppets and made children out of grown adults with his sense of humanity.  Visit http://www.puppet.org/museum/jimhensonexhibitions for more information.

     Nearby on 4th and Spring Streets, is probably Atlanta's smallest museum which offered a major contribution to the world:  The AT&T (add trademark) Telegraph/Telephone Museum. 

     The Telephone Museum, one of Atlanta's lesser-known attractions, documents the first century of telephone usage in the United States. It is operated by the AT&T Pioneers, a volunteer organization of former BellSouth and AT&T workers. The museum is located in AT&T Midtown Center in the Midtown neighborhood of Atlanta.

     As a Best Last Bet...get in the car and head to the airport for the Delta Flight Museum, located in Hapeville.  See the history of aircraft, the aviation industry, and how Atlanta's own Delta Airlines carved a place in history for themselves as innovators in commercial aviation.

     This state-of-the-art museum also explores the future of flight with an array of interactive exhibits and rare aviation items.  Strap in for a training session in the flight simulator — the only full-motion “sim” open to the public in the U.S.  Visit: http://www.deltamuseum.org/ for reservations.

-----Ray Macon