World of Coca Cola

We recently took a short family vacation to Hot-lanta.  One attraction I wanted to check out was the World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place. I was a bit worried that the boys wouldn’t enjoy is, as they don’t drink any carbonated beverages (which is a good thing!) The few times they have tried them, I received the same response, “this is too spicy”. Later, I realized that is what they both say when they do not like whatever it is that they are trying.

After a delicious breakfast at Grill 35, inside our hotel we walked over to Starbucks for a well-needed caffeine fix before heading to the World of Caffeine, I mean Coca-Cola.

After we paid for our entrance ticket, we were told that the bottling plant was closed for maintenance, something my husband was not happy to hear as it was the main attraction for him. Whoops. They said we can bring our tickets back any time within the next year, and get free entry…I mean, that’s a nice gesture, but we probably won’t be able to take them up on that.

Inside we, of course, took the cheesy family picture – which turned out to be a great photo..holiday card contender??? LOL In the Coca-Cola Loft, we learned a bit about the history of Coca-Cola from a very witty tour guide, who then brought us into the Happiness Factor Theater to watch their 6 minute move “Happyfication”. I really enjoyed the movie, especially the kissy animals.

Then we were on our own to tour the rest of the museum. First stop…a picture with the iconic polar bear. The bear was so sweet, adorable, I wanted to take it home with me. One more cheesy family photo there!

The exhibits themselves were great, although I feel that my husband and I informed everyone there with us of our sons’ names numerous times. I think it was a little too much “history” and “reading” for the boys.

Inside the Pop Culture Gallery the boys were so excited that they sat on “the” American Idol couch.

My favorite part, besides the store of course, was the designer Coca-Cola bottles that were on display in The Hub. Each bottle was designed by a famous clothing designer for the Milan Fashion Week in 2009. I wish I could have brought those home with me!

The Vault of Secret Formula was really interesting. I didn’t realize that there were so many questions about the mystery behind the TRUE Coca-Cola formula. It was first invented by John Pemberton, a pharmacist, who was looking for something unique to refresh customers who were coming into soda fountains in the late 19th century. His secret formula created a buzz around the world (Coca-Cola is now available in 53 countries around the world). Supposedly, there were only two people in the world that knew the formula, and each of them only knew half of it. A local radio station to the Atlanta area tried to recreate the formula, with failed results.

The Taste It! exhibit was super cool! Each kiosk represented different areas of the worlds’ versions of Coca-Cola products. There were 60 different beverages there, along with another 100 more versions in these new machines (that you can now see in restaurants such as Pei Wei). So cool! I’m not surprised that my little one, being the pickier of the two, found his way to the North America kiosk, and believe it or not…he loved the blue Powerade, red Powerade and the lemonade. LOL. My older one liked his own concoctions – I think there were 5 different types in one. Hubby tended to like the pineapple flavored beverages from South America, and one from Italy. I liked almost everything I tried, and definitely walked away with a crazy sugar high.

We each received a free commemorative glass bottle of Coca-Cola, but sadly could not bring them on the plane with us 🙁 We gave them to a Delta representative who was very happy to take them off our hands.

Here’s some Coca-Cola little known facts:

• Before it goes to market, each Coca-Cola product undergoes nearly 450 different tests to ensure that ingredient and packaging quality meets the Company’s standards.
• If all of the Coca-Cola ever produced were put into those uber famous 8 ounce contour bottles, there would be more than six trillion bottles stacking 468 miles high.
• That famous contour bottle is so distinctive that it can be recognized in the dark and is one of the few physical objects granted a trademark registration by the U.S. Trademark Office.

I highly recommend visiting the World of Coca-Cola. I found it very interesting and a fun trip, although if I knew, I may not have taken the kids this early on. They did LOVE the store (just like their mama!).

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review.