The World of Coca Cola in Atlanta is one of the best museums in the US built around a theme, a soft-drink or pop-drink.
In fact, it was here in Atlanta that Coca Cola originated as a medicine and later became popular as a soft drink the world over.
Google maps takes you to the main entrance after which there are several signs that indicate the path to the ticket counter.
This is the ticket counter though I made the online booking a month ahead of the visit on their website.
They have different rates for different age groups.
On way is a photo point which is best availed in the morning before noon, after which it comes under its own shadow turning a brown man like me into a black. In India skin color is just that - a color and has no racial connotations. Our Gods too come in colors like Shiv is Blue, most Krishna idols are made in black basalt stone and sometime in white marble, our pets are called Lalu meaning red, or Kalu meaning black and same with politicians. No one feels bad about people, Gods, or pets because they are addressed by their color.
Here is the entrance where I came in for a rude shock. Most Americans from my generation would strictly follow line discipline but not the Gen-X or Gen-Z or whichever the latest Gen-letter is. I found that they just crowd up near the gate, which is a common site in India across all age groups.
Next comes a free photo opportunity where they invite you to take a photo saying it is free.
And here 's a caution-tip - indeed the photo snapping is free but on your return trip at the same spot they will ask for an insane amount of money for the paper prints.
When I reminded them about the free photo, one of the teenage attendants bluntly told me ‘Nothing comes free’, as if I have forgotten that even luggage carts at the airport and baggage in the airlines are charged extra.
Fortunately, I was in the US and not in Germany where I found that drinking water and also toilets were not free.
Further to this bitter experience was a common waiting hall that led to a gathering area where they had displayed marketing material of the Coca-Cola brand like posters and banners from over 100 years of its existence.
This is a feeling of nostalgia for many people including me who recollect all those magazine and TV ads from 30 or 40 years back but were long forgotten.
There are various halls and exhibits in the Coca Cola World, and the top attractions on them all if the famous vault that hosts the secret formula or recipe of the Coca Cola drink.
Out here in India the Coca Cola concentrate is made in my hometown of Pune and shipped all over India to the various bottling plants.
There were also Coca Cola Challenges to solve and Coca Cola art to be made though I did not try any.
Selected art made by visitors finds it way on to large bottles that are exhibited all over the museum and this post shows the vividly painted bottles.
There is also a selfie point or photo corner that is a riot of red where almost everything is in the trademark red color of Coca Cola.
I found people making a beeline up to take photos and selfies there.
Another interesting gallery in the Coca Cola world is ‘Scent Discovery’ where visitors can smell the Coca Cola samples from over the years and feel nostalgic.
The next one is a “Taste It” gallery that hosts over a dozen dispensers and visitors can taste various cola branded drinks from all over the world unlimited for free. And this is really free, no surprises before or after in this place.
So, a hip tip would be not to purchase Coke from any of the paid vending machines that located all over the campus.
The “Thumps Up” cola brand from India is shown in the photo below though sadly it is not the same taste anymore.
This is because it was taken over by Coca Cola who then changed the taste of Thumps Up altogether.
I miss the old Thumps Up very much which I have been enjoying for several decades.
Next is an iMax 3D theater hosting shows throughout the day at the displayed times.
They show a small film whose story is very interesting and a suspense that I will not reveal here.
The washrooms/restrooms and also the dustbins/recycle bins inside the Coca Cola World are themed in the Red-Black signature combo color of Coca Cola.
Another super interesting place is the photo-op with the famous Coca Cola Polar bear which is again free, but the paper prints and digital copies are not.
By this time, visitors have grown smart and cautious enough to first ask how much of this activity is free and which part is for sale 
The entire Coca Cola World tour can take almost half a day since there are several other sub-museum and galleries that I have not covered in this post.
There are both self and guided tours and I chose the guided tour where the tour guides are great entertainers though they do not actually take you on the tour of the entire place.
A lady host gives some commonly known information about Coca Cola, its history, then cracks some jokes followed by a few quizzes that has no prizes.
After 15 minutes into the tour, she leaves you to explore the remaining 95% of the Coca Cola World on your own.
So, my tip would be to skip the guided tour and opt for the self-tour to save some money.
Unfortunately, the layout of the galleries is not in a linear fashion to ensure that you finish one before moving to the next. They are scattered all over and it is easy to miss several of them.
There is also no helping staff nor any information desk at a central location so people end up asking the janitors or fellow visitors about the various galleries.
Many visitors end up arriving and leaving the same places in circles, but the overall ambiance is so amazing that I did not mind being at the same place several times.
Fed up with too much walking over an excessively huge place, I asked a security guard about the main exit, and she pointed me to the Coca Cola store leaving me puzzled.
A senior visitor spotted this and educated me that the exit is after the compulsory merchandise store.
This store showcases all imaginable Coca Cola souvenirs are sold ranging from caps, mugs, hats and windcheaters, at exorbitantly costly prices.
The goods are of very high quality, so I think they justify the costs for super-fans of the Coca Cola brand.
Accessibility
I noticed that there are free electric vehicles for the differently abled and also for those who don’t want to walk the long distances within the campus of the Coca Cola World that also houses the magnificent Aquarium.
There are also several accessible benches all over the place.
The Coca Cola world is an amazing paisa-vasool, meaning a bang-for-the-buck place to visit in Atlanta where everything is relatively cheap including its amazing Marta Metro train to the airport.
Where to Stay
I stayed at the Motel 6 about which I will write a separate post shortly.
How to Reach
From the hotel mentioned above, the Coca Cola World is walking distance and is less than a mile away.
Coming from the airport I think the nearest metro station would be the PeachTree metro station.
Read here how to take the Marta Metro Rail Service for less than $2 from the Atlanta station to the Coca Cola World.
Other Places of Interest in Atlanta
Georgia Museum - Adjacent to the World of Coca Cola.
CNN World Headquarters
