...and keep it company. (Coca-Cola Company, 1971) Did you know that this song was first created for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign in 1971 (yes, the one with all the singers on a hillside)? It was then rewritten to remove the Coke references and became a top 10 song on the charts, performed by The New Seekers, a popular band in London.
Visiting Atlanta this past weekend with John, Nicole, Dana and Logan, one of our stops was at the
World of Coca-Cola. The museum is a lot of fun and well worth the $15 admission. We had 90 minutes to tour the facility (we arrived at 5, last call for admissions, and the museum closed at 6:30 pm); I would advise at least 2 hours to fully enjoy this experience.
The museum is 2 stories full of exhibits and interactive experiences. Upon arrival we entered a waiting area where the guide was providing some information on the memorabilia that the museum had accumulated, including the very large silver sign that used to grace corporate headquarters in Atlanta and several different international advertising posters. When the doors swung open, we entered a theater and were treated to a Coca-Cola original animated short, where various characters showed us the magic behind the scenes between the second that your change enters a vending machine and the moment an ice cold bottle of Coke slips into your hand.
Filing out of the theater, we were greeted by the Coca-Cola Polar Bear who graciously took pictures with Nicole, Logan and me. Take a look:
Then we worked our way through the first floor exhibits, which took us through the invention of this delicious soft drink, the history of its advertising, and the growth of the product to international markets. Some of the historic figures were even willing to take pictures with us:
Next we witnessed the bottling process (on a small scale, of course).
Finishing on the first floor, we took the elevator to the second floor. Our first stop was in the 4D theater where we watched another Coca-Cola original. This time we followed two "scientists" looking to discover the secret ingredient in the Coca-Cola recipe. Hint, you can't buy it or grow it. ;-) After the movie we walked through the Pop Culture Gallery and rested for a bit in the Perfect Pauses Theater, enjoying advertising of old (and from around the world). The finale was the Taste lab. In the Taste lab there are over 60 different types of Coca-Cola products from around the world available for your sampling pleasure. Some of them we recognized from the Epcot exhibit, such as the delicious watermelon drink from Costa Rica and the disgusting Beverly from Italy (we later learned this was a gag drink). There was also an area to try all of the various flavored waters and teas that Coca-Cola offers.
The exit from the 2nd floor exhibits funnels you through the gift shop, of course, but not before you are handed a free custom labeled 8 oz bottle of Coca-Cola (the original). We bought a few items from the gift shop which is filled with every imaginable marketing strategy from plates and glasses to magnets and key chains to wall hangings and jewelry. My purchase included the stickers used on the layouts in this post.
I hope this convinces you to give the Coca-Cola museum a try the next time you're in Atlanta - it really is a great experience, and a trip down memory lane.
**Supplies used on the two layouts displayed are from American Crafts, Die Cuts With a View, and EK Success. All products were purchased and the author of this post is not affiliated with Coca-Cola or any of these scrapbook companies.**
