ATLANTA (August 15, 2002) - Thousands of people who have made the move to downtown Atlanta have chosen Centennial Olympic Park as their front yard. But it's not just people who will be migrating to the Park's doorstep - an abundance of aquatic life will be calling the property owned by the Coca-Cola Company, across the street from the Park, home.

The Coca-Cola Company announced yesterday that it has donated land across from Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta for the Georgia Aquarium and a new World of Coca-Cola - creating a major entertainment destination in the heart of Atlanta's convention corridor.

"The aquarium is the perfect complement to the Park's mission to serve as a gathering place and bring nature to the city for everyone to enjoy," said Mark Banta, general manager of Centennial Olympic Park.

The five million gallon Georgia Aquarium, slated to open its doors to the public in 2005 along with the new World of Coca-Cola, is expected to make the northwest section of downtown Atlanta, already occupied by Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena, the Tabernacle, CNN Center and the planned Children's Museum of Atlanta, a turnkey tourist attraction. Additionally, it will enhance the area around Centennial Olympic Park that is developing into the hospitality, entertainment and residential heart of Atlanta and hopefully attract even more restaurants, retail, nightlife and other attractions to the area.

"Centennial Olympic Park has been the epicenter for much revitalization and development," said Dan Graveline, executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. "We look forward to having the aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola as our neighbors in 2005."

"We are very excited about the addition of the Georgia Aquarium to downtown," said Spurgeon Richardson, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB). "It is a much-needed additional attraction to downtown, and the proximity to the downtown hotels and the Georgia World Congress Center could not be better for the millions of conventioneers who visit the city each year."

World of Coca-Cola will be moving from its Underground Atlanta site to the new area beside the aquarium, sharing parking and a plaza area. The new World of Coca-Cola will be a larger, more interactive version of the current attraction, which has hosted more than 10 million visitors since opening in 1990. The state has already expressed interest in the current Underground location, across the street from the State Capitol, for a possible site for the Georgia history museum.
For information on upcoming events at Centennial Olympic Park, please call 404.222.PARK.