The aquarium is supposed to be amazing, but remember that the zoo is small. They are one of the few places in the country (3?) that have pandas, so that’s pretty cool. One touristy thing that we like to do is hike up Stone Mountain, because it’s a great view and really pretty cool even though there’s a big Confederate carving on the side of it, which can be a little odd to a Yankee. The main hike is neat, but there’s a Cherokee trail that is much harder but much more beautiful, so it depends on whether you want to be by other people or not. From your description of yourself, you HAVE to go to Little 5 Points and walk around. There are a bunch of cool stores, and the Variety Playhouse often has cool shows that are all ages. The Vortex has killer burgers, and there’s great vintage there, too. Also, the intersection of 10th and Piedmont in Midtown is a good place to be. It’s where Piedmont Park is (our version of Central Park) and Flying Biscuit, the best restaurant ever. Here’s sort of an “alternative” and surprisingly cool place to visit: Oakland Cemetary. You won’t understand until you get there, but you have to have trust that it’s really interesting. Some famous people (Margaret Mitchell, Bobby Jones) are buried there, but there are sections, like “Jewish”, which is unusual, and some great monuments. At this time of year, it’s really nice to walk around there, and I personally REALLY HATE cemetaries. There’s a great restaurant called Six Feet Under outside the cemetary. This is right near the zoo, by the way.

Hope this all helps!