Day 4 - Dona Victorina at the Coke EXPEDITION 206 World Bloggers' Conference

In August of 1990, the Coca-Cola Company unveiled the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia. It's described as "a tribute to a unique product and the consumers who have made it the world's favorite soft drink" and tells the history of Coke through an annotated, museum-like display of advertising memorabilia, punctuated by video presentations, live demonstrations, and interactive technology.

This was one of the much-anticipated highlights for the delegates from the World Blogging Conference!

The World of Coca-Cola... To the Happiness Factory we go!

Andrea from Coke Expedition/Ignition rallies the bloggers together as we set of to the World of Coca-Cola

The tour bus dropped us off at Atlanta's Pemberton Place, a 20-acre (81,000 m2) complex located across Baker Street from Centennial Olympic Park that is home to the Georgia Aquarium and future Center for Civil & Human Rights.

Pemberton Place is named in honor of John Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola

And there's even a life-sized bronze statue of the good Doctor in the middle of the park

The inventor of Coca-Cola's secret formula stoically welcomes people to the main entrance of the World of Coca-Cola

Millions of tourists visit the World of Coca-Cola every year and today was a busy day, with all of the holiday guests eager to get into the Happiness Factory

Refreshingly, everything was all in order and organized...

And even some of Atlanta's finest were at hand to welcome us in!

We began our tour by entering "The Lobby," which features large Coca-Cola bottles made from different materials from around the world.

Music heard there in the background is a world music style medley of 10 Coke jingles from the last 60 years arranged by Stephen James Taylor.

A close-up shot of the intricately painted carvings adorning the bottle from China

Then we were funneled into the "Coca-Cola Loft"


Here is housed a collection of Coca-Cola advertising artifacts dating back as far as 1896.

Next was the "Happiness Factory Theatre" where we got a view inside the Happiness Factory: A Documentary, a mockumentary featuring the characters of the Happiness Factory, a key part of Coca-Cola's current advertising campaign, "Open Happiness."

Following the film, the screen scrolled upward, revealing a walkway into "The Hub."

From this point forward, we were able to visit the various attractions inside the World of Coca-Cola in a fun self-guided tour.

The friendliest polar bear that anyone ever did meet!

Guests can sample 64 products offered by The Coca-Cola Company worldwide in the Taste It! exhibit, including most of the products offered in the United States.

One room with a giant Coca-Cola contour bottle features only products that include the name "Coca-Cola" or a variation in their titles, including Coca-Cola Classic, Diet Coke, and most currently-available variations on the original formula (including Coca-Cola Vanilla, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Cherry, and others).

Ahhhh... Drink up!

Ahhh... Drink up!

These are Coca-Cola beverages found in Djibouti (I love saying this name!) and other countries from Africa

More please! :)

A quick stop at the Coca-Cola gift shop!

The Bottle Works part of the tour allows guests to see the operation of a fully-functioning bottling line which produces commemorative 8-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola Classic. The bottling process is slowed down significantly to allow guests an easier view.

A complex robotic delivery system sends the bottles upstairs to "Taste It!" where guests retrieve them as they exit the museum.