Atlanta History Center Hosting 'Go for the Gold' Celebration

Join the for an Olympic celebration, "Go For the Gold," on Saturday, August 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This family fun program invites visitors of all ages to discover the Olympic spirit by exploring the Olympic Games' nearly 3,000 year history through a variety of activities: Take a tour of the History Center's high-energy Centennial Olympic Games Museum exhibition; watch a professional sporting demonstration of favorite Olympic events; participate in fun and games with long jump, cycling, and rowing activities at the interactive sports lab; and take an opportunity to rank skills as an Olympic athlete by participating in ancient and modern Olympic sports.

Highlights of the Program include:

• Meet Kimberly Batten and learn about her experience as Olympic 400 Meter athlete who won silver in the 1996 Olympics games.
• Meet Sada Jacobson Baby, Olympic Fencer who is a 2008 Olympic Individual Sabre silver medalist and 2004 Olympic Individual Sabre bronze medalist as she shares her experiences as an Olympian and her time in training.
• Enjoy a fencing demonstration and discussion with Nellya Fencers. Participants try fencing after the demonstration.
• Gwinnett Judo demonstrates and teaches visitors about the Olympic sport of Judo.
• Experience the Centennial Olympic Games Museum exhibition with a guided tour. 

This program is free to members and included in the cost of general admission for nonmembers. Admission is $16.50 for adults; $13 for students 18+ and seniors 65+; $11 for youths 4-12; and free for children 3 and under and History Center members.

Admission is all-inclusive of the Atlanta History Center, including the Atlanta History Museum and all exhibitions, the Centennial Olympic Games Museum, the 1860 Smith Family Farm, the 1928 Swan House, 22 acres of historic gardens and green space including the Connor Brown Discovery Trail.

Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts Council.

ABOUT THE CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC GAMES MUSEUM EXHIBITION:

The 1996 Centennial Olympic Games changed Atlanta forever and accelerated its transformation from Southern capital to international city. For seventeen days, Atlanta was the focus of the entire world. Those seventeen days in 1996 represented a decade’s worth of aspirations, striving, and triumphs. That remarkable achievement is preserved andcelebrated at the Centennial Olympic Games Museum at the Atlanta History Center.

Located in the Fentener van Vlissingen Family Wing, the museum guides visitors through the history of the Olympic movement, from the inception of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece through the modern Olympic Games to theseventeen days of Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Games and its legacy.

Themes including the three-year-long Olympic bid process, financing the Games, building sports facilities, involving the local community, and welcoming the world to Atlanta are presented through a combination of objects, audio-visual elements, and interactive displays. The athletic drama is presented in a panorama that incorporates artifacts, sculpture, photographs, and illuminated panels along an indoor running track.

In addition, a media presentation offers large-screen highlights from the Games. Other highlights include America’s only complete collection of Olympic torches and medals.