July 2, 2004

At a June 22nd meeting at Atlanta City Hall, Coca-Cola unveiled plans for the new World of Coca-Cola, to be located just north of Centennial Olympic Park, adjacent to the Georgia Aquarium, now under construction. Company representatives also fielded questions from local residents, city officials and other interested parties.

Rendering of new World of Coca-Cola;
perspective shows building from the rear

Expected to open near the end of 2006 or early 2007, the new museum will, say company officials, be more interacting, offer more rotating exhibits and be nearly double the size of the present World of Coca-Cola, located next to Underground Atlanta.

Jack Rouse, exhibit designer for the new attraction, told the City Hall audience that the new World of Coca-Cola will also attract many more visitors, as many as 1.2 to 1.5 million a year. The current museum, which opened in 1990, draws 750,000-800,000 people annually.

In terms of design, the new museum will be larger with a more open and fluid design, to allow for more regular exhibit updates. While many new exhibits will be added, some old favorites like Taste of the World, where visitors sample Coca-Cola's global beverage lines, will remain. There will be 35,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space in the 75,000-85,000 sq. ft. building; the current museum has only 23,000 sq. feet of exhibition space.

As shown in plans, the building will face the new Georgia Aquarium across a common plaza facing Centennial Olympic Park. The area beside and behind the building will become a landscape garden with a large water feature. A 600-space parking garage is planned next to the aquarium's garages on Alexander Street.