Shop Atlanta Attractions for Unique Gifts
Published November 25, 2024
Last Updated December 9, 2024
Looking for unusual gifts? Try the gift shops at Atlanta attractions. Several suggest giving a membership so recipients can visit the attraction as often as they like. And note that some attractions do not require you to purchase a ticket in order to visit the gift shop. Don’t hesitate to ask.
Atlanta Hawks
State Farm Arena stocks lots of Atlanta Hawks-branded clothing. A few examples: Women can get a Hawks fleece hoodie dress for $95. There are fleece pullover hoodies and black twill jackets. Choose from a wide variety of caps, some with the Hawks logo, some with the Hawks name. Prices range from the around $36 up to about $40. There’s a black Wilson Hawks team basketball for $50 and a colorful Hawks beanie for $30.
Where: 1 State Farm Drive
Center for Puppetry Arts
It’s no surprise that you can get Rudolph-themed gifts at the Center for Puppetry Arts as well as Jim Henson items. In case you don’t know, the Center for Puppetry Arts is home to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum where the Jim Henson Gallery explores the mind and legacy of animator, inventor, filmmaker, screenwriter and puppeteer Jim Henson. The gallery includes puppets, props and costumes from Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and more. In the gift shop, you can get stickers depicting early Jim Henson sketches and the book, “Jim Henson’s iMAGINATION ILLUSTRATED” by Karen Falk. Of course, every holiday season, the center presents “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the adaptation of the 1964 stop-motion animated special. In the gift shop, find Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ornaments and puppets. Another book to consider is “Goodnight Goblin King” by S.T. Bende. Note: No ticket required to visit the gift shop.
Where: 1404 Spring St. NW
Georgia Aquarium
At the Georgia Aquarium gift shop, you’ll find marine-themed toys, apparel and decor. A youth hoodie sweatshirt with Georgia Aquarium printed on the front sells for $30. A plush whale shark costs $25. A Georgia Aquarium hand-painted whale shark glass ornament sells for $30. Using an ancient technique, this ornament was delicately hand-painted on the inside, through a tiny opening in the mouth-blown glass. A Georgia Aquarium exclusive etched beluga whale solid hardwood ornament crafted in the Wisconsin includes an eco hemp cord for hanging and is 3.5 inches in size. The price is $12.95. The critters at the aquarium also suggests the following as gift ideas: for $75, you could adopt for someone a sea otter, sea turtle, dolphin or whale shark; you could give someone an encounter with a penguin or sea otter or give a gift certificate to the aquarium. For $50, you could name a moon jelly for someone on your list.
Where: 225 Baker St NW
High Museum of Art
Find prints, jewelry and art-themed home decor at the High Museum of Art gift shop. You also can get gifts linked to exhibits at the High. One example is the book, “Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys.” There are Black Art Matters pins, T-shirts, magnets and coffee mugs.
If you have been to the High, you’ll be familiar with the Sol LeWitt drawing in the Stent Family Wing, Robinson Atrium. You can get an umbrella with that same design for $35 or a Sol LeWitt eyeglasses case for $19.95. Remember the Lichtenstein house outside the High? You can get a key chain depicting the house for $4 or these Lichtenstein house gifts: a drinking glass for $16.95, a coffee mug for $12.95, a magnet for $7.95, a tote bag for $15, kids’ socks for for $10.95 and adult socks for $14.95. An on and on are the fun gifts at Atlanta’s fabulous art museum where you need not buy a ticket in order to visit the gift shop.
Where: 1280 Peachtree St. NE
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library Store
If you are visiting Atlanta’s Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, stop by the gift shop. A few possibilities are: a Jimmy Carter baseball (with his photo on it) for $6.; a Jimmy Carter lanyard for $5; a future president baby bib for $6. In addition, find books, china, (a Waging Peace coffee mug for $12); jewelry and apparel. If you happen to be traveling south, stop at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, where you can get a Jimmy Carter National Historic Site embroidered patch for $6.95. The president’s boyhood home in Plains is depicted.
Where: 441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway NE, Atlanta, and 300 North Bond St., Plains, Ga.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield National Park
History buffs might like a gift from the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield National Park. Here are a few ideas: The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain poster for $14.99; a Juneteenth Celebration vinyl sticker for $3.99; or a Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park embroidered patch for $3.99.
Where: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw, Ga.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
You can get a pair of pewter earrings inscribed with the word, “Vote,” for $10.95., along with books and apparel. Any child between the ages of 9 and 12 can become a Junior Ranger. Here is how: Pick up a Junior Ranger booklet at the Visitor Center. After the child completes the booklet, a ranger will swear that child in as a Junior Ranger, signifying a commitment and promise to live by Dr. King’s six principles of non-violence. A badge and a certificate of achievement come with the designation. When the park is closed, there is a booklet online that can be downloaded and completed at home. The park website will assist with some of the activities in the booklet.
Where: 450 Auburn Ave. NE
World of Coca-Cola
If you tour World of Coca-Cola, you will exit through the gift store. Trust us, you will be tempted to buy something. If you just want to shop, you may enter the gift store without purchasing a tour ticket. Here are a few things you will find: custom Coca-Cola cans and bottles; a Coca-Cola polar bear onesie for adults to snuggle up inside and be comfortable all day long. If you are dying to know, it costs $44.95. There’s more, as in lots of Santa apparel. Examples: a T-shirt with a photo of Santa leaning on a cooler full of ice-cold Coke; long-sleeve T-shirts with the Coca-Cola logo and images of Santa; a T-shirt with an image of Santa leaning back in a comfy chair while he refreshes with a bottle of Coca-Cola; and drawstring lounging pants with holiday images of Coca-Cola.
Zoo Atlanta
There are so many affordable and fun gifts at the Zoo Atlanta gift shop. Here are just a few examples: stickers — for only $5, you can get an Austin blue gorilla sticker, an Austin blue lion sticker or an Austin blue tiger sticker. There’s also a Willie B. sticker for $5 as well as a Willie B. mug for $22. There are Zoo Atlanta hooded sweatshirts featuring orangatuns, giraffes or pandas, who may be gone (back to China), but are not forgotten.
Where: 800 Cherokee Ave. SE
Check our Atlanta Winter Gift Guide for more ideas.
Journalist Carol Carter writes and edits for Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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