Atlanta Hosts Inaugural Southeastern Home Inspectors Conference

By Frank Cooper, ASHI Georgia

 

Metro Atlanta will be the site of the inaugural Southeastern Home Inspectors Conference (www.sehomeinspectorconference.com) taking place at the Gwinnett Center September 13-16, 2007. Sponsored by ASHI Georgia, the conference is open to all home inspection professionals from the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), the Georgia Association of Home Inspectors (GAHI) and other state organizations throughout the southeastern United States. Gwinnett Center is conveniently located thirty minutes north of downtown Atlanta, immediately off I-85 in the heart of the thriving Sugarloaf business district. Nestled over eighty acres, this stunning facility features the new Arena at Gwinnett Center, the Convention Center, the 702-seat Performing Arts Theatre and, located next door, the Hudgens Center for the Arts. Excellent dining, shopping and entertainment opportunities are nearby which makes for an enjoyable and convenient conference experience.

Today, Atlanta boasts of being one of the top convention cities in the country with an array of features such as first class meeting facilities, hotels and restaurants, trendy shopping and nightlife, and family friendly destinations and activities to satisfy the most demanding entertainment appetites.

A must see for visitors to Atlanta is the new Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world. Located downtown next to Centennial Olympic Park and the CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium has eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more than 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe - you’re sure to see things you have never seen before! The Georgia Aquarium promises wonder and excitement around every corner including whale sharks, beluga whales, penguins, jellies and much, much more. You can even touch bonnet head sharks, cow nose rays, anemones and sea stars. There is so much to see and do that you'll want to come back again and again.

Another popular destination is the High Museum of Art, part of the Woodruff Arts Center, located in Atlanta’s midtown arts and business district. Recent expansion in 2005 has allowed the arts center to more than double its space to over 312,000 square feet creating a vibrant “village of the arts” which is now the largest visual/performing arts center in the United States. The High Museum of Art is currently in a unique, three year partnership program with the Louvre Museum in Paris, France that will provide six rotating exhibits never before seen outside of France.

Visitors to Atlanta can also enjoy excellent shopping opportunities at the famed upscale Lenox Square Mall and Phipps Plaza, both in the heart of the Buckhead entertainment district, and Atlantic Station, a new 130 acre mixed use development (residential, retail, entertainment) near midtown that was once the second largest construction project in the US, behind Boston’s infamous road improvement project, the Big Dig. Atlantic Station features an outdoor mall, movie theaters, multiple restaurant choices, a luxury hotel and the new IKEA store, the Swedish furniture retailer known for modern utilitarian design, high quality and low prices. The Atlanta IKEA store is one of the country’s largest and is the only one to serve grits in its affordable restaurant.

Atlanta also has a rich and interesting history. Often called the “New York City of the South,” Atlanta has undergone a transition from a city of regional commerce to a city of international influence. From the burning of Atlanta at the end of the Civil War, to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and hosting the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games,  Atlanta has a strong history of rebuilding, healing and civic pride that has allowed the city to emerge as a world class location for  residents and visitors alike.

During the civil war, Atlanta served as an important railroad and military supply hub. The Atlanta area was the site of several important civil war battles and became the target of a major Union invasion that resulted in the burning of Atlanta that virtually destroyed the entire area on Union General Sherman’s famous march to the sea. The scorched city eventually emerged from the ashes, hence the city’s symbol, the phoenix, was gradually rebuilt and eventually became the industrial and commerce center of the south. Civil War history buffs will appreciate several Atlanta area attractions such as the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum (a huge painting and diorama in-the-round, with a rotating central audience platform, that depicts the Battle of Atlanta); Kennesaw Mountain located about forty-five minutes north of Atlanta and the site of a major battle that decided Atlanta’s fate in the war; and finally,  Stone Mountain, the largest piece of exposed granite in the world with it’s own civil war museum. On its face are giant carvings of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. It is also the site of impressive laser shows in the summer.

During the civil rights movement, Atlanta stood apart from other southern cities that supported segregation and became known as the “City Too Busy to Hate.” The city developed a progressive civil rights record that still stands today. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr started his ministry in Atlanta and was active in promoting his philosophy and methods of nonviolent conflict-reconciliation and social change. The King Center, located near downtown, is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America’s nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace. People from all over the world are drawn annually to the King Center to pay homage to Dr. King, view unique exhibits illustrating his life and teachings and visit the King Center’s Library, Archives, his final resting place, and his birth home.

In 1990, the International Olympic Committee selected Atlanta as the site for the 1996 Centennial Summer Olympic Games. The recent ten year anniversary of the Centennial Olympic Games has left the City of Atlanta with a legacy that includes a renaissance of new attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium and expansion of the High Museum of Art; a bevy of high rise construction extending from downtown to midtown to the popular Buckhead entertainment district; airport expansion including a new fifth runway to accommodate the growing number of passengers at the world’s busiest airport; and a new baseball stadium, Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves.

Whether you are visiting Atlanta for a Home Inspection Conference or just for fun, Atlanta is a proven destination experience for any interest.

 

Frank Cooper is President – Elect of ASHI Georgia and a long time resident of Atlanta. For more information on the Southeastern Home Inspectors Conference, please visit www.sehomeinspectorconference.com.