The new World of Coca-Cola

Last summer, I was part of the team that opened the new World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, next to the Georgia Aquarium. I also worked on creating the first World of Coca-Cola, which opened in 1990. This project was quite different, as you’d expect 17 years later!

So much went into making the new World of Coca-Cola that I couldn’t describe it all, but I wanted to try to give you a look “behind the curtain” at a bit of it. The Coke Archives team was involved in a number of areas of the “new World” (as we call it) – from Milestones of Refreshment to the Coca-Cola Loft, which is one of the first areas visitors see. We also worked on a Pop Culture gallery, which opened with an exhibit of Andy Warhol art.

Milestones is the area that most intensely tells the story of Coca-Cola’s heritage. It has a soda fountain from the 1880s, items Coke creator John Pemberton had when he first made and sold Coca-Cola, displays representing our connections with sports, music and entertainment, and even drinks from around the world. There is an entire display just on the Coca-Cola logo, even showing some of the most unusual items bearing the Coca-Cola trademark (such as a sandwich press that imprints the Coca-Cola mark on toast).

We also have a 1939 route truck that traveled from Argentina and had to be installed in the building before it was finished. (Needless to say, that truck is not moving unless the building comes down!) We even have a wall of Olympic pins – and if you’ve ever been to or near the Olympics, you probably have some too!

I plan to talk about many more areas of the new World on this site, so I hope you’ll come back often and see what’s new!