The Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama Building — Attraction in Atlanta

An impressive spectacle from a bygone era that combines a 3D diorama-in-the-round with a massive 60' tall painting-in-the-round to create a 360 degree view of a single moment during the Battle of Atlanta. Be sure to see the accompanying 12-minute movie that offers commentary/critique on what's missing and how things are portrayed, as well as a flash-forward to the present showing where contemporary landmarks are located on the battlefield.

It's not history, exactly, but a quasi-propagandist depiction of a historical event 22 years after the fact made by German painters in Wisconsin for the purpose of entertainment (& selling tickets) while glorifying the Union soldiers & their victory. Then repurposed & modified by Southern promoters to promote Lost Cause myths, including the bizarre claim that the Confederacy won the Battle of Atlanta. Then changed back & restored for more modern purposes with a film commentary about what's not depicted.

It's fun to spot the historical figures & locations as well as the dead Yankee soldier with the face of...

A grand spectacle with lots of support aids.

I came here with friends from out-of-town. I hadn't seen this since I was in the 5th grade. Its amazing.

Its a big, cylindrical space with a platform in the middle for higher viewing. When you enter, there's an escalator that take you up to the platform. When we arrived, a 10-minute film was showing about the cyclorama. It is shown on the wall, over the painting and wasn't easy to follow but there are sub-titles.

Down below, there are displays and touch screens to offer more information about the art work. It was not crowded and we took lots of time to explore. As you can see from the photos, the foreground and background blend...

I kind of miss the old Cyclorama exhibit in Grant Park -- the narrated painting as you slowly rotated around it was a favorite of ours. The focus of the history now is different, and the experience itself has its own highlights -- still worth visiting, just not what we were expecting. I got a lot out of the Olympics exhibit as well. More here to take in than we could do in an afternoon -- we will definitely be back! Our out-of-town visitors enjoyed it, as well as Souper Jenny's and the coffee shop. A great...