This morning we were signed up for the first driving slot for the Lexus Drive Amazing Drive Event in the parking lots of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. We had received an invitation by e-mail a few weeks earlier. They said they had 600 people signed up for each of Saturday and Sunday of this weekend.
After we checked in they had coffee, water, and snacks available to grab before they shuttled us over to the actual driving areas. Our first drive was an LS 500h. In caravan style, we traveled onto the roads surrounding the speedway, stopping once to switch to the car in front of us which was an ES 300h. Our guide and leader wasn't afraid to step on it and so we briefly got up to speeds as high as 83 mph. Being a Sunday morning the streets were really quiet which was quite to our advantage.
Our next drive was a lap in Lexus's performance vehicle, LC 500 which included 16 turns. Paul thought it was a lot sportier than he thought it would be. This is a vehicle they don't let you test drive at the dealership so usually you have to buy it to be able to drive it. This was the highlight of the driving experience.
Lexus put together a video of Paul's drive which you can view by clicking on this link.
We then had the opportunity to test the safety features of their SUVs. Paul drove the RX 350.
Our last drive event was with the Lexus crossover vehicle, the UX 250h on their Agility Course.
We had a great time and when it was time to leave decided to take a little more scenic route home. We had lunch at a really good Mexican Restaurant called El Monterey in Carrollton, GA.
We left our home bright and early this morning, before the sun had a chance to show its rays so we could be at the Atlanta Botanical Garden when they opened at 9:00 a.m. (eastern time - that would be 8:00 a.m. our time). We got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise on our drive.
The sun was much higher in the sky by the time we got into Atlanta.
We made it to the Atlanta Botanical Garden just before they opened and got a great parking spot. The special exhibit this summer is Imaginary Worlds Alice's Wonderland, whose characters are found throughout the gardens. You will find Alice sleeping among the mushrooms in the Perennial Garden with the Cheshire Cat watching over her. In the Skyline Garden, you will find the White Rabbit right near the Chessboard with the Card Knights and heart shaped bushes/trees.
They also brought back some figures from last year's exhibit such as a Phoenix, Mermaid, Dragon, Camels, Mammoth, Pegasus, and Shaggy Dog.
The highlight of the Cascades Garden is the Earth Goddess who is part of the Garden's permanent collection.
Besides these amazing creations, the Garden also has cultivated so many different beautiful flowers and plants that attract birds, butterflies, and bees (and frogs).
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
The eastern part of the Garden has an amazing Canopy Walk and shaded paths and bridges that should not be missed.
After almost three hours at the Garden, we decided it was time to find some lunch and move on to our next plans. We ate at a Zaxby's and headed to Locust Grove, GA. Locust Grove is home to Georgia's Tanger Outlets. We didn't last very long at the outlet mall as being a Saturday afternoon (one of the last weekends before school starts) it was way too busy.
There were some great city views as we were leaving the downtown Atlanta area.
7 lanes of traffic in each direction!
Our next stop in Locust Grove was the Train Viewing Platform right next a fairly busy set of tracks. The first train arrived before we could even get out of our car but the next one was only about 10 minutes behind it. With a nice breeze, a little lower humidity and temperatures only in the 80s, we spent over an hour and a half and saw three trains go through.
Paul recorded the second train passing through that had two engines and 87 cars. You can watch it pass through in the video below.
We then checked into our hotel, the Courtyard in McDonough and found way too much to eat at the Golden Corral, just a short walk away, before relaxing for the evening.
