Here you will find information about the location of the National Puppetry Festival as well as information about what to see and do in and around Atlanta.
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public university that sits on 400 acres in the heart of midtown Atlanta. Founded in 1885, it is now consistently ranked in the top ten public universities in the country. It was the host site for the 1996 Olympic Village.
All of the festival events, with the exception of the Saturday field trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts, will take place on the Tech campus.
National Puppetry Festival attendees can choose between two types of campus accommodations: apartment and traditional dorm-style lodging. All housing facilities are fully air-conditioned and equipped with active phone lines and high speed Internet via LAN and WiFi connection. Also included are a pillow, bed linens, and towels. Please read the Housing section of the FAQs for more information.
Apartments:
Festival goers who choose apartment lodging will stay in the Center Street South Apartments. Follow link for pictures and Description
Each apartment consists of four private, single-occupancy bedrooms with a shared kitchen, living room and two bathrooms. Please click here for a picture of the apartment layout. The kitchen includes a refrigerator, oven/stove, microwave, and a dishwasher but is not stocked with utensils. Beds in the Apartments are either 8 inches (low) or 36 inches (medium) off the floor. Please click here to see a drawing of the low and medium Apartment beds. Festival goers who are physically unable to use a bed 36 inches high can indicate this on the online registration form. The Center Street South Apartment building has an elevator.The Festival rate for a room in an apartment is $220 per person for Tuesday evening through Sunday morning. Festival goers ages 10 and younger (at the time of the Festival) can book a room in an apartment at half price ($110).
Dormitory:
Festival goers who choose lodging in the dorm will stay in either Hefner or Armstrong residence halls. These very nice dormitories just underwent a complete renovation. The two buildings are connected on each floor by a glass walkway and share an elevator. Follow Links for photographs and a detailed description of Hefner and Armstrong.
Each dorm room has two beds. These beds are raised six feet off the floor to accommodate a desk underneath. Please click here to see a drawing of the high Dormitory beds. Access to the bed is by climbing the ladder on the end. Festival goers choosing dorm housing must be physically able to do this. Each floor has a large bathroom that will be designated for either men or women. [So if you are staying in a dorm room with a roommate of the opposite sex, one of you is going to have to walk a little farther to the bathroom.] Please click here for a picture of the dorm floor layout. The Festival rate for each person in a dorm room is $165 for Tuesday evening through Sunday morning. Festival goers ages 10 and younger (at the time of the Festival) can book a room in a dorm at half price ($82.50).
Note: When all 230 spaces are filled in Hefner and Armstrong, registrants will be assigned to either Caldwell or Fulmer residence halls. Both of these dorms are adjacent to Hefner and Armstrong but do not have an elevator.
Off-campus Housing:
The 2009 National Puppetry Festival has secured a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn at 244 North Avenue, adjacent to the Georgia Tech campus. The special festival rate for single or double occupancy is $119 a night plus tax and includes complimentary hot breakfast, wireless Internet, parking, and local and 800 calls.
To register at the Hampton Inn at this special rate, click here. Note that the Hampton Inn registration pages will say that parking is $15.00 a day. This does not apply to guests attending the National Puppetry Festival. Free parking is included in the $119 a night rate.
It is a seven minute walk from the Hampton Inn to the Ferst Center for the Arts and the Student Center, the performance sites. It is a 25 minute walk to the Georgia Tech dining hall for breakfast and dinner. The Hampton Inn offers a complimentary hotel shuttle to take guests to and from the Ferst Center and the Woodruff Dining Hall as well as within a 3-mile radius of the hotel. The Hampton Inn shuttle operates weekdays 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (schedule subject to change).
Because their room rate includes breakfast, attendees staying at the Hampton Inn may wish to purchase meals on their own at the Student Center or at nearby restaurants or purchase a "Dinner Only" Festival meal package.
Festival Meals:
The full Festival meal package begins with dinner Tuesday evening, with three meals a day through breakfast Sunday morning. The cost is $130. Breakfast and dinner will be served in the Woodruff Dining Hall, near the dorms and apartments. Attendees will be split into groups for dinner, with 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. seatings. The Woodruff serves a large variety of entrees and can accommodate most special dietary needs. Attendees will receive vouchers for lunch at the Student Center food court and can eat at any of the restaurants from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A "Dinner Only" Festival meal package is available for $50 (dinner Tuesday through Saturday nights). Festival goers ages 10 and younger (at the time of the Festival) can purchase meal packages at half price.
Parking:
There is no free parking on the Georgia Tech campus. Parking passes that cover the full length of the Festival will be available for $30.00. The passes allow parking in the lots adjacent to the dorms and apartments. Campers and RVs can be parked on campus, but no camping is permitted.
Remember: Festival registration is now available online. For more information, Click here.
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