Atlanta World of Coca-Cola Museum adds new immersive ‘Beverage Lab’ feature

A guest learns about the carbonation process in The Beverage Lab at The World of Coca Cola shown on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The new immersive experience offers guests a chance to explore the science behind Coca Cola’s beverages. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

A guest learns about the carbonation process in The Beverage Lab at The World of Coca Cola shown on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The new immersive experience offers guests a chance to explore the science behind Coca Cola’s beverages. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

The World of Coca-Cola Museum in downtown Atlanta has added a new interactive feature dubbed Beverage Lab where the worldwide beverage company provides a look at how drinks are created.

“It’s a peek behind the tent of research and development,” said Coca-Cola spokeswoman Jacquie Wansley. “It gives guests a better understanding of the science and creativity that go into formulating these drinks.”

Views of the new beverage lab at The World of Coca Cola shown on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The new immersive experience offers guests a chance to explore the science behind Coca Cola’s beverages. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

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Credit: NATRICE MILLER

The space used to feature a functioning bottling plant, but that was a relatively passive activity and the museum administrators wanted something more interactive.

“It did literally bottle Coca-Cola when we first opened but was in simulation mode when we closed it,” Wansley said. “It wasn’t feasible to keep it up to speed.”

Here are major elements of the new lab, which opened earlier this month.

Intro: A video promoting dozens of Coke-owned drinks from around the world, including teas, juices, energy drinks, coffees and carbonated sodas.

Create your own: An interactive screen allows you to create your own drink that could be fruity, citrusy or spicy with options such as strawberry, blueberry, orange and pomegranate and the ability to adjust the percentages of each. (Later, in the dispensary room where attendees can sample dozens of Coke products, you can try out your drink at one of the Freestyle Coca-Cola machines.)

Carbonation: There’s an interactive game where you have to create as many carbonated bubbles as possible.

Science: Displays break down the concepts of texture, taste and appearance when designing a drink as well as the nutritional and wellness benefits of some ingredients from around the world. “The texture, for instance, has to do a lot with ice,” Wansley noted.

A video at the Beverage Lab at the World of Coca-Cola Museum shows The Atlanta Journal-Constitution story about Coca-Cola bringing back the original Coke formula in 1985 after backlash about New Coke. RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

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Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

History lesson: The lab offers brief videos of the history of New Coke and Tab, two well-known discontinued drinks, and offers people a chance to drink them as well.

Testing, testing: You can also sample unreleased drink formulas and provide feedback.

The World of Coca-Cola Beverage Lab, which opened in November, 2023, features an ability to sample discontinued products like New Coke and Tab and try new ones that are being tested for possible future release. RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

Credit: RODNEY HO/h

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Credit: RODNEY HO/h

Luis Pedron, who was in Atlanta from Miami to visit his daughter, enjoyed the Beverage Lab portion of the museum. He also happened to be in marketing research and said he was was part of a company that tested New Coke vs. the original formula back in 1985 in Miami.

“It was very informative and teaches the young kids about Tab, the original diet drink, and how New Coke came out and flopped,” Pedron said.

Guests try beverages based on their flavor profiles in the tasting area of The Beverage Lab at The World of Coca Cola shown on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. The new immersive experience offers guests a chance to explore the science behind Coca Cola’s beverages. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

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Credit: NATRICE MILLER

The World of Coke museum opened at Underground Atlanta in 1990 and became an instant hit. In 2007, Coca-Cola moved the museum next to Centennial Olympic Park two years after the neighboring Georgia Aquarium debuted. Those two tourist attractions were followed by the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Over the World of Coke’s 33-year lifespan, more than 25 million people have passed through its doors. It’s set to reach 1.2 million visitors this year.

“We’ve had a really strong summer and fall,” Wansley said, and foot traffic is comparable to what it was before the pandemic.


IF YOU GO

The World of Coca-Cola Museum

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Adult prices starting at $21. 121 Baker St. NW, Atlanta. worldofcoca-cola.com.