We often get asked by visitors “how things work” at Dragon*Con. So the Stargate Offworld Fandom Track has put together this guide to try to help you out a little.
James Marsters (of “Buffy the Vampire” fame) once famously described Dragon*Con as “a sci-fi con meets Mardis Gras.” It’s a big, fun party that we know you’ll enjoy.
Getting to Atlanta
Driving Around Atlanta
Getting to Dragon*Con
Accommodations for Dragon*Con
Tips on Dragon*Con
Stuff to Do in Atlanta
Packing List
Getting to Atlanta
By Air
The main airport for the Atlanta area is Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport (ATL). It’s 13 miles south of downtown and is now one of the biggest airports in the country. You can probably find a flight on almost any airline. The biggest carrier, by far, is Delta Airlines. But, as always, shop around for the best deals.
Hartsfield is a huge place. When you get off your flight, you’ll follow the signs for baggage claim, go down an escalator and will take the train to Baggage Claim (the stop after the “T” or “Terminal” gates). The positive about this taking so long is that your luggage is usually waiting for you by the time you get there or not long after.
You should factor in the size of the airport (add 20 minutes to get from your gate to baggage claim/ground transportation) if you’re trying to get somewhere by a certain time.
And certainly factor extra time for your flight back. Hartsfield is currently suggesting arriving 2 hours before your flight. (You can also ask the concierges at the hotels to check on security times for you before you leave.) This is especially important if you’re flying Delta Airlines or if you’re flying during the various “rush hours” between 7:30am and 9:30am and 4:00pm and 6:30pm. If you get checked in faster than that, there is plenty of good shopping and art exhibits around the gates to amuse yourself. (Check out the art in Terminal E.)
Once you have your stuff, follow the signs to Ground Transportation. All the various ways of getting into Atlanta can be found there.
We suggest taking MARTA, our local train service, to get anywhere in the Downtown area or the Buckhead area. However, the airport has just added in a nifty transportation center to help you figure it out. Look for it at the top of the escalators near the baggage claim by all the car rental places.
MARTA (aka The Train)
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, aka MARTA, is a high-speed train that runs between the airport and downtown, as well as other locations. The trains run between 5am and 1am, Monday through Friday, and 5am through 12:30am on weekends and holidays. If you’re traveling alone, you should probably avoid taking the train after 9pm. The trains themselves are safe and well-patrolled; it’s getting out of the train station afterwards that is sometimes surrounded by the homeless and not-so-stable.
The fare is $1.75 for any trip, plus the cost of the new Breeze card. (If you don’t live in Atlanta, just buy the Breeze Ticket for an extra 50 cents. A Breeze Card costs $5.) It takes about 15 minutes to get to the midpoint of the North-South line from the Airport (Five Points) and about 20 minutes to get to the Dragon*Con stop: Peachtree Center.
Shuttles
Atlanta Airport Shuttle (404/766-5312) operates vans every half hour between 7am and 11pm, daily. The downtown trip takes about 35 minutes, if it’s not rush hour, and stops at the major hotels. They also have vans to other parts of town.
By Taxi
Taxi’s can be picked up in the Ground Transportation area. The fixed rate to downtown (where Dragon*Con takes place) is $30 for one person, plus $2 for each additional person.
By Car
If you want to drive to Atlanta, we advise that you practice your kel’noreem. It’s a challenge to drive here, to say the least. The interstates that will get you to Atlanta are I-85, I-75, and I-20. There’s also I-285 that circles the city which, on Fridays, is called the Friday 500 for its nasty commute. Be prepared to drive fast when the traffic is flowing well, or to get stuck if you make the mistake of arriving during rush hour or construction. You can check on the construction end of things, at least, by going to Georgia Navigator. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good map before arriving. MapQuest rarely does it correctly. For more information on driving in Atlanta, see Driving Around Atlanta.
By Bus
Greyhound Bus Lines provides service to Atlanta. It will drop you off at 232 Forsyth Street, which is downtown. You can then take a cab to wherever you’re heading.
By Train
Amtrak provides service to Atlanta with daily service from New York, Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, Charlotte and Greenville. The train station is called Brookwood Station and is located at 1688 Peachtree Street. There is also some limited service from New Orleans. You’ll need to cab it from the station to your destination.
Driving Around Atlanta
Atlanta consistently ranks among some of the worst traffic in the nation. We may be in the laid back South, but Atlantans are far from laid back when they’re driving. If there’s the slightest drop of rain or mere suggestion of snow, forget it! Also, the North may have burned down the city during the Civil War, but the South obstinately built it back up to follow the Chattahoochee River. So don’t count on your sense of direction to get you anywhere. Streets frequently curve off in odd directions and change names several times. Plan your routes carefully! A rather amusing description of how to drive in Atlanta can be found at The Atlanta Roadways Digest.
The Highways
Interstates 20, 75, and 85 run into Atlanta. I-285 circles the city. To further add to your confusion, I-75 and I-85 actually merge while they go through the Downtown area. See this map. None of these flow well during the rush hours, which generally go from 7am to 9:30am and 3:30pm to 7:00pm. If fast and aggressive driving makes you nervous, plot a course through the main streets. It will take you longer, but is a little less nerve-wracking.
The Streets
Practically everything here is named Peachtree or Martin Luther King. Make sure you know whether it’s street, avenue, court or highway you’re looking for and check it on a map. Generally, though, when the locals say it’s on Peachtree, they mean the big one that runs through Downtown and Buckhead, Peachtree Street. Also, you should note that streets often change names as a result of the merging of the various cities in the Metroplex. When you’re plotting your course on a map, you should take note of any name changes. If you’re coming in on business, you’re best off having a local come get you. (And even they will probably look it up on a map, first.) Take MapQuest directions with a grain of salt.
Getting to Dragon*Con
Dragon*Con is held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta , the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and the Atlanta Hilton. We have shamelessly pilfered the directions that the Dragon*Con staff put together.
Arriving from the North
· You'll come in on either I-75, from the northwest, or I-85, from the northeast. The two highways combine just north of downtown; follow signs for Downtown (basically this means go straight).
· While traveling southbound on 75/85, take the exit for Williams Street.
· If you're driving in for the day and not staying at one of our hotels, you can park at any of the parking lots on Williams St. Any of these parking lots are within a few blocks of the convention site.
· To get to the Hyatt and the Marriott, turn left, east, on Harris St.
· Go a couple of blocks while getting to the extreme left.
· For the Hyatt Regency, turn left onto Peachtree Street and get all the way into the rightmost lane. The Hyatt will be immediately on your right.
· For the Marriott Marquis, continue on Harris one block and turn left on Peachtree Center Avenue. The Marriott will be immediately on your right (the Hyatt will be on your left). The Hilton will be the next block past the Marriott.
Arriving from the South
· When traveling northbound on 75/85, take the right-hand exit for International Boulevard.
· Turn left onto International Boulevard at second light and cross the freeway. If you're staying at the Marriott Courtyard or Fairfield Inn, keep left; your hotels are on the left.
· Otherwise, you'll arrive at an intersection with Piedmont Rd. Continue across Piedmont through the next light at Courtland St.
· For the Hilton, go to the end of the block. It will be on your right before the Marriott.
· For the Marriott Marquis, turn right onto Peachtree Center Avenue. The Marriott will be in the next block on the right (Hyatt is to your left).
· For the Hyatt, continue one more block on International Boulevard and turn right onto Peachtree St. The Hyatt will be a block and a half down on your right.
From the East or West
· While traveling in on I-20 East or West, exit downtown onto I-75/85 North ("Greenville/Chattanooga"). Stay to the right but be mindful of unwanted exit-only lanes.
· After going no more than a mile, exit on International Boulevard and follow directions as From the South, above.
Accommodations for Dragon*Con
The official hotels for Dragon*Con are the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and the Atlanta Hilton . However, they fill up pretty quickly. Within walking distance are several other overflow hotels, but folks have had good luck with the Best Western Inn at the Peachtrees and the Atlanta Days Inn – Downtown. If you choose to go even cheaper, you can stay in an outlying area and commute in.
If you don’t feel a need to stay for the late-night festivities and can find a cheaper hotel even further out, it’s cheaper to park at an outlying MARTA station for free and commute in for $1.75 per direction. If you’d rather drive in, there are several parking garages around the convention at various rates, as well as flat-rate parking lots. (These usually run $5 on those insert-the-funds-yourself board systems, so bring exact change.)
Tips on Dragon*Con
If you’ve never been to Dragon*Con before, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the largest conventions in the United States and regularly gets past 20,000 plus attendees. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re into media sci-fi/fantasy, literary sci-fi/fantasy, gaming, roleplaying, art, or collectible hunting. It’s literally impossible to do everything.
Membership
Buy your membership before you go. As with most cons, memberships are cheaper the earlier you buy them. Also, the line for the pre-purchased memberships is usually dramatically smaller than the on-site registration one. The registration and badge pickup takes place at the Hyatt. Try to get there to pick up your membership badge before Friday afternoon, or be prepared to wait in line for a few hours.
You can also buy daily memberships, if you can only come for a day or two. As with the full membership, check-in is much quicker if you buy them ahead of time. Check how much it costs, though. Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy the full membership than to buy a couple of day memberships.
Getting Around the Programming
The key thing to know is that the con is divided into over one dozen programming tracks, or subject areas. These are essentially mini-conventions run by fans that would equal most cons’ main programming. There are several large ballrooms where “the big names” and events will take place that rotate through all the tracks.
When you get your badge, you’ll receive a full-color magazine-sized program and a smaller, black-and-white schedule book. Put the magazine-sized program away to relish later. The schedule book is what will get you around the convention.
You can look up events by the schedule grid (which is great for when you hit a lull or need a break and are looking for something interesting). The grid shows everything in 90-minute blocks. The panels themselves usually last one hour, with 30 minutes for traveling between rooms. The start time is when the panel actually starts.
You can also look at your favorite programming track to see what events are happening which day. In addition, you can look things up by guest name to see who will be where when.
Take the time before you start running through the con to study the programming schedule or you might miss something. Bring a highlighter with you to mark the panels you want to see. Bring paper clips to mark the maps and schedule grid so you can easily find the pages. Really. There’s so much to do, you’ll want to be organized about it.
In addition, program updates are released each morning in the Daily Dragon; one-page newsletters placed strategically around the con, at the information booths, or available online, if you have some connectivity.
If you find that you have conflicting panels at the same time, check under the celebrity’s name or programming track schedule to see if they’re repeating it. Most of the big ones are repeated at some point.
The Stargate track (aka Stargate Offworld Fandom) is usually made up of more intimate gatherings and is mostly fan-run panels. However, the Stargate celebrities do have a few panels here and sometimes come to hang out there when they’re not signing autographs. There will also be a few Stargate panels in the large ballrooms, so be sure to look at what’s going on there, as well.
The Panels
There are essentially two types of panels: programming track panels and Main Programming panels.