From Manuel's website:

We offer free parking, a full catered menu and do not charge a room rental fee. We have event spaces, both private and semi-private, that hold from 25-150 people.

This sounds like it has possibility.

Also, I must point out the amusement factor of holding a Buffista event on a road called Ponce.

I'm on Ponce practically every day. It's Ponce de Leon Avenue (pronounced pahnse dee lee-on, to the horror of Spanish speakers everywhere), but most people just call it Ponce.

Here are the room rates if we don't rent the ballroom:

Single (1 Full size bed) $81.85

Queen (1 Queen size bed) $89.95

Double (2 Full size beds) $99.95

Suite (1 Queen size bed with a sitting area) $105.95

We're a possible to come - it's a 6-hour drive with a 3 year old and a 9 month old. Much depends upon how patient the 9 month old will be, and we won't know that until he's closer to that age. I mean, he's a dream to drive now, but as kids get mobile they get antsier. It could be hell in a sedan.

mr. flea was like, "Um, what would the kids and I do?" I said, "Hang around with buffistas and go to the aquarium." I think he doesn't really get it.

I'm a possible. Later dates would be much easier for me than earlier ones.

I'm pretty much a lock unless it's on Easter weekend. Though I may attend Prom in jams and a tanktop if the temperatures zoom up where I expect them to go.

April can be pretty cool. You never know. It snowed on April 5 about 20 years ago, and the official frostfree date is April 15. I've been going to the Inman Park Festival, on the last weekend in April, almost every year for the last 10 years, and it was in the 40s for at least half of those. The maximum would be the low 80s, but the more likely is between 50 and 75. (Your Global Warming May Vary)

Flea, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which are lovely at that time of year, has a children's garden where Casper, at least, can do things like crawl through a caterpillar. They're only a few miles away.

Also, did I mention that the hotel allows pets?

Atlanta's zoo is pretty awesome, too. And there's always the Coca Cola museum (no, seriously - it's fun).

ND, Victor, Lea, and I can't come if it's the weekend of the 14th, but obviously if that weekend works best for the majority, you should go for that.

I agree final four weekend and Easter weekend would be madness. I'd be good with offsite Prom if we could swing March 24th. If we start looking later (late April into May), it would really depend on the weekend. What is Atlanta typically like in March/April/May? At what point would it be too hot to be practical?

Coffee:

I should add, Ginger, that having been on the cat-herding side of getting the hotel and date wrangled, I know how frustrating we Buffistas can be. I apologize in advance for making your life more difficult. I just also don't want you to deal with the situation that arose in New Orleans, when we only had about 25 people and were scrambling for funds.