Sights in Atlanta
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Georgia Aquarium
The world's largest aquarium is Atlanta's showstopper. It's crowded, like Venice, but it's awesomeness is hard to deny: whale sharks, beluga whales and the new $110 million AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery, theater and show ($13.50 add-on), where human actors/trainers and majestic bottlenose dolphins perform together in a Vegas-meets-Broadway production of spectacle and cheese (think more Pirates of the Caribbean than underwater Cirque du Soleil).
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CNN Center
The headquarters of the cable-TV news service. You might be tempted to take the CNN tour, a behind-the-scenes glance at the 24-hour news organization, but don't be heartbroken if you miss it. Visitors don't get close enough to the action to feel connected. They do, however, get to ride on an enormous escalator that climbs above a food court and into the CNN facility.
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Fernbank Museum of Natural History
There are better natural history museums, but Fernbank is especially kid-friendly with its new Naturequest exhibit. The museum covers the natural world from seashells to giant lizards, and it has an IMAX theater.
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World of Coca-Cola
Next door to the Georgia Aquarium, this self-congratulatory museum might prove entertaining to fans of the fizzy beverage and rash commercialization. The climactic moment comes when guests sample Coke products from around the world – a taste-bud-twisting good time! But there are also Andy Warhol pieces to view, a 4-D film to catch, company history to learn, and what seems like 20 billion promotional materials to behold.
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Grant Park
A large oasis of green situated on the edge of the city center, the park is home to Zoo Atlanta, which features flamingos, elephants, kangaroos and the odd tiger. But the zoo's pride and joy are the giant pandas. They tend to have cubs that slaughter you with cuteness. Be prepared to wait to see the cubs.
For history buffs, on the south side of Grant Park is the Cyclorama building that houses the gigantic mural Battle of Atlanta, which visually recounts the history of the fight.
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Atlanta Cyclorama
The Atlanta Cyclorama is one of the city's most famous attractions, a circular painting 109m(358ft) around and 12m(42ft) high depicting the 1864 Battle of Atlanta. Painted in 1886, it is the largest in the world and one of only three such Victorian-era circular paintings remaining in the USA. There's an accompanying Civil War museum on site.
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Carter Presidential Library & Museum
Located on a hilltop overlooking downtown, it features exhibits highlighting Jimmy Carter's 1977–81 presidency, including a replica of the Oval Office. Carter's Nobel Prize is also on display. Don't miss the tranquil Japanese garden out back.
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Atlanta Botanical Garden
In the northwest corner of Piedmont Park, the stunning 30-acre botanical garden has a Japanese garden, winding paths and the amazing Fuqua Orchid Center.
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Ebenezer Baptist Church
The preaching ground for King Jr, his father and grandfather, who were all pastors here, is also where King Jr's mother was murdered in 1974. A multimillion-dollar restoration of the church's balcony, hardwood flooring, pews, pulpit, altar furniture, stained-glass windows and baptismal pool to the 1960–68 period when King Jr served as co-pastor with his father, was completed in 2011. Tours are self-guided. Sunday services are now held at a new Ebenezer across the street.
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King Center for Non-Violent Social Change
Across from the visitor center, it has more information on King's life and work and a few of his personal effects, including his Nobel Peace Prize. His gravesite, between the church and center, is surrounded by a long reflecting pool and can be viewed any time. From here, sign up for 30-minute first-come, first-served guided tours for the Martin Luther King Jr Birthplace.
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Oakland Cemetery
Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell and golf great Bobby Jones are buried in the Oakland Cemetery. Many interesting Victorian and neoclassical monuments are scattered throughout the site, and - if it doesn't creep you out too much - there's a nice open greenspace for picnics.
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Jimmy Carter Library & Museum
Located on a hilltop overlooking downtown, the Carter Presidential Library & Museum features exhibits highlighting Jimmy Carter's 1977-81 presidency, including a replica of the Oval Office. Carter's Nobel Prize is also on display. Don't miss the tranquil Japanese garden out back.
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Center for Puppetry Arts
A wonderland for visitors of all ages and, hands-down, one of Atlanta's most unique attractions, the museum houses a treasury of puppets, some of which you get to operate yourself. Separate tickets are required for the performances.
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Piedmont Park
In the middle of midtown, a glorious, rambling urban park and the setting of many cultural and music festivals. The park has fantastic bike paths, a Saturday Green Market, a well-loved dog area and pleasant green spaces.
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Zoo Atlanta
The Zoo Atlanta, which features flamingos, elephants, kangaroos and the odd tiger. But the zoo's pride and joy are the giant pandas. They tend to have cubs that slaughter you with cuteness. Be prepared to wait to see the cubs.
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Georgia State Capitol
The gold-domed capitol is Atlanta's political hub. The free tours include a film about the legislative process and a glance at the government's communications facility.
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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
A shrine to the author of Gone With the Wind. Mitchell wrote her epic in a small apartment in the basement of this historic house, though nothing inside it actually belonged to her.
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High Museum of Art
Atlanta's modern High Museum was the first museum in the world to ever exhibit art lent from Paris' Louvre and is a destination as much for its architecture as its world-class exhibits. The striking whitewashed multi-level building houses a permanent collection of eye-catching late-19th-century furniture and countless European and American collections, contemporary pieces and Georgian folk art.
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Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta
A hands-on museum geared toward kids aged eight and under. Adults aren't allowed in without a youngster in tow.
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Martin Luther King Jr Birthplace
Free guided tours leave for the Martin Luther King Jr Birthplace.
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Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site
The historic site commemorates the life, work and legacy of the civil rights lodestar. The center takes up several blocks. A stop by the excellent bustling visitor center will help you get oriented with a map and brochure of area sites and exhibits.
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