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Center for Civil and Human Rights

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An angular glass and bronze-clad building behind red-leaved trees, a spired tower rising beyond.

The striking Center for Civil and Human Rights was a 2014 addition to Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. It is a sobering $68-million memorial to the American Civil Rights and global human-rights movements, designed to inspire and empower people to face the challenges for freedom and dignity that still exist in the world today.

Exhibitions are beautifully designed and thoughtfully executed, featuring stories from the past and present day where people have been fighting for their rights. Learn about non-violent protests before moving on to the indisputable highlight, an absolutely harrowing interactive mock Woolworth's lunch-counter sit-in simulation, where visitors put themselves in the place of the non-violent protestors who asked to be served at white-only lunch counters in 1960. The experience will leave you speechless and move some to tears.

Crowd gathers around an artwork at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Crowd gathers around an artwork at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights © wayfarerlife / Shutterstock ©wayfarerlife/Shutterstock

Tickets and accessibility

Timed-entry tickets must be bought online in advance of your visit. The center is fully accessible to people with disabilities, and wheelchairs and other assistive devices are available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. 

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