First Ebenezer Baptist Church

Atlanta

　　Martin Luther King Jr, his father and grandfather were all pastors here, and King Jr's mother was the choir director. Sadly she was murdered here by a deranged gunman while she sat at the organ in 1974. A multimillion-dollar restoration, completed in 2011, brought the church back to the 1960–68...

Georgia State Capitol

Atlanta

　　The gold-domed capitol is Atlanta's political hub. Free self-guided tours give visitors a glance at state-level American politics. ...

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta

　　In the northwest corner of Piedmont Park, this stunning 30-acre botanical garden has a Japanese garden, winding paths and the amazing Fuqua Orchid Center. ...

World of Coca-Cola

Atlanta

　　This self-congratulatory museum might prove entertaining to fans of fizzy beverages and rampant 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 on view, a 4-D film, company history and promotional materials aplenty....

Georgia Aquarium

Atlanta

　　Atlanta's showstopper. It's crowded, but the appeal of this aquarium, the second largest in the US, is hard to deny: whale sharks, playful sea lions at SunTrust Pier 225 and an adorable daily penguin walk. Unfortunately there are also beluga whales and a live dolphin show; keeping cetaceans in captivity...

Sugar Magnolia B&B

Atlanta

　　This lovely four-room inn occupies an impeccable 1892 Queen Anne Victorian mansion in Inman Park. Five original working fireplaces, a supremely relaxing back porch and firepit are highlights, as is Debbie, hostess with the mostest who whips up Belgian waffles and Dutch baby pancakes for breakfast. Our favorite room is...

Centennial Olympic Park

Atlanta

　　Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park is the city's focal point for visitors. The park itself features a dancing Fountain of Rings water fountain, a Quilt of Remembrance in honor of the victims of the 1996 Olympic bombing and a water garden, among other small details. It also contains some of the...

Ponce City Market

Atlanta

　　A mixed-use complex housed inside the historic former Sears, Roebuck and Co headquarters in Atlanta, the largest brick structure in the Southeast. Over 20 food vendors occupy this food hall, ranging from candy sellers to Holeman & Finch (Atlanta's best burger), At the Tap (56 taps of craft beer), Spiller...

New Realm Brewing Co

Atlanta

　　Traditionally Atlanta has lagged behind more brew-friendly Southern cities like Asheville, Nashville or Memphis due to legislation that prevented on-site beer sales at breweries. With that law in the rearview mirror as of 2017, Atlanta is becoming the South's next best beer city, led by one of the most iconic...

Social Goat B&B

Atlanta

　　Skirting Grant Park, this wonderfully restored 1900 Queen Anne Victorian mansion has six rooms decorated in country-French-style and is loaded with period antiques. More importantly, however, you'll share the real estate with goats, turkeys, ducks, chickens and cats. A true country escape, plunked into one of the nation's largest urban...

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Atlanta

　　Atlanta's state-of-the-art, $1.6-billion multipurpose eight-petal retractable-roof stadium is home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons (football) and the MLS' Atlanta United FC (soccer). The striking, architecturally wowing stadium resembles a camera's aperture and is the first professional sports stadium to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum status (a...

Apache Café

Atlanta

　　An eclectic performance-art venue for hip-hop, spoken-word poetry and soul artists on the rise. It's a must-stop for those looking to dive into Atlanta's diverse African American music scene. ...

College Football Hall of Fame

Atlanta

　　It is impossible to overstate the importance of college football to American culture. This museum, relocated from Indiana in 2014 and revamped into this three-story, 94,256-sq-ft gridiron sanctuary, is a supremely cool and suitable shrine. 　　Pledge your allegiance to your team of choice upon entry and your interactive experience is...

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

Atlanta

　　Smack in the middle of the city (well, OK – out in Decatur, but you get the idea), you'll find this 28-acre nature preserve, home of beavers, foxes, box turtles, red-spotted newts, coyotes and veritable clouds of birds. It's a welcome slice of wilderness in the heart of an enormous...

SunTrust Park

Atlanta

　　Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves moved into this new, 41,149-capacity stadium 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta in Cobb County beginning with the 2016 season, part of a $1.1-billion entertainment complex known as the Battery. ...

Center for Puppetry Arts

Atlanta

　　A wonderland for visitors of all ages and hands down one of Atlanta's most unique attractions, the museum – expanded in 2015 – houses a treasury of puppets, some of which you get to operate yourself. A major addition is the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, housing the most comprehensive collection...

Ebenezer Baptist Church (New)

Atlanta

　　The new Ebenezer Baptist Church is the home of the congregation once led by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. As befits one of the most influential church communities in American history, the structure is impressive – light filled, airy and more welcoming than muscular. The church is across the street...

Piedmont Park

Atlanta

　　A glorious, rambling urban park and the setting of many cultural and music festivals. The park has fantastic bike paths and a Saturday Green Market (from 9am to 1pm). ...

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Atlanta

　　Fernbank is a supremely kid-friendly museum that explores a bunch of subjects (dinosaurs, geology, shells, IMAX-style theater), all attached to a 65-acre old-growth forest and 10-acre Wildwoods outdoor educational area within – reached by elevated walkway from the museum’s terrace. While children will have a blast, Fernbank is so well...

Martin Luther King Jr Birthplace

Atlanta

　　The home where Martin Luther King was born and spent the first twelve years of his life is now part of the National Historic Site. Free first-come, first-served guided tours take about 30 minutes to complete and require same-day registration. 　　Arrive early and stop at the visitor center at the...

Center for Civil and Human Rights

Atlanta

　　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....

High Museum of Art

Atlanta

　　Atlanta's modern High Museum was the first to exhibit art from Paris' Louvre and is a destination as much for its architecture as its world-class exhibits. The multilevel building houses a permanent collection of eye-catching late-19th-century furniture, early American modern canvases from the likes of George Morris and Albert Gallatin, and...

Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site

Atlanta

　　The Civil Rights movement owes a great debt to the actions of various martyrs, communities and political actions throughout the American South, but almost no aspect of the movement can be mentioned without including Atlanta and the city's most famous son, Martin Luther King Jr. 　　Who was Martin Luther King...