Atlanta is a beautiful city with a rich history and many places to explore. From its lush gardens, beautiful parks, many restaurants, and a nightlife scene that would rival cities twice its size, there is enough southern hospitality for everyone in your party. These are some of the top things you should consider doing if you visit The A.
1 Martin Luther King Jr’s Birth Home and The King Center
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center“), founded in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, has been a popular tourist destination, information source, and cultural landmark for more than 25 years. Every year, about a million people travel to the National Historic Site to learn about Dr. King’s legacy, be inspired, and pay their respects. It is also the final resting place of the civil rights icon and his wife.
With only a very short walk you can also visit Martin Luther King’s Jr’s birth home, as well as his church home Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock is the pastor.
2 National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, a museum and human rights organization in Atlanta that was founded in 2014, encourages people to use their own power to improve the world. The Center’s renowned exhibits include the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the history of the American civil rights movement, and contemporary human rights struggles around the globe.
3 The Battery Atlanta and Truist Park
The Battery Atlanta is a mixed-use development that features a carefully curated assortment of shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, and so much more. You can catch a Braves game directly outside of the stadium, while dining with your friends and family. Enjoy family fun like escape rooms, ice cream, and many activities that will keep you busy for hours.
4 Ponce City Market
Ponce City Market is a mixed-use building with national and local retail anchors, amazing restaurants, bars, a food hall, shops, offices, and even a small amusement park on the roof. Housed in an old Sears catalogue facility, this is one of those places that has so much character that it has to be seen in person to be believed.
5 The Atlanta Beltline
The Atlanta Beltline is mixed-use former railway that is meant to serve as a bridge between many Atlanta neighborhoods and areas. It is filled with restaurants, shopping, art, breweries, activities, parks, a skate park, and so much more. On the mostly-paved trail, you can walk, run, bike, or ride a scooter and see a great bit of Atlanta in the process. If you are a newcomer to the Beltline, consider starting at Piedmont Park and traveling to Ponce City Market and beyond.
6 SkyView Atlanta and Centennial Olympic Park
The SkyView Ferris wheel, which rises approximately 20 stories above Centennial Olympic Park, has 42 climate-controlled + private gondolas that offer spectacular panoramic views of downtown Atlanta and the surrounding metropolitan region to passengers.
7 The Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium is an educational and entertaining scientific institution with exhibits and activities of the highest caliber. It also provides engaging and thrilling visitor experiences that support the preservation of aquatic biodiversity around the globe. From the time of its debut in 2005 until 2012, it was the largest aquarium in the world.
8 Atlanta Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a stunning botanical paradise spread across more than 30 acres in Midtown, right next to Piedmont Park. The Atlanta Botanical Garden has undergone more than 50 updates, additions, and upgrades since it first opened more than 35 years ago, making it a must-visit destination for local families.
9 The Alliance Theatre
Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre delivers the gift of art and an experience that few can match. The theatre, which opened its doors in 1968, is the Southeast’s top producer, drawing more than 165,000 visitors a year. The Alliance offers compelling programming that pushes audiences of all ages to think critically and care passionately. The Alliance Theatre has received a Regional Theatre Tony Award® in honor of its consistently excellent programming, commitment to education, and involvement in the community.
10 Stone Mountain Park
If you can get beyond the Confederate Memorial, which albeit is a tough ask, Stone Mountain Park is a great place to visit. The park, which spans 3,200 gorgeous acres, is Georgia’s most popular tourist destination. At Stone Mountain Park, family-friendly activities are prevalent all year round. Spring Fun Break, Memorial Day Weekend, the Fantastic Fourth Celebration, the Yellow Daisy Festival, Pumpkin Festival, Stone Mountain Christmas, and Snow Mountain are just a few of the events that take place in the park, which is centered on the largest exposed granite formation in the world (Stone Mountain).
