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Short answer
Start with the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park on Auburn Avenue, then spend an afternoon downtown at the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola beside Centennial Olympic Park. Plan three or four days to see Atlanta's highlights without rushing, adding Piedmont Park, the BeltLine and a show at the Fox Theatre.
Atlanta rose from the ashes of the Civil War to become the capital of the New South, the home of the civil rights movement and the city that gave the world Coca-Cola. Today Georgia's biggest city mixes leafy neighborhoods, world-class museums and a skyline that shines over a canopy of trees.
This guide ranks the 40 best things to do in Atlanta, from the Georgia Aquarium and Sweet Auburn to the BeltLine, Piedmont Park and the Fox Theatre. Plan three or four days to see the highlights without rushing.
Atlanta began as a railroad town — it was first called Terminus, after the end point of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, and was briefly renamed Marthasville before becoming Atlanta.
Coca-Cola was invented here in 1886 by pharmacist John Pemberton, and the company is still headquartered in the city.
The city was burned during the Civil War in 1864, which is why its symbol is the phoenix and its motto is Resurgens, Latin for "rising again".
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta in 1929, on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood.
Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Centennial Games, which left behind Centennial Olympic Park.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park preserves the Sweet Auburn blocks where Dr. King was born, grew up, preached and is buried. Start at the visitor center, whose exhibits trace the civil rights movement, then walk Auburn Avenue past the modest Queen Anne-style house where he was born.
The heart of the site is historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King and his father both served as pastors, restored so you can sit in the pews and listen to recordings of his sermons. Across the street, the International World Peace Rose Garden and the tomb at The King Center complete one of the most moving walks in the country.
The Georgia Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world and Atlanta's most visited attraction. Its signature Ocean Voyager gallery sends visitors through an acrylic tunnel beneath a vast tank where whale sharks and manta rays glide overhead.
Elsewhere you can meet beluga whales, sea otters, penguins and sea lions, watch a dolphin presentation or touch rays in a shallow pool. Give it at least half a day, and pair it with World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park, which share the same downtown block.
Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta in 1886, and World of Coca-Cola tells the story of the world's best-known soft drink in the city that still hosts its headquarters. Exhibits cover vintage advertising, bottling and pop-culture memorabilia, and the vault that guards the famous secret formula.
The finale is the tasting room, where you can sample dozens of Coca-Cola beverages sold around the world, from fruity sodas to the notoriously bitter Beverly. Expect a playful, nostalgic couple of hours that fits neatly beside the Georgia Aquarium.
Centennial Olympic Park was built for the 1996 Summer Olympics and remains the green heart of downtown Atlanta. Its lawns, brick paths and gardens link the city's biggest attractions, with the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights all on its edges.
On warm days kids race through the Fountain of Rings, whose jets are shaped like the Olympic rings and dance to music at set times. The park also hosts concerts and festivals, and it is the natural place to catch your breath between museums.
55. Fox Theatre
Performing Arts Theater~1.6 miles (2.6 km) from centre
The Fox Theatre is a 1929 movie palace whose Moorish and Egyptian-style interior is one of the most extravagant in America. Inside, onion domes, minarets and an auditorium ceiling twinkling with stars make you feel you are watching a show in an open-air courtyard.
The theater was saved from demolition in the 1970s by a grassroots campaign and now hosts touring Broadway musicals, concerts and classic film screenings. Catch a performance if you can, or join a guided tour to see the ballrooms and backstage areas.
Zoo Atlanta sits inside historic Grant Park and is best known for its gorillas, which live in spacious forest habitats that let them roam as a troop. The zoo also houses orangutans, elephants, lions, giraffes and a reptile and amphibian house.
Paths are shaded and compact enough to cover in a few hours, and keeper talks and a carousel make it an easy day with children. Combine it with a stroll through the surrounding Victorian neighborhood for a relaxed afternoon.
Ponce City Market fills a colossal brick building that once served as a Sears, Roebuck and Company warehouse and store. Today its central food hall is one of the liveliest places to eat in Atlanta, surrounded by independent shops, apartments and offices.
Take the elevator to the rooftop, where vintage-style carnival games, mini golf and bars sit beside sweeping views of the skyline. The market opens directly onto the BeltLine Eastside Trail, so it makes a natural stop on a walk or bike ride.
SkyView Atlanta is a giant observation wheel on the edge of Centennial Olympic Park, with climate-controlled gondolas that lift you high above downtown. A ride lasts several rotations, long enough to pick out the Georgia State Capitol dome, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Midtown towers.
It is especially good at dusk, when the skyline lights up around you. With its location between the Aquarium and the Civil and Human Rights museum, it slots easily into a day of downtown sightseeing.
Fernbank Museum is Atlanta's natural history museum, and its soaring Great Hall is home to some of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered, including towering long-necked titanosaurs. Galleries explore Georgia's landscapes from the mountains to the coast, and a giant-screen theater shows nature documentaries.
Behind the building, the WildWoods trails and treetop walkways lead into Fernbank Forest, a rare stretch of old-growth woodland inside the city. Families can easily spend most of a day here.
The High Museum of Art is the leading art museum in the Southeast, set in a gleaming white building in Midtown with later expansions by architect Renzo Piano. Its collection spans European paintings, American art, African art, photography, folk and self-taught art, and modern and contemporary works.
The museum is part of the Woodruff Arts Center campus, alongside the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Check the calendar for major traveling exhibitions, which often draw visitors from across the region.
Inman Park was Atlanta's first planned suburb, laid out in the late 1800s with curving streets, a park at its heart and a streetcar line to downtown. Today its tree-shaded streets are lined with some of the city's finest restored Victorian houses, wrapped in deep porches and turrets.
Stroll through leafy Springvale Park, then walk a few blocks to the BeltLine Eastside Trail and the restaurants of Krog Street. The neighborhood's spring festival and tour of homes is one of the most popular events on the city's calendar.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights connects the American civil rights movement to struggles for human rights around the world. Its most powerful exhibit recreates a lunch-counter sit-in, letting visitors feel the intimidation that peaceful protesters endured.
The center also displays papers and personal items of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the Morehouse College collection. Allow a couple of hours, and pair it with the King sites on Auburn Avenue for a full day of Atlanta's civil rights history.
The College Football Hall of Fame moved to downtown Atlanta in 2014 and turned the sport's history into an interactive playground. A wall of helmets from hundreds of schools greets you, and you can register your favorite team so exhibits light up with it as you pass.
Hands-on zones let you test your kicking, passing and play-calling on an indoor field, while galleries honor legendary players and coaches. Even casual fans tend to stay longer than they planned.
The Atlanta Botanical Garden spreads across Midtown beside Piedmont Park, with themed gardens, a conservatory of tropical and desert plants and one of the country's largest collections of orchids. The Kendeda Canopy Walk carries you through the treetops of a woodland garden.
Seasonal art installations and the winter holiday light show draw crowds, but even an ordinary weekday stroll is a treat. Combine it with Piedmont Park next door for a green half day in the middle of the city.
Piedmont Park is Atlanta's great urban park, the city's answer to Central Park, with wide lawns, a lake and skyline views over Midtown. The grounds hosted the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition before becoming a public park.
Locals come to jog, picnic, play sports and walk their dogs, and the park hosts many of Atlanta's biggest festivals. The BeltLine Eastside Trail begins at its edge, so you can walk or bike straight on to Ponce City Market.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is home to the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer, and its roof opens and closes like the petals of a camera aperture. A huge ring-shaped video board circles the inside of the bowl.
Catching a game here is a big-event Atlanta experience, and guided stadium tours run on non-event days. The stadium also hosts major college football games, concerts and championship events.
The Delta Flight Museum occupies the airline's historic maintenance hangars beside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The collection of restored aircraft traces Delta's story from its crop-dusting beginnings to the jet age.
The star exhibit is a Boeing 747 you can walk through, including the upper deck and the cockpit, and a full-motion flight simulator lets you try your hand at the controls. It is a great stop for aviation fans on the way to or from the airport.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is devoted entirely to puppets, with a museum, performances and workshops under one roof in Midtown. Its museum holds a global collection alongside a gallery of Jim Henson's creations, including beloved Muppets and Sesame Street characters.
Shows range from classic children's stories to puppetry for adults, and families can build their own puppet to take home. It is one of Atlanta's most charming and unusual cultural stops.
The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a hands-on playground for young kids, a short walk from Centennial Olympic Park. Exhibits invite children to climb, build, pretend to shop and cook, and experiment with water, balls and simple science.
It is designed for younger children, so toddlers and early-grade kids get the most out of it. Pair it with the park fountains and a ride on SkyView for an easy family day downtown.
The Sweet Auburn Curb Market, officially the Municipal Market of Atlanta, is a century-old public market on Edgewood Avenue. Butchers, produce sellers and food stalls share the historic hall, serving everything from soul food to global street food.
It sits just a few blocks from the King birth home, making it the ideal lunch stop on a Sweet Auburn walk. Come hungry and graze your way around the counters.
Founded in 1850, Oakland Cemetery is a Victorian garden cemetery full of ornate monuments, mausoleums and old trees. Among those buried here are Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell and golf legend Bobby Jones.
The grounds double as one of the city's loveliest public gardens, with skyline views framed by angels and obelisks. Guided tours explain the stories behind the graves, and seasonal events bring the site to life.
The Jackson Street Bridge offers the most famous view of the Atlanta skyline, looking down Freedom Parkway toward the towers of downtown. The scene became internationally recognizable through The Walking Dead, which used it in its promotional art.
Come at sunset or after dark, when the city lights glow at the end of the road. It is a quick stop near the Martin Luther King sites and the Old Fourth Ward.
The Atlanta History Center is a sprawling campus in Buckhead that combines a major history museum with historic houses and gardens. Its highlight is the Cyclorama, a giant painting of the Battle of Atlanta displayed in the round, which now tells the story behind the painting as well as the battle.
On the grounds you can tour the elegant 1928 Swan House mansion, a working farm from the 1860s and wooded gardens. Plan at least half a day to see it properly.
The Michael C. Carlos Museum on Emory University's campus holds one of the Southeast's finest collections of ancient art. Galleries showcase Egyptian mummies and coffins, Greek and Roman sculpture, and art from the ancient Near East, Africa and the Americas.
The museum is compact and rarely crowded, making it an easy and rewarding visit. Combine it with a walk around Emory's campus and the nearby Druid Hills neighborhood.
The Margaret Mitchell House is the Midtown apartment building where the author wrote most of Gone With the Wind. Now run by the Atlanta History Center, it recreates her small apartment, which she famously called the Dump.
Exhibits cover her life, the making of the novel and the blockbuster film, and they also examine the book's portrayal of slavery and the South. Literature and film fans will find it an intimate, thought-provoking stop.
2626. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum tells the story of the Georgia peanut farmer who became the 39th president and later won the Nobel Peace Prize. Exhibits cover his presidency, his work at The Carter Center and his humanitarian causes around the world.
Highlights include a full-scale replica of the Oval Office and peaceful gardens with views of the downtown skyline. The grounds make a calm contrast to the busier downtown sights.
Cabbagetown is a former mill village that grew up around the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills, just east of Oakland Cemetery. Its narrow streets of shotgun houses and small cottages, many painted in bright colors, are listed as a historic district.
The long wall along the railroad on the neighborhood's edge is covered with murals, and the Krog Street Tunnel links Cabbagetown to Inman Park. Wander its lanes, look at the old mill buildings converted into lofts and pair it with a visit to Oakland Cemetery next door.
The Georgia State Capitol is crowned by a gleaming dome covered in gold leaf mined in Dahlonega, the north Georgia town at the heart of the state's gold rush. Completed in the late 1800s, the building remains the seat of Georgia's government.
Inside, the Georgia Capitol Museum displays exhibits on the state's history, government and natural history, and visitors can take self-guided tours of the halls and chambers. The grounds are dotted with monuments and statues of notable Georgians.
The Plaza Theatre opened in 1939 and is Atlanta's longest continuously operating independent movie theater. Its glowing neon marquee on Ponce de Leon Avenue is a landmark of the Poncey-Highland neighborhood.
The theater shows independent releases, classics and cult favorites, often with special events and midnight screenings. It is a fun evening plan after exploring nearby Little Five Points or the BeltLine.
The Fernbank Science Center is a science museum and planetarium run by the local school system, and its exhibits are free to visit. The star attraction is the Apollo 6 command module, an uncrewed test capsule that flew into space in 1968.
The center's planetarium shows are among the best-value outings in Atlanta, and forest trails surround the building. It is separate from, and near to, the larger Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
The Krog Street Tunnel runs beneath the railroad tracks between Inman Park and Cabbagetown, and every inch of its walls is covered in graffiti. Artists repaint it constantly, so the tunnel never looks the same twice.
It is one of Atlanta's most photographed street-art spots and sits just off the BeltLine Eastside Trail, close to Krog Street Market. Combine it with a wander through Cabbagetown's colorful mill houses.
Grant Park is one of Atlanta's oldest parks, set in a neighborhood of beautifully restored Victorian houses southeast of downtown. The park's rolling lawns, trails and old trees surround Zoo Atlanta.
Summer brings a popular pool and weekend farmers market, and the neighborhood streets are perfect for a stroll past gingerbread porches. It is a peaceful counterpoint to the busier downtown attractions.
Historic Fourth Ward Park turned a flood-prone industrial site into one of Atlanta's most attractive green spaces. Its centerpiece is a stormwater lake ringed by paths, fountains and gardens, with the skyline rising behind.
The park also has a playground, splash pad, skatepark and outdoor theater, and it sits right beside the BeltLine Eastside Trail. It is a lovely place to pause on a walk between Ponce City Market and Krog Street.
The Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail is the most popular stretch of the BeltLine, a project turning a former railway loop around the city into trails and parks. The paved path links Piedmont Park with Ponce City Market, Historic Fourth Ward Park, Krog Street and Inman Park.
Murals, sculptures and public art line the route, and restaurants and breweries spill onto its edges. Walk it, rent a bike or scooter, and stop wherever looks interesting.
The King Center was founded by Coretta Scott King as a living memorial to her husband's work and philosophy of nonviolence. Its most solemn sight is the white marble tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, set in a long reflecting pool beside an eternal flame.
Freedom Hall inside displays personal items and exhibits on the couple and on Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideas inspired King. The center sits within the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park on Auburn Avenue.
Rhodes Hall is a granite castle on Peachtree Street, built in 1904 as the home of a furniture magnate. Its turrets, stained glass and carved woodwork make it one of the last great mansions from the days when Peachtree was lined with grand houses.
Today it is the headquarters of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and open for tours. It makes a quick, surprising stop between Midtown and Buckhead.
The Wren's Nest in the West End was the home of Joel Chandler Harris, the writer who published the Uncle Remus stories drawn from African American folktales. The Victorian house is one of Atlanta's oldest house museums and still holds many original furnishings.
Today the museum presents the tales and their complicated legacy honestly, and it keeps the storytelling tradition alive with regular storytelling sessions. It is a thoughtful stop in one of the city's historic Black neighborhoods.
Woodruff Park is a lively downtown square near Five Points, named after the longtime Coca-Cola leader Robert W. Woodruff. Office workers, students from Georgia State University and visitors fill its lawns, reading room and cafe tables.
Look for the Atlanta from the Ashes sculpture, a phoenix rising from flames that symbolizes the city's rebirth after the Civil War. It is a good place to feel the everyday pulse of downtown.
Tiny Doors ATL is a public art project that hides miniature doors in neighborhoods across the city, each one designed to reflect its surroundings. Finding them has become a treasure hunt for locals and visitors alike.
Several are easy to reach along the BeltLine and in popular districts such as Krog Street and Inman Park. Check the project's map before you set out, and bring kids for a free and playful afternoon.
Little Five Points is Atlanta's bohemian heart, a compact district of vintage stores, record shops, tattoo parlors and colorful murals east of downtown. Its quirky character has made it a magnet for artists and musicians for decades.
Browse the shops by day, then catch a show at one of the neighborhood's music venues or grab a drink on a patio. It is easy to combine with nearby Inman Park and the Krog Street Tunnel.
Plan your trip
Best Time to Visit Atlanta
Spring and fall are the best seasons to visit Atlanta. In spring the city's famous dogwoods and azaleas bloom and the parks fill with festivals, while fall brings warm, dry days, changing leaves and a packed calendar of outdoor events and college football.
Summers are long, hot and humid, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, so plan outdoor sightseeing for the morning and save museums for the heat of the day. Winters are mild and quieter, with the occasional cold snap, and indoor attractions such as the Aquarium are less crowded.
Getting to Atlanta
Most visitors fly into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, about 7 miles south of downtown and one of the busiest airports on the planet, with direct flights from across the United States and around the world. MARTA trains run straight from the terminal into downtown, Midtown and Buckhead.
By road, Interstates 75, 85 and 20 converge in the heart of the city, making Atlanta an easy drive from Chattanooga, Birmingham, Charlotte and Savannah. Amtrak long-distance trains and intercity buses also serve the city.
Getting Around Atlanta
Atlanta is a sprawling, car-oriented city, but its main visitor districts are easy to reach without one. MARTA rail links the airport with downtown, Midtown and Buckhead, and downtown's big attractions cluster within walking distance of Centennial Olympic Park.
The BeltLine Eastside Trail is the most enjoyable way to move between Piedmont Park, Ponce City Market and Inman Park on foot, by bike or by scooter. Rideshare fills the gaps, while a car helps for outlying sights, day trips and suburbs. Expect heavy traffic at rush hour and budget for paid parking downtown and in Midtown.
Where to Stay in Atlanta
Downtown puts you within walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park and the stadiums, which makes it the most convenient base for a first visit. Midtown is livelier in the evening and close to Piedmont Park, the Botanical Garden, the High Museum and the Fox Theatre, with good MARTA connections.
Buckhead is the city's upscale shopping and dining district, handy for the Atlanta History Center. For a neighborhood feel, look at the Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park, where you can walk to the BeltLine, Ponce City Market and Krog Street.
Where to Eat in Atlanta
Atlanta is one of the best cities in the South for eating. Try classic Southern and soul food such as fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, biscuits and peach cobbler, along with the city's beloved lemon pepper wings. Food halls such as Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market let you sample many kitchens at once.
For international food, head to the Buford Highway corridor northeast of the city, lined with Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Mexican restaurants. Midtown, Inman Park, the Old Fourth Ward and West Midtown are the go-to districts for chef-driven dining and patios.
Day Trips from Atlanta
Stone Mountain Park, about half an hour east, wraps a giant granite dome in trails, lakes and a summit cable car. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, around 40 minutes northwest, pairs Civil War history with a popular hike to the top. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, on the city's northern edge, is the place for tubing, kayaking and riverside trails.
Farther afield, the college town of Athens, about an hour and a half east, is known for its music scene, historic downtown and the University of Georgia campus. The north Georgia mountains and the gold rush town of Dahlonega, roughly an hour and a half north, are ideal for waterfalls, wineries and fall color.
Atlanta is best known as the home of the civil rights movement and birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., as the city that invented Coca-Cola and as the host of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Its top attractions include the King National Historical Park, the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Centennial Olympic Park and the Fox Theatre.
How many days do you need in Atlanta?
Plan three or four days to see Atlanta's highlights without rushing. One day covers the downtown attractions around Centennial Olympic Park, another the civil rights sites on Auburn Avenue, and a third Midtown's parks, museums and the BeltLine. Add a fourth day for the Atlanta History Center, Fernbank or a day trip to Stone Mountain.
Is Atlanta worth visiting?
Yes. Atlanta combines history of national importance, from Martin Luther King Jr.'s neighborhood to the Civil War, with world-class attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, excellent museums, leafy parks and one of the South's best food scenes. Its huge airport also makes it one of the easiest American cities to reach.
What can you do in Atlanta for free?
Free highlights include the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and The King Center, the Georgia State Capitol, the Fernbank Science Center, Piedmont Park, Centennial Olympic Park and the BeltLine Eastside Trail. You can also explore Oakland Cemetery, the Krog Street Tunnel and the skyline view from the Jackson Street Bridge.
When is the best time to visit Atlanta?
Spring and fall are the best times to visit Atlanta, with pleasant temperatures, blooming dogwoods in spring and colorful foliage in fall. Summer is hot and humid with afternoon storms, so plan outdoor sightseeing for mornings, while winter is mild and brings smaller crowds at the major attractions.
