Atlanta is Georgia's capital and the American South's largest city — 498,000 residents in the city proper, 6.3 million in the metro area, home to the world's busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson, 107 million passengers annually), the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr, the headquarters of CNN and Coca-Cola, and one of the most dynamic food cities in the American South. The city was burned to the ground by General Sherman in 1864 and rebuilt — twice — which means Atlanta has no antebellum architecture but an extraordinary collection of buildings from the 1880s through the present day. The Beltline (a 33-mile loop of former railway corridors converted to trails, parks and public art) now defines Atlanta's urban life as much as the highway system it built in the 1960s. The neighbourhood scene (Inman Park, Little Five Points, Virginia-Highland, Old Fourth Ward) has overtaken conventional tourism as the primary reason to visit. Best months: March–May and September–November.
The Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site (Auburn Avenue NE — a National Park Service site comprising MLK's birth home (501 Auburn Ave, 1895 Queen Anne Victorian), the Ebenezer Baptist Church (where both MLK Sr and MLK Jr served as co-pastors; the historic church is preserved while an adjacent larger sanctuary handles modern services), the King Center (Dr King's crypt with an eternal flame over the reflecting pool, run by the King family), and the Fire Station No 6 (which served the Auburn Avenue neighbourhood during the civil rights era)). The tour of the birth home (NPS ranger-led, free, limited capacity — arrive by 08:30 to secure a timed entry pass) is the most personal experience in the site.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSoul food (African-American Southern cooking: fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, candied yams) originated in the kitchens of the enslaved people who built the American South and is Atlanta's most historically significant culinary tradition. Busy Bee Cafe (340 ML King Jr Dr SW — a James Beard recognised soul food restaurant, operating since 1947, frequented by MLK Jr himself when he lived in Atlanta; the fried chicken with collard greens plate, $14) is the definitive choice. Ponce City Market (Atlanta BeltLine at Ponce de Leon Ave — a converted 1926 Sears warehouse, food hall with 30 vendors, more varied choices, $10–18).
The World of Coca-Cola (121 Baker St NW, adjacent to Centennial Park — a museum and brand experience entirely dedicated to the story of Coca-Cola, invented in Atlanta in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton as a patent medicine for headaches and "nerve trouble"; the museum holds the original vault containing the "Merchandise 7X" formula, a tasting room with 100+ Coke products from 100 countries (the Beverly from Italy is famously disgusting), and the Coca-Cola polar bear mascots. Whether you find it fascinating or absurd depends on your relationship to American consumer culture — it is genuinely one of a kind. Adults $20.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCentennial Olympic Park (21 acres in downtown Atlanta — built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, the site of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing (July 27, 1996, Eric Robert Rudolph, 2 killed, 111 injured) now marked by a memorial garden; the Olympic rings fountain (which does a synchronized water show every hour 12:00–22:00 in warm weather) is a popular gathering spot. The park is the gateway to the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Free, open 24/7.
The Ponce City Market rooftop (Building 9, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — access via interior elevator; a carnival-themed rooftop with mini golf, food and drink, and one of the best views of midtown Atlanta's skyline, open seasonally April–October) sits directly above the Atlanta BeltLine's eastside trail. After the rooftop, walk south on the BeltLine (well-lit, busy with joggers, cyclists, and dog walkers until 23:00) past the Old Fourth Ward Park and the Irwin Street Market. The Beltline in the evening is the best free social experience in Atlanta.
Atlanta's restaurant scene is one of the strongest in the American South: farm-to-table Georgia ingredients (Georgia shrimp, Vidalia onions, peaches, Georgia peanuts) prepared by chefs who trained nationally and returned. Miller Union (999 Brady Ave NW — James Beard-nominated, seasonal menu, the farm egg baked in celery cream is the signature dish, entrées $28–42) for a special dinner. Empire State South (999 Peachtree St NE — slightly more casual, excellent Southern cocktails and a famous fried catfish, $22–38).
The Georgia Aquarium (225 Baker St NW — the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere when it opened in 2005 (still top 3 worldwide), with 10 million gallons of water and 100,000+ animals). The Ocean Voyager tunnel (a 100-foot glass tunnel through a tank containing 4 whale sharks (the largest fish in the world, up to 12 metres long), manta rays, goliath groupers, and thousands of other fish — you walk through while sharks pass overhead). The Beluga whale habitat and the AT&T Dolphin Tales show are the other main draws. Allow 3 hours. Adults $40.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideAfter the aquarium, seafood is on the mind. The Optimist (914 Howell Mill Rd — James Beard-winning chef Ford Fry's raw bar and seafood restaurant, the oyster selection and the whole-roasted fish are standouts, $25–40) or Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall (directly on the BeltLine at 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave — outdoor seating beside the trail, burgers and craft beer, very Atlanta, $14–20). The BeltLine connects both options with a 15-minute walk.
Piedmont Park (189 acres in Midtown — Atlanta's primary urban park, the scene of music festivals, Atlanta Pride, and the weekly Piedmont Park Green Market on Saturdays) has a lake, running paths, tennis courts, and the best view of the Midtown skyline from the central lawn. Adjacent: the Atlanta Botanical Garden (1345 Piedmont Ave NE — 30 acres of themed gardens including the Canopy Walk (a suspended bridge through a forest canopy) and one of the finest orchid collections in the American South; adults $23, worth the separate ticket).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLittle Five Points (at the intersection of Moreland and Euclid Ave — Atlanta's original bohemian neighbourhood, a small, dense cluster of independent record shops, vintage clothing, tattoo parlours, and restaurants that has maintained its alternative character since the 1970s) is different from the rest of Atlanta's Instagram-friendly food scene: it's loud, slightly chaotic, and very local. The Porter Beer Bar (1156 Euclid Ave NE — 40 taps, 800 bottles, one of the best beer selections in the Southeast) or Euclid Avenue Yacht Club (a dive bar so pure it has been a neighbourhood institution since 1993 — cheap beer, good jukebox, locals).
The High Museum of Art (1280 Peachtree St NE, designed by Richard Meier, 1983 — expanded 2005 by Renzo Piano; the leading art museum in the American Southeast) has strong collections of American and European art from the 19th and 20th centuries, a significant sub-Saharan African collection, and rotating blockbuster exhibitions drawn from Atlanta's partnership with the Louvre (since 2006 — the only US museum with a formal loan partnership with the Louvre). The Meier/Piano building combination is worth seeing for the architecture alone: Meier's white porcelain panels and Piano's gallery design for natural light. Adults $22.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMary Mac's Tea Room (224 Ponce de Leon Ave NE — a Georgia institution since 1945, the last of Atlanta's traditional tea rooms, famous for serving every Georgia governor since 1945 and every visiting president; the menu is classic Southern: fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken pot pie, turnip greens with pot likker (the vitamin-rich liquid left after cooking the greens), sweet tea (the Southern drink — tea brewed with an incomprehensible amount of sugar). Lunch $14–18. The pot likker bread (cornbread dipped in pot likker) is a revelation.
Virginia-Highland (at Virginia Ave and Highland Ave — one of Atlanta's most liveable and walkable neighbourhoods, a 1920s streetcar suburb of craftsman houses, tree-lined streets, and independent shops that has resisted the blandification of most American urban neighbourhoods) has the best independent bookshop in Atlanta (Little Shop of Stories in adjacent Decatur, 15 min drive) and an excellent street café scene on North Highland Ave. Walking the neighbourhood (45 minutes) past the craftsman porches, the Atlanta BeltLine connection at Freedom Parkway, and the cluster of restaurants at Virginia and Highland is what Atlanta the city is actually like for residents.
A final Atlanta dinner at Staplehouse (541 Edgewood Ave SE — a James Beard Award-winning restaurant (Best Chef Southeast 2017) that donates its profits to a nonprofit supporting hospitality workers with life-altering illness; the tasting menu is the way to go, $95/person, 8 courses of intensely local Georgia ingredients) or One Eared Stag (1029 Edgewood Ave SE — more casual but equally serious, whole-animal cookery, the pig's head dish is famous, $18–35). Both are in Inman Park, an easy taxi from Virginia-Highland.