Atlanta is essentially a place to live and work. There are many interesting things to see in the city, and arguably, it is well worth the trip from cities such as Chattanooga, TN or Athens, GA for big name concerts and excellent dining. Because of this, Atlanta has become a major conference and exhibition city. Most of the venues are in the area around Peachtree Center, and when there is a large show in town, it can sometimes seem as though every other person in the city is wearing a nametag.

Downtown Atlanta

Downtown Atlanta is the central area of Atlanta, which, despite the rise of Midtown and Buckhead, still contains much of the commercial activity of the city. All the places to see here are within 10 minutes walk of each other, and within a similar walking distance of any of the MARTA stations at Five Points, Peachtree Center or Omni-Dome-World-Congress Center.
 • Centennial Olympic Park
 • CNN Center, Marietta Street (adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park), telephone (404) 827-2300. The world headquarters of CNN shares the CNN center with a large tourist oriented shopping mall and food court. Here you can eat food from around the world whilst watching CNN's multi-channel output to the world on large screens. In addition studio tours are available, which include demonstrations of the technology used and visits to viewing galleries overlooking the newsrooms and newsreaders of CNN, CNN Headline News and CNN En Espanol. Tours run 9am-5pm every day. Admission to the center is free; tours cost $12 (adult); $11 (senior); $9 (child).
 • Georgia Aquarium The largest aquarium in the world with over 100,000 animals in 8 million gallons of water. Tickets will be a little over $20 per person.
 • World of Coca-Cola, 55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (adjacent to Underground Atlanta), telephone (770) 578-4325 extension 1465. Pay good money to receive the word from the marketing department of the world's largest soft drinks company. Open M-Sa 9am-5pm; Su 11am-5pm. $7 (adult); $5 (senior); $4 (child).
 • The King Center and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, 449 Aubum Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30312, telephone 404-526-8900. The memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. Which was established in 1968. The place shows Martin Luther King, Jr's nonviolent Social Change works. The historic site features a museum and preserves the neighborhood that includes Dr. King's birth home and Ebenezer Baptist Church. This is one of the place you should visit in downtown Atlanta.

Midtown Atlanta

Midtown Atlanta is the area immediately north of Downtown. It has significant commercial activity, but it is also a major restaurant and arts quarter, with much 'urban living' apartment coverage. All the places listed are within 15 minutes walk of each other, and within a similar walking distance of the MARTA stations at Midtown and Arts Center.
 • Arts Center, Home of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, the Alliance Theatre, and the Atlanta College of Art.
 • Atlanta Botanic Gardens, 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE, telephone (404) 876-5859. Relatively small but interesting botanic gardens, with displays of local plants and the Fuqua Conservatory of tropical and desert plants. Accessible by car but parking is limited, at weekends park at Old Colony Square adjacent to the Arts Center and catch the shuttle bus provided. By transit, catch MARTA rail to Arts Center station then catch bus 36 (27 on Sunday) or walk via the Arts Center courtyard, 15th Street and Piedmont Avenue (15 min walk). Open Apr-Sep Tu-Su 9am-7pm; Oct-Mar Tue-Sun 9am-5pm. $12 (adult); $9 (senior); $7 (student).
 • Piedmont Park Atlanta's largest park at over 189 acres. Great for spending a sunny week-end dog walking, sleeping, reading a book or picnicking. Parking is tough to come by so try to look out by finding street parking or pay about $2-5 at the public parking lots on Juniper (1 block to the West). Not visiting Piedmont Park on your trip to Atlanta would be like not visiting Central Park on a trip to New York.
 • Margaret Mitchell House, 990 Peachtree Street, telephone (404) 249-7015. A museum dedicated to Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With The Wind and based in her original home. Open every day (except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Thanksgiving Day) 10am-5pm. $12 (adult); $9 (senior/student); $5 (child).
 • Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, telephone (404) 688-3353 for tour information or (404) 817-8700 for the box office. A fabulous and historic Moorish style cinema and theatre dating from the 1920s and now designated a National Historic Landmark. Tours available M,W&Th 10am; Sa 10am and 11am. $10 (adult); $5 (senior/student).
 • Crescent Avenue, Area off Peachtree near the Margaret Mitchell house. Just north of the Federal Reserve Building at 10th St. Lots of hip nightclubs and restaurants located in renovated homes on side streets. With Virginia Highlands, has taken much of the nightlife from the Buckhead area which mostly attracts hip-hoppers now.

Intown Atlanta

These are areas within the City of Atlanta that are commonly referred to as "intown" by Atlantans.
 • Zoo Atlanta, Grant Park, telephone (404) 624-5822. This zoo specializes in primates and African animals but also has a (breeding) pair of Giant Pandas and a children's zoo. Open every day 9:30am-4:30pm; Sa-Su during daylight saving time 9:30am-5:30pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. $16.50 (adults); $12.50 (seniors); $11.50 (children).
 • Cyclorama Home of the world's largest painting, "The Battle of Atlanta" and home of the historic Civil War locomotive, "TEXAS" (hero of the "Great Train Race") Located next to Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park.
 • Atlanta History Center, the Atlanta History Museum, the Swan House, (an opulent 1920's mansion), and the Tullie Smith House, 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW.
 • Fernbank Science Center and Museum of Natural History. Planetarium, dinosaurs, IMax theatre. Great for kids.
 • Virginia Highlands, Area east of Piedmont Park in the center of town known for its nightlife and restaurants. The part of Atlanta most like a real city (along with Midtown and Little Five Points). Pedestrian friendly and packed sidewalks till late at night. Go east on 10th street past the park. Do a quick zig-zag to the right at the Grady High School football stadium, then a left at Virginia Ave. Keep going about another mile on Virginia Ave. to the intersection of N. Highland Ave.

Suburban Atlanta

All these sights can be found somewhere in the suburban sprawl that is Atlanta. A car is probably the best way to visit them, but some are accessible by public transit as indicated in the listing.

Outside Atlanta

 • Stone Mountain - The town of Stone Mountain is host to Stone Mountain Park, a wooded park with dozens of attractions surrounding a giant granite dome.

Shop

 • Discover Mills - Suwanee
 • Mall of Georgia - Buford
 • Cumberland Mall - Atlanta
 • Phipps Plaza Mall - Buckhead, Atlanta
 • Lenox Square Mall - Buckhead, Atlanta
 • Perimeter Mall - Dunwoody
 • North Point Mall - Alpharetta

Lodging

 • Courtyard - Downtown, 175 Piedmont Ave NE.
 • Crowne Plaza - Airport, 1325 Virgina Ave..
 • Crowne Plaza - Perimeter NW, 6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW..
 • Embassy Suites - Airport, 4700 Southport Rd.
 • Embassy Suites - Buckhead, 3285 Peachtree Rd NE.
 • Embassy Suites - Perimeter Center, 1030 Crown Pointe Parkway.
 • Fairfield Inn - Downtown, 175 Piedmont Ave.
 • Hawthorn - Northwest, 1500 Parkwood Cir SE, 770-952-9595, 800-338-7812. Enjoy our 50 luxury suites and wake up to our daily complimentary hot breakfast buffet each morning and in the evening, enjoy our social hour Monday through Thursday.
 • Holiday Inn - Airport South, 6288 Old Dixie Hwy.
 • Holiday Inn - Airport North, 1385 Virginia Ave.
 • Holiday Inn Select - Perimeter, 4386 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd..
 • InterContinental - Buckhead, 3315 Peachtree Rd NE. This new Atlanta luxury hotel is located on Peachtree Road, in the center of Buckhead and is minutes away from trendy restaurants, nightlife and the Southeast's finest shopping including Georgia's famous Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza.
 • Sheraton Gateway - Airport, 1900 Sullivan Rd.
 • Sheraton Suites - Galleria, 2844 Cobb Parkway SE..
 • Wyndham Garden - Northwest, 1775 Parkway Pl NW..
 • Wyndham - Vinings, 2857 Paces Ferry Rd.
 • Wyndham - Midtown, 125 10th St NE.
 • Wyndham, 160 Spring St NW..

City of Atlanta

 • History
 • Education
 • Getting in & around
 • Dining & Drink

Atlanta Neighborhoods
 • Buckhead
 • Dunwoody
 • Midtown
 • Virginia-Highlands
 • Morningside
 • Grant Park
 • Poncey-Highland
 • Brookhaven
 • Candler Park
 • Inman Park
 • East Atlanta
 • West End
 • Garden Hills

Metro Area Cities
 • Marietta
 • Decatur
 • Alpharetta
 • Norcross
 • Lawrenceville
 • Stone Mountain
 • Sandy Springs
 • Roswell
 • East Point
 • Hapeville
 • College Park
 • Doraville
 • Chamblee
 • Smyrna
 • Kennesaw
 • Duluth
 • Lithonia
 • Jonesboro
Nearby towns with things to do include Marietta and Decatur.

For those more interested in scenic beauty and outdoor activities, the Appalachian mountain chain begins about sixty miles north of Atlanta. The southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is on Springer Mountain in north-east Georgia, an easy drive from metro Atlanta.

Climate

Atlanta is located on the Piedmont Plateau, at an approximate elevation of 741 to 1,056 feet above sea level. The city is thus somewhat cooler than other places in the US South, a fact that certainly helped the growth of the city before the introduction of air conditioning.

Atlanta experiences a very wide range of temperatures. Temperatures in winter can drop into the single digits on occasion, and most winters bring some snowfall. Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures frequently reaching 90F. Rainfall is high in late winter and early spring, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit.

Activities

Have breakfast at the Flying Biscuit Cafe on McLendon Avenue. Eat anything--anything--at the Varsity, but make sure you're prepared for heartburn. Meet up with the Goths and dance all night at The Masquerade. See the wall Hank Aaron hit #755 over at Turner Field--this section of the original outfield wall from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was preserved when the new ballpark was built. Visit Centennial Olympic Park, where you can play in the fountain and pay your respects to the victims of the 1996 Olympic Park Bombing. Hike up Stone Mountain and watch the sunset, then come down and see the bizarre, kitschy Laser Light Show. Visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and Museum. Check out the mummies and the Moche pottery exhibition at the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Stay safe

Atlanta is routinely ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Nonetheless, as in most large urban areas, one should use caution and not let their guard down.

Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons football team