Top Attractions in Atlanta

Atlanta is a city that never stops reinventing itself. Rising from the ashes of the Civil War, it became the cradle of the civil rights movement and today stands as the economic and cultural engine of the Southeast. With a booming film industry, one of America's busiest airports, and neighborhoods that each feel like their own small town, Atlanta rewards deep exploration.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park

This powerful National Park Service site in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood preserves Dr. King's birth home, the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he and his father preached, and his final resting place alongside Coretta Scott King. The visitor center features exhibits on the civil rights movement that are moving and essential for understanding American history.

Georgia Aquarium

The largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere holds over 10 million gallons of water and houses whale sharks, beluga whales, manta rays, and thousands of other species. The Georgia Aquarium Ocean Voyager exhibit features an acrylic tunnel that places you in the middle of an open-ocean habitat. Behind-the-scenes tours and animal encounters add depth to the experience.

World of Coca-Cola

This interactive museum tells the story of the world's most famous beverage, which was invented in Atlanta in 1886. The World of Coca-Cola highlight is the tasting room where you can sample over 100 Coca-Cola products from around the globe. The 4-D theater and vault housing the secret formula add to the fun.

High Museum of Art

The Southeast's leading art museum, housed in a stunning Richard Meier-designed building in Midtown. The High Museum permanent collection spans from the Renaissance to contemporary art, with particular strength in American art, photography, and African art. The museum regularly hosts blockbuster traveling exhibitions.

Food & Dining Scene

Atlanta's food scene is one of the most dynamic in America, blending traditional Southern cooking with global influences brought by the city's diverse population.

Must-Try Local Foods

  • Fried chicken — Atlanta takes fried chicken seriously; Busy Bee Cafe has served it since 1947, while Gus's World Famous and Hattie B's Hot Chicken bring Tennessee heat to town
  • Buford Highway cuisine — This legendary corridor northeast of downtown is packed with authentic Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Mexican, and Ethiopian restaurants spanning miles
  • Peach cobbler & sweet tea — No Southern meal is complete without them; Mary Mac's Tea Room is the quintessential spot for both
  • Pimento cheese — The so-called caviar of the South appears on menus across the city, from upscale restaurants to backyard cookouts

For fine dining, Bacchanalia is Atlanta's longest-running prix fixe destination. Staplehouse in the Old Fourth Ward earned a James Beard Award. The Krog Street Market in Inman Park brings together food stalls, butcher shops, and craft vendors under one roof in a converted warehouse.

Outdoor Activities

Despite its urban sprawl, Atlanta is one of the most heavily forested cities in the country, earning the nickname "the city in a forest."

Atlanta BeltLine

This transformative 22-mile loop of multi-use trails, parks, and public art installations connects 45 neighborhoods around the city core. The BeltLine Eastside Trail from Piedmont Park to Krog Street Market is the most popular section, lined with murals, restaurants, and gathering spaces. The BeltLine has fundamentally changed how Atlantans live, commute, and socialize.

Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park, Atlanta's answer to Central Park, is a 189-acre green space in Midtown that hosts festivals, concerts, and farmers markets throughout the year. The park offers stunning views of the Midtown skyline, a public pool, tennis courts, and connects directly to the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which features a spectacular canopy walk through the treetops.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

The Hooch, as locals call it, winds along Atlanta's northern edge offering tubing, kayaking, fishing, and hiking. On hot summer days, thousands of Atlantans float the river on tubes. The park's trail system provides miles of wooded paths minutes from the suburbs.

Nightlife & Entertainment

Atlanta's nightlife is legendary, from its hip-hop roots to its thriving live music and comedy scenes. The city birthed OutKast, Ludacris, and an entire generation of Southern hip-hop, and that energy still pulses through its clubs. Little Five Points is the indie and alternative hub with dive bars, vintage shops, and the legendary Variety Playhouse concert venue. Buckhead offers upscale clubs and rooftop bars. The East Atlanta Village neighborhood delivers a gritty, authentic bar-hopping experience. For comedy, Dad's Garage Theatre Company performs improv and sketch comedy in a converted church on the BeltLine. The Fox Theatre, a stunning 1929 Moorish-inspired movie palace, hosts Broadway shows and major concerts.

Hidden Gems

Oakland Cemetery

This 48-acre Victorian garden cemetery in Grant Park is one of Atlanta's most peaceful and historically rich spaces. Founded in 1850, it is the final resting place of Margaret Mitchell, Bobby Jones, and thousands of Civil War soldiers. Guided tours reveal stunning funerary art and the stories of the people who built Atlanta.

Ponce City Market

Housed in the massive former Sears, Roebuck & Co. building on the BeltLine, Ponce City Market food hall and retail destination also features a rooftop amusement park called Skyline Park with carnival games, mini golf, and panoramic city views. The food hall level offers excellent Korean, BBQ, and gelato options.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Tucked in the Druid Hills neighborhood, Fernbank features the largest dinosaurs ever discovered displayed in a soaring great hall, along with a stunning permanent exhibit on the natural history of Georgia. The adjacent Fernbank Forest is a 65-acre old-growth Piedmont forest with paved trails — one of the last virgin forests inside any American city.