With a youthful and energetic metropolitan population rapidly approaching three million people, Atlanta has emerged as one of the most dynamic communities in the country. State capital of Georgia, and world headquarters of that flagship of American culture, Coca-Cola, Atlanta is the financial and cultural heart of the “New South,” having recovered from its total destruction during the Civil War. Despite the sprawling scale of the place, in general people here are gracious and welcoming, so much so they could seem like walking parodies of Southern hospitality—if they weren’t so darn sincere.
Atlanta began as a railroad junction (its original name was simply “Terminus”), and the early streetscape has been preserved and restored in Underground Atlanta, a warren of shop fronts underneath the center of the modern city. Abandoned in the 1920s, the buildings here were restored in the late 1980s to form a successful shopping and entertainment district. Numerous plaques and artworks commemorate the area’s past, while two blocks to the east stands the gold-domed Georgia State Capitol.
Across the wide I-975 freeway, a half-mile east of downtown, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (daily; free; 404/331-5190), at 450 Auburn Avenue, sits at the heart of the predominantly black Sweet Auburn neighborhood. The four-block area holds many important landmarks in the life of Dr. King: his birthplace at 501 Auburn Avenue; the recently renovated Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Avenue, where he, his father, and his grandfather all served as pastor; and his tomb, emblazoned with the words “Free at Last, Free at Last,” sitting on the grounds of the Center for Non-Violent Social Change, 449 Auburn Avenue.
Atlanta’s main museum district is north of downtown in the upscale Buckhead neighborhood, where the Atlanta History Center (daily; $12.50; 404/814-4000), at 130 W. Paces Ferry Road, is a don’t-miss introduction to the city. Back downtown, building on the mixed success of the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta has developed Centennial Park as its new center, opening the $200 million Georgia Aquarium (daily; $23), the country’s largest aquarium, in 2005. Next door, a new showcase for the city’s most successful product, World of Coca Cola (daily; $10; 800/676-COKE), is due to open soon.
On the southwest side of downtown, near the I-20/I-85 junction, the powerhouse Atlanta Braves (800/326-4000) play at Turner Field, aka “The Ted.”
