Atlanta
Tourist Attractions
Known
as the 'Capital of the New South', Atlanta is one of the fastest
growing cities in the United States. A modern, vibrant metropolis
with a booming economy and massive local development, the city
is home to CNN, the headquarters of the worldwide cable TV news
service and Coca Cola.
The birthplace of Martin Luther King, Atlanta has been linked
to the civil rights movement for a number of decades and the
King Center is a living memorial dedicated to preserving his
legacy and continuing his work for human rights and peace. Underground
Atlanta is a multi-levelled mall, below ground level and is
one of the few remaining traces of the nineteenth-century.
Little is left of Atlanta's 'Deep South' roots, so to capture
some of the atmosphere of those days, visitors go to the Atlanta
History Centre. Set in the grounds of a former estate, it houses
an antebellum mansion, a farmhouse and the recently opened Atlanta
History Museum that covers over 150 years of the city's history.
Downtown
Since being rebuilt after the Civil War, downtown Atlanta has
often been transformed by waves of development and is now a
thoroughly modern metropolis. Among the few remaining traces
of the 19th century city left is Underground Atlanta, a multileveled
mall that is, as the name indicates, below ground level - the
result of several levels of train trestles having been built
over the streets below. One of the city's finest historic buildings
is the gilt-domed 1889 State Capitol, which has tours and exhibits.
To the west is the National Historic District of Fairlie-Poplar,
which was the city's commercial center 100 years ago. Its 20-odd
blocks are lined with brick and tile buildings constructed between
the 1880s and WWI. News junkies will want to head a couple of
blocks northwest to CNN Center, headquarters of the worldwide
cable TV news service; tours take in broadcasting studios and
backrooms full of technicians, writers and researchers.
Sweet Auburn
For decades, Sweet Auburn was Atlanta's black downtown - a city
within a city where African Americans created the institutions
they were excluded from by white Atlanta. Though the construction
of I-75/85 in the 1940s cut the neighborhood in half, it became
the hub of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s
and has remained the center of Atlanta's black life and culture.
Several of the neighborhood's early 20th century churches, homes
and commercial buildings are in good shape, making for an excellent
walking tour. One of them houses the African American Panoramic
Experience, known as APEX, which has several exhibits on the
area's history and a movie about the neighborhood.
Several blocks of Auburn Avenue have been designated part of
the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site, in honor of
the civil rights leader who was born here in 1929. King's birthplace
is open for tours. A block west is Ebenezer Baptist Church,
where King preached. Across the street is the Martin Luther
King Jr Center for Non-Violent Change, which has a visitors'
center and exhibits on the civil rights campaigner's life and
work. King's tomb is on view at the site.
Grant Park
Just south of downtown, Grant Park offers one of the most unique
multimedia experiences anywhere: the Atlanta Cyclorama. Built
in the 1880s, the Cyclorama features a big circular painting
of the Battle of Atlanta that revolves around the audience,
with sound and light effects and an informative commentary.
There's also a diorama and a short movie on the campaign. At
the southern end of the park is Zoo Atlanta, where naturalistic
habitats include an African rainforest and a Sumatran tiger
forest.
Buckhead
A few miles north of downtown is Buckhead, one of Atlanta's
toniest suburbs. It's got upscale hotels, restaurants and shopping
malls, and some of Atlanta's best architecture. Among its showpieces
are the 1917 Brookwood Railway Station, one of the country's
few surviving train palaces, and the 1938 Cathedral of Christ
the King, which has over 60 stained-glass windows.
The Atlanta History Center is one of the best of its kind in
the country. Located on the grounds of a former estate, the
center includes an antebellum mansion and farm house, both offering
guided tours. The focal point of the center is the recently
opened Atlanta History Museum, which has excellent exhibits
covering over 150 years of the city's history