Atlanta is the capital of the New South: Dr. King’s hometown, a skyline rising out of a forest, the BeltLine turning old rail tracks into the city’s happiest walk, and biscuits worth crossing town for. This guide gathers the best of Atlanta, with the places and tours our readers love most.
Civil rights and history
Walk where history turned: the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and the golden dome of the Georgia State Capitol anchor the story. Go deeper with the Black History and Civil Rights tour, the MLK history walking tour and the Grand Atlanta History Tour, which threads plantations, the Civil War and civil rights into one powerful day.
Parks: Piedmont, Centennial and the BeltLine
Piedmont Park is Midtown’s green playground, Centennial Olympic Park is downtown’s happy heart from the 1996 Games, and the Atlanta BeltLine — walk it, bike it, smile through it — links neighborhoods with art and food. Grant Park, the city’s oldest park, still steals hearts.
Oakland Cemetery and the famous view
Oakland Cemetery is Atlanta’s beautiful open-air museum — gardens, sculpture and stories under the oaks. For the skyline shot, join every photographer at the Jackson Street Bridge, the city’s most famous viewpoint.
Food: markets, biscuits and the BeltLine
The Historic Market food tour pairs Southern tastings with a hands-on biscuit demo; the BeltLine & Inman Park tour eats and walks through food, art and history; and the Southern Essentials cooking class teaches Atlanta’s flakiest biscuits from scratch.
Stone Mountain and the outdoors
Stone Mountain Park is Georgia’s most beloved natural wonder, an easy trip from downtown. Back in the city, see the real Atlanta on the Fall in Love with Atlanta bike tour or glide Midtown on the Segway tour past the Fox Theatre and Piedmont Park.
Family fun and game shows
Step into the spotlight at the Great Big Game Show at The Battery, dive into the rainbow slime paradise of the Sloomoo Institute, and go behind the scenes of the champions on the Truist Park tour.
Planning your days? Our Atlanta itineraries — from one perfect day to five — map out the history, parks and food hour by hour. And subscribe to the Happy City News newsletter for Atlanta’s best events, every week.
