Welcome to Atlanta, the vibrant cultural center of the southeastern United States
Popular and vibrant, Atlanta is home to impressive skyscrapers, but it’s also a city in the middle of the woods, dotted with green spaces and charming neighborhoods. Hidden treasures await you around every corner, including restaurants, top attractions and a fantastic arts and entertainment scene. This urban oasis is a multicultural haven with a warm southern U.S. welcome. Constantly expanding and reinventing itself, Atlanta is one of the most influential and welcoming cities in the country.
Atlanta’s Must-See Attractions
The heart of Atlanta is the center of the city and the ideal starting point for tourists exploring the city. Centennial Olympic Park is surrounded by the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN World Headquarters, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, all within a few hundred yards of each other. Beyond Centennial Olympic Park, you can discover other must-see attractions like the High Museum of Art, Zoo Atlanta and the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Southern Cuisine and the World
Atlanta offers countless dishes, from upscale gourmet cuisine to progressive variations on Southern U.S. delicacies, chef-driven restaurants and international specialties. The variety of Atlanta’s culinary offerings contributes to its reputation. Atlanta’s restaurants are relaxed and welcome visitors with open arms. You’ll also find authentic exotic restaurants, including one on Buford Highway, just 20 minutes from downtown.
Music, Film and Pop Culture
Get valuable insight into Atlanta’s movie scene with Atlanta Movie Tours, which offers visits to movie sites from The Walking Dead, The Hunger Games and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Discover 10 unique movie experiences among approximately 80 guided tours each month. Swan House Capitol Tours at the Atlanta History Center offers a guided tour of the Swan House and the rooms used in the filming of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
For music fans, Atlanta hosts more than 30 festivals each year, including AC3 Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Imagine Music Festival, Music Midtown, Shaky Knees and SweetWater 420 Fest. Atlanta’s musical heritage includes many legends who made their careers in Georgia’s capital city: Otis Redding, Gladys Knight, newer artists like Indigo Girls, CeeLo Green, OutKast and many other popular hip-hop artists.
Cultural Capital of the Southeast
Atlanta’s art scene extends far beyond the city’s world-class venues. A new wave of visual art installations and street murals has emerged to adorn and color parks, walls, tunnels and parkways, and launch Atlanta’s independent art scene.
The site of historic events such as the Civil War battles, the birth of the civil rights movement, and the Centennial Olympics, Atlanta is home to historic stories and figures. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park tells the story of the first steps toward civic equality and is home to the birthplace of Martin Luther King. The city is also home to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum and Library.
The local scene
Atlanta isn’t just another big city: it’s an urban landscape made up of about 45 city districts. Midtown is Atlanta’s « heart of the arts » and is located along the famous Peachtree Street, just a few miles north of downtown. It has the largest concentration of arts centers and organizations in the Southeast.
You can also visit the « Beverly Hills of the East ». Buckhead is a shopping mecca for all fashion enthusiasts in the southern United States. Find the latest trends from the biggest names in fashion at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza. Atlanta’s Eastside neighborhoods are connected by the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail, a multi-use trail lined with green space that stretches nearly five miles from Piedmont Park to Reynoldstown.
