Atlanta is a Brave and Beautiful City®. Take a walk down Peachtree Street and find cultural delights, historic events and top-tier attractions around every corner. Here are a few of the Brave and Beautiful faces and places that helped to create Atlanta's progressive legacy. Create your own authentic Atlanta experience with these must-have memories.
Morning
Ted Turner founded CNN, the nation's first 24-hour news channel, in Atlanta. His determination to provide "just the facts" led to the creation of the CNN International, which became the world's first television station to broadcast news globally. Go behind the scenes and experience news and history in the making on a CNN Studio Tour.
Across Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola is a state-of-the-art museum, exhibiting the history of Atlanta's favorite brand. It chronicles the The Coca-Cola Company's journey from John Pemberton's first taste tests and innovative bottling systems to its ultimate achievement as a worldwide, household name. If you're brave enough, head to the tasting room and try more than 60 flavors from around the world.
Holding more 8.5 million gallons of water and home to more than 500 species of aquatic life, the Georgia Aquarium is the world's largest aquarium. Also a world leader in conservation and research efforts, it heads dolphin and sea turtle rescue programs and worked with local bio-engineers to create man-made coral reefs for each exhibit. Dive into the beauty of the deep and take a swim with whale sharks or pet the manta rays.
Lunch
Lunch option #1: Commemorating the 1996 Summer Olympics, Centennial Olympic Park stands amid Downtown Atlanta as a beacon of courage, valor and determination. Kick off your shoes and dash through the Fountain of Rings, the interactive display of lights and aquatic choreography, and then relax with a picnic lunch (or a burger and shake from Googie Burger) on the lawn while enjoying the park's ever-popular Wednesday WindDown summer music series.
Lunch option #2: The Centennial Park District surrounds Centennial Olympic Park as a neighborhood within downtown. Atlanta's newest dining and entertainment community features more than 20 fast, casual and fine dining restaurants, including Der Biergarten, Max's Coal Oven Pizzeria and STATS.
Afternoon
Georgia native and former President Jimmy Carter is known for his human rights advocacy. Visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum and explore exhibits on his efforts to aid global education, women's rights and mental disability research.
Martin Luther King Jr. became a global icon of hope and change for his nonviolent civil rights activism. Experience the places that shaped Dr. King at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. Here you can visit his birth home, tour historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and pay respects at his final resting place.
Or:
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a 30-acre oasis featuring thousands of species of local and exotic plants, including the Fuqua Orchid Center, the foremost collection of species orchids in the United States. Complementing the beautiful grounds are numerous glass sculptures by the world-famous Dale Chihuly. Don't miss Canopy Walk, a unique opportunity for you to take a treetop trek through Atlanta's last standing forest, Storza Woods.
Founded in 1850, Historic Oakland Cemetery is the oldest green space in Atlanta. Thousands of histories and mysteries are interred here, including Margaret Mitchell, Bobby Jones, numerous Civil War heroes and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta's first African-American mayor. With such gorgeous grounds, the self-guided tours are a great way to relax and reflect.
Evening
Evening Option #1: The Fox Theatre has been an Atlanta landmark since 1929. Its opulent auditorium is designed to mimic an Arabian courtyard, complete with 96 embedded crystal stars. Still housing much of its original lighting and furniture, it is also home to Mighty Mo, the country's second-largest pipe organ. Originally a silent movie house, today you can enjoy traveling Broadway shows, live concerts and blockbuster movies.
Evening Option #2: Experience the thrill of the game firsthand with the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park. Follow the history of the team's heroes at Braves Monument Garden, boasting artifacts from Braves greats such as Hank Aaron, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro and former manager Bobby Cox.
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