Top attractions in Atlanta

“The Atlanta BeltLine is a transformative revitalization project that reconnects historically divided intown neighborhoods and brings residents across the city together in innovative ways,” says Paul Morris, FASLA, president and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. The BeltLine saw more than 1.3 million visitors in 2015.

The Atlanta BeltLine’s completed Eastside Trail is a popular destination for cyclists and runners. Each fall, the organization sponsors Art on the BeltLine, inviting visual and performance artists to create installations along the trail.

In 2016, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens welcomed famed glass artist Dale Chihuly, who created stunning installations such as this one, called Fiori Boat and Niijima Floats.

The eternal flame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site bears an inscription that says, “The Eternal Flame symbolizes the continuing effort to realize Dr. King’s ideals for the ‘Beloved Community’ which requires lasting commitment that cannot weaken when faced with obstacles.”

The Swan Coach House, on the campus of the Atlanta History Center, is a popular stop on Atlanta Movie Tours’ itineraries. Fans of "The Hunger Games" will recognize it as the fictional palace of President Snow.

For fans of "The Walking Dead," a visit to Atlanta isn’t complete without a stop at the filming site of “Terminus,” an old warehouse near downtown. It’s one of the most requested photo opportunities on Atlanta Movie Tours’ itineraries.

Just 45 minutes south of Atlanta’s city center, the Serenbe community feels like another world. It’s a destination for horseback riding, boutique shopping, art galleries and theater.

The idyllic Serenbe community, just outside of Atlanta, is a popular destination to find an oasis of calm. Quaint restaurants, like the Blue Eyed Daisy, line the streets of the farm-centric planned town.

The Bún riêu (crab noodle soup) at Chateau Saigon is a shining example of why locals and tourists alike explore Buford Highway, the city’s multi-cultural corridor, for global flavors.

Martin Gustilo sells halo-halo, a Filipino shaved ice dessert at New Manila Mart. Local Chinese-American attorney Marian Liou started We Love BuHi as an Instagram account to tell stories of interesting producers and vendors, like Gustilo, along Buford Highway. “It really grew out of a desire to know more,” she says.

It’s hard to imagine the area that occupies Centennial Olympic Park as a wasteland, but that’s largely what it was before the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games developed it. Now, some of Atlanta’s biggest attractions - including the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the SkyView Ferris Wheel - border the park. “The park is our most dramatic legacy,” says Charlie Battle, who served as the Committee’s Managing Director of International Relations.

The Fountain of Rings, shaped like the six Olympic rings, remains the centerpiece of Centennial Olympic Park, and a popular destination for visitors, even 20 years after Atlanta hosted the Games. “Atlanta has achieved some really remarkable historical things,” says Nicholas Wolavar, Atlanta-based writer of the Olympic Rings and Other Things blog. “The Olympics truly put Atlanta on the map.”

The design of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is driven by an idea called “space for action.” The result is an airy structure with bold, curved walls and a glass front.

The popular World of Coca-Cola, tucked in downtown Atlanta, draws visitors from all over the world. The 130-year-old secret formula for the world’s most popular soda is stored in a vault on the property.

Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts underwent a $14 million expansion in 2015, which included a sleek new 15,000-square-foot museum wing.

Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts features the Jim Henson Collection Gallery, which celebrates the famed puppet-master’s life’s work, including beloved character puppets like Kermit the Frog.

Designed for children ages 8 and younger, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta lets little ones learn by engaging their senses through play.

"The ongoing growth of the museum fosters our mission to celebrate the heritage of Delta, its people and our family of more than 40 airlines, along with the history of aviation and the future of flight,” says John Boatright, president of the Delta Flight Museum, which opened in its current location in 2014.

The Delta Flight Museum, housed in a hangar, is home to a permanent collection of five historic aircraft, including a Travel Air 6B Sedan and The Spirit of Delta, a Boeing 767.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport holds the distinction of being the world’s busiest airport. It added a new terminal, dedicated to international flights, in 2012.

Guests can visit the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace at 501 Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn District. The home, built in 1985, was where Dr. King spent the first 12 years of his life and it is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

At MODA, guests interact with the TuneTable exhibit. Developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology’s ADAM Lab, it allows users to control musical samples, beats and effects by placing and arranging coded pucks on an interactive surface.

At Old 4th Distillery, craft spirits makers create naturally gluten-free vodka and gin vapor-infused with botanicals. Housed in an early 1900s building in the city’s historic Old Fourth Ward, it’s the first (legal) distillery in Atlanta since 1906, when the Prohibition forbade any liquor production.

Fifty weekly vendors, live music, chef demonstrations using market items and artisan made goods like jewelry, art and cookware draw both locals and visitors to the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. In fact, it’s become a favorite celebrity-spotting site, with recent sightings including Ben Affleck and Vince Vaughn.

Atlanta’s affinity for repurposing old buildings is on grand display at Ponce City Market, now home to shops, restaurants, residences and offices. The massive building - topping out at 2.1 million square feet - was built in 1926 and it’s the largest brick structure in the Southeast.

The Lasershow Spectacular at Stone Mountain Park uses the largest exposed mass of granite in the world as a giant screen for the world’s longest-running laser lights show. It now features popular music, fireworks and flame-throwing cannons.

This brewery got its start after Boulder, Colo., native Freddy Bensch visited Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics and fell in love with the city. He co-founded SweetWater Brewing Co. in 1997. Now, more than 300,000 guests visit the brewery annually and its distribution footprint spans 18 states.