Atlanta is a surprisingly easy city to enjoy without spending money. Some of its best attractions cost nothing at all, including the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the Georgia State Capitol and a museum full of shredded money. Below are 20 free things to do in and around Atlanta, plus a few big parks that cost $10 or less a carload. We checked each one on October 15, 2026, against the agency or museum that runs it. A few free spots now require advance registration, and we note which ones.
- Always freeMLK National Historical Park, State Capitol, Atlanta Monetary Museum, Atlanta Contemporary, city parks
- Free with a reservationCDC Museum, Governor’s Mansion tours
- Free one day a monthHigh Museum of Art on UPS Second Sundays
- Watch out forPaid parking downtown and in Midtown, even when the attraction is free
Free History and Museums
1. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
The single best free attraction in Atlanta. Walk Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood where Dr. King grew up, step inside Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and visit his and Coretta Scott King’s tomb at the King Center. The visitor center, Ebenezer and Freedom Hall are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed January 1, Thanksgiving and December 25), and visitor parking is free at 423 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE. The birth home is closed for renovation; rangers give presentations about it in the bookstore next door.
2. Georgia State Capitol and Capitol Museum
The gold-domed Capitol is open for free self-guided visits Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed weekends and state holidays. The Georgia Capitol Museum inside covers the building’s history and Georgia’s government, and guided walk-in tours run on most weekdays. Groups of 25 or more should call the tour desk first at 404-463-4536. Expect a security screening at the door.
3. Atlanta Monetary Museum
Inside the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta in Midtown, this free museum covers the history of money and the Fed, with a look at the bank’s cash operations. Individuals and groups under 10 can drop in for self-guided visits from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, with no reservation. Closed federal holidays. 1000 Peachtree St. NE. Bring a photo ID for security.
4. David J. Sencer CDC Museum
A free Smithsonian-affiliated museum on the CDC campus near Emory, with exhibits on public health history and disease detectives. Since January 2026 it no longer takes walk-ins: you must reserve ahead, give each visitor’s full name, and adults must bring a REAL ID or passport. It is open weekdays and closed weekends and federal holidays. Admission and parking are free.
5. Georgia Governor’s Mansion
Free public tours of the Buckhead mansion and its collection of 19th-century furnishings and art run from early February through the end of October, Tuesday through Thursday, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Sign up online first. No backpacks, oversized bags, food or drinks are allowed inside. 391 W. Paces Ferry Rd., 404-261-1776.
6. Atlanta Contemporary
A contemporary art center on the Westside that has been free every day since 2015. Hours are Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. The museum asks visitors to register online before coming. 535 Means St. NW, atlantacontemporary.org.
7. High Museum of Art on UPS Second Sundays
The Southeast’s leading art museum is free on the second Sunday of every month from noon to 5 p.m., with family activities. The next free days are November 8 and December 13, 2026. Parking in the museum deck still costs $25 and fills fast, so take MARTA to Arts Center station. Some special exhibitions may need a timed ticket. high.org.
8. Fernbank Science Center
Not to be confused with the paid Fernbank Museum next door, this DeKalb County Schools science center has a free exhibit hall and free public telescope nights at its observatory on clear Thursday and Friday evenings. Planetarium shows are ticketed. Hours vary with the school calendar, so check fernbank.edu before you go. See our Fernbank planetarium and observatory page.
9. Historic Oakland Cemetery
Atlanta’s oldest public park and garden, founded in 1850, where Margaret Mitchell, golfer Bobby Jones and many of Atlanta’s mayors are buried. The grounds are free and open dawn to dusk year-round, and the visitor center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Guided tours and printed self-guided maps cost extra.
10. Clark Atlanta University Art Museum
One of the country’s major collections of African American art, best known for Hale Woodruff’s Art of the Negro mural series. Admission is free, with a suggested $3 donation. The galleries are open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed during university breaks. Trevor Arnett Hall, 223 James P. Brawley Dr. SW.
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Free Parks and Trails
11. Centennial Olympic Park
The downtown park built for the 1996 Olympics, next to the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola. Kids can run through the Fountain of Rings, which puts on music-and-water shows at noon, 2:30, 6:30 and 9 p.m. The park is free and open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, though private events sometimes close sections. 265 Park Ave. W NW.
12. Piedmont Park
Midtown’s central park, about 200 acres, with skyline views over Lake Clara Meer, walking paths, dog parks, playgrounds and the Saturday Green Market in season. The grounds are free and open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; the pool and some facilities charge fees. The park connects directly to the BeltLine Eastside Trail.
13. Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail
About 3.7 miles of paved trail from Piedmont Park to Reynoldstown, lined with murals and sculptures and passing Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market. Walking it is free; plan on two to three hours for the whole thing at a stroll. Other BeltLine segments are still under construction, so check beltline.org for closures.
14. Big Creek Greenway, Alpharetta
About 10 miles of free, 12-foot-wide concrete and boardwalk trail through woods and wetlands along Big Creek, from Big Creek Park in Roswell to Union Hill Park at the Forsyth County line. Easy for strollers and bikes, with eight trailheads and free parking.
15. Arabia Mountain
About 20 minutes east of downtown, this DeKalb County preserve protects a huge granite outcrop where rare plants such as red diamorpha color the rock in spring. There is no charge for parking or trails, and the preserve is open dawn to dusk. Park at the nature center, 3787 Klondike Rd., Lithonia, or at the mountain’s base, 4158 Klondike Rd. The paved Arabia Mountain PATH is free for bikes too.
16. Stone Mountain Park on Foot
Driving in costs $20 a vehicle, but walkers and cyclists enter free through the South Woods Gate. Once inside, the 1-mile walk-up trail to the summit, the lakeside trails, picnic areas and the Grist Mill cost nothing. The Summit Skyride and other attractions are extra. stonemountainpark.com.
Free Nature Centers
17. Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, Johns Creek
A 46-acre preserve with about 2 miles of creekside trails and a heritage village of 1800s farm buildings. Trails are open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; the visitor center and farm museum are open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Free, with donations welcome. No bikes on the nature trails.
18. Dunwoody Nature Center
About 2 miles of wetland, woodland and streamside trails in Dunwoody Park, plus display gardens, a picnic meadow and a shaded playground. Free and open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. 5343 Roberts Dr., Dunwoody.
19. Newman Wetlands Center, Hampton
A Clayton County Water Authority nature center with about a mile of boardwalk and trail loops through a wetland where beaver, river otter and more than 130 bird species have been seen. Free. The learning center is open Tuesday through Saturday; trail hours change with the seasons, so call 770-603-5606 before an evening visit.
20. Reynolds Nature Preserve, Morrow
About three miles of trails in loops through forest, ponds and a historic farm, with a 1.5-mile Perimeter Loop that suits any hiker. Leashed dogs are welcome. Free; open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk, with the interpretive center open weekdays. 5665 Reynolds Rd., 770-603-4188.
Almost Free: Big Parks for $10 or Less
These charge a small per-vehicle fee, which makes them a bargain for a carload:
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park: $5 per vehicle per day ($40 annual), card only. Hike to the summit on Civil War earthworks.
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: $5 per vehicle per day. Riverside trails at Cochran Shoals, Island Ford and Vickery Creek.
- Sweetwater Creek State Park: the $10 Georgia State Parks ParkPass covers the whole car. Trails lead to the ruins of the Civil War-era New Manchester Mill.
- Bank of America cardholders get free general admission at participating museums on the first full weekend of each month through Museums on Us. Recent Atlanta-area participants include the High Museum, the Atlanta History Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The next dates are November 7 and 8 and December 5 and 6, 2026.
Looking beyond the city? Our free things to do in Georgia by region guide covers every corner of the state, and our free indoor things to do in metro Atlanta list adds smaller galleries and local museums. For a day out of town, see the best day trips from Atlanta.
Common Questions
What can you do in Atlanta for free?
Atlanta's best free attractions include the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the Georgia State Capitol, the Atlanta Monetary Museum at the Federal Reserve, Atlanta Contemporary, the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, Historic Oakland Cemetery, Centennial Olympic Park, Piedmont Park and the BeltLine Eastside Trail. The High Museum of Art is free on the second Sunday of each month.
Is the MLK National Historical Park free?
Yes. The visitor center, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and Freedom Hall are free and open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except January 1, Thanksgiving and December 25, and visitor parking at 423 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE is free. The King birth home is closed for renovation in 2026.
Which Atlanta museums are free?
The Atlanta Monetary Museum, Atlanta Contemporary, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum (reservation required since January 2026), the Georgia Capitol Museum and the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum (suggested $3 donation) are free. The High Museum of Art is free on UPS Second Sundays, and Bank of America cardholders get free admission at several museums on the first full weekend of each month.
When is the High Museum free?
The High Museum of Art offers free general admission on the second Sunday of every month from noon to 5 p.m. The next UPS Second Sundays are November 8 and December 13, 2026. Parking in the museum deck still costs $25, so MARTA's Arts Center station is the easier option.
Is Stone Mountain free?
Walking or biking into Stone Mountain Park is free through the South Woods Gate, and the walk-up trail, lakeside trails and picnic areas cost nothing. Driving in requires a $20 daily vehicle parking pass, and attractions such as the Summit Skyride are extra.
Sources we checked
Hours, fees and reservation rules were checked on October 15, 2026, against each attraction’s own website or managing agency. Free days and hours change with holidays and private events, so confirm before you go:
- National Park Service: Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park hours, parking and birth home status; Kennesaw Mountain and Chattahoochee River NRA fees
- Georgia Capitol Museum: Capitol hours and tours; Office of the Governor: mansion tour season and rules
- Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, CDC Museum, Atlanta Contemporary, Clark Atlanta University Art Museum and High Museum of Art: admission, hours and reservation rules
- Historic Oakland Cemetery, Centennial Olympic Park, Stone Mountain Park and Georgia State Parks: hours and fees
- Autrey Mill, Dunwoody Nature Center, Newman Wetlands Center, Arabia Mountain Heritage Area and Reynolds Nature Preserve: hours, trails and admission
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