Photo: Joey Kyber jtkyber1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Atlanta packs the world’s largest oil painting, the only whale sharks in a U.S. aquarium, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace and a 22-mile loop of trails and parks into one city, with a national river and a granite mountain on its edges. These are the best things to do in Atlanta, grouped by the kind of day you want, with what is free, what to book ahead and our full page for each. We checked hours, fees and closures on October 21, 2026.
- Best free picksMartin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Centennial Olympic Park, the BeltLine, Piedmont Park and Oakland Cemetery’s grounds
- Book aheadGeorgia Aquarium (timed tickets), World of Coca-Cola, Fox Theatre shows and Cosm
- Getting aroundMARTA rail connects the airport, Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead; the BeltLine is best on foot or bike
- More ideasFree things to do in Atlanta and day trips from Atlanta
- Downtown
- History & Culture
- Parks & Outdoors
- Food & Neighborhoods
- With Kids
- Games & Shows
- Common Questions
Downtown: Aquarium, Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park
Most first-time visitors start around Centennial Olympic Park, where the big attractions sit within a few minutes’ walk of each other. Park once and spend the day on foot.
Georgia AquariumWhale sharks and manta rays
Centennial Olympic ParkFree, with the Fountain of Rings
Atlanta BeltLineTrails, art and food halls
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Vulturesong, CC0; Don McCulley, CC0; Marc Merlin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Georgia Aquarium
More than 11 million gallons of water and the only whale sharks in a U.S. aquarium, in the 6.3-million-gallon Ocean Voyager exhibit with its walk-through tunnel. Tickets are timed and priced by day, so buy online. Plan on 2 to 4 hours.
2. World of Coca-Cola
Next door to the aquarium: the vault that holds the secret formula, a century of Coke history and the Taste It! room, where you can sample more than 100 drinks from around the world.
3. Centennial Olympic Park
The 1996 Olympics’ legacy park, free and open daily, with the Fountain of Rings (kids run through it in summer), playgrounds, lawns and the SkyView Ferris wheel on its edge.
4. National Center for Civil and Human Rights
A museum on the civil rights movement and human rights struggles worldwide, known for its lunch counter sit-in simulation. Across the plaza from the aquarium.
5. College Football Hall of Fame
Interactive exhibits on college football history and an indoor field where you can kick a field goal. A good pick for a rainy day.
6. Cosm Atlanta
Opened in June 2026 at Centennial Yards, beside State Farm Arena: live games and films shown on an 87-foot LED dome. Check the schedule and buy tickets for a specific event.
Downtown is also where you will find Underground Atlanta, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta (see kid-friendly things to do in Atlanta) and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Several downtown MARTA stations are a short walk away.
History and Culture
Atlanta’s history runs from the Civil War through the civil rights movement to a presidential library. These are the places that explain the city best.
7. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
Free. See historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached, and the neighborhood where he grew up on Auburn Avenue. The visitor center, Ebenezer and Freedom Hall are open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Birth Home is closed for renovation; rangers give Birth Home talks next door several times a day.
8. Atlanta History Center and the Cyclorama
A Buckhead campus with the 1928 Swan House, gardens, history exhibits and the restored Cyclorama, a 49-foot-tall painting of the 1864 Battle of Atlanta. Admission is $27 for adults and $24 for ages 4 to 12.
9. Oakland Cemetery
Atlanta’s oldest public cemetery, founded in 1850, with Victorian monuments, gardens, skyline views and the grave of Margaret Mitchell. The grounds are free to walk; guided tours cost extra.
10. Fox Theatre
A 1929 movie palace in Midtown with a Moorish and Egyptian look, a starry-sky ceiling and a giant pipe organ. See a Broadway tour or concert, or take a guided building tour.
11. High Museum of Art
The Southeast’s leading art museum, in Midtown’s Woodruff Arts Center, with a strong American, folk and photography collection.
12. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Exhibits on the 39th president and his work around the world, set in gardens with a skyline view, between Downtown and Little Five Points.
For more, see our Atlanta museums guide and the Atlanta Campaign Civil War sites, from Kennesaw Mountain to the battlefields inside the city.
Parks and Outdoors
Atlanta is one of the greenest big cities in the country, and the best outdoor spots are inside the Perimeter or just past it.
Piedmont Park193 acres in Midtown
Atlanta Botanical GardenNext door to Piedmont Park
Fox TheatreA 1929 movie palace
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Thomson200, CC0; Eric Yarnell, CC BY-SA 4.0; Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0.
13. Walk the Atlanta BeltLine
A 22-mile loop of trails on old rail lines is taking shape around the city. The Eastside Trail is the classic walk: from Piedmont Park past Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market, with murals and patios all the way.
14. Piedmont Park
193 acres in Midtown with the city’s best skyline view across Lake Clara Meer, plus trails, a dog park, an aquatic center and a seasonal Saturday Green Market. Free.
15. Atlanta Botanical Garden
Next to Piedmont Park, with an elevated canopy walk through the trees, tropical and desert conservatories and giant plant sculptures. Garden Lights fills it in winter.
16. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
16 park units along 48 miles of river, with about 50 miles of trails, fishing and paddling. Parking is $5 a day. East Palisades is about 25 minutes from downtown.
17. Stone Mountain Park
Hike 1 mile up a granite dome or ride the Summit Skyride, about 30 minutes east of downtown. $25 daily parking. Read our Stone Mountain Park guide.
18. Kennesaw Mountain
A Civil War battlefield with steep trails and a summit view of the skyline, about 30 minutes northwest. $5 daily parking. Since January 2026, private cars can no longer drive to the top.
Want more trails, rivers and rock outcrops close to the city? Read our full guide to outdoor things to do in Atlanta, or head a little farther to Sweetwater Creek and the other best Georgia state parks near the city.
Food Halls and Neighborhoods
Atlanta is a city of neighborhoods, and eating your way through a few of them is one of the best ways to spend an afternoon.
19. Ponce City Market
A food hall and shops in the huge 1920s Sears, Roebuck building on the BeltLine, with rooftop games and views.
20. Krog Street Market and Inman Park
A smaller food hall on the Eastside Trail, steps from the painted Krog Street Tunnel and the Victorian houses of Inman Park.
21. Sweet Auburn Curb Market
A downtown market selling produce and lunch since 1918, a few blocks from the King historic district.
22. Buford Highway
A northeast corridor of strip malls packed with some of the best Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Mexican food in the South.
Just outside the city, Decatur Square and Marietta Square are walkable small-town downtowns with good restaurants. Shopping? See metro Atlanta shopping.
Atlanta With Kids
Beyond the aquarium, Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park, Fernbank Museum’s dinosaurs, the Center for Puppetry Arts’ Jim Henson collection and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta are the big four for kids. Our kid-friendly things to do in Atlanta guide covers ages, costs and free options, and Atlanta for kids 5 and under has ideas for the littlest ones.
Games, Shows and Big Events
Atlanta is a big-league sports town. The Braves play at Truist Park in Cobb County, surrounded by The Battery’s restaurants; the Falcons and Atlanta United play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium downtown; and the Hawks play at State Farm Arena next door. For festivals and concerts, check our Georgia festivals and events calendar, and in winter see the best Christmas lights in metro Atlanta.
Planning beyond the city? Try our best day trips from Atlanta, from Helen and Dahlonega to Madison and Callaway Gardens.
Common Questions
What is Atlanta best known for?
Atlanta is best known as the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a center of the civil rights movement, the home of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium, the host of the 1996 Olympics and a city of tree-filled neighborhoods connected by the BeltLine.
What can you do in Atlanta for free?
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Centennial Olympic Park, the BeltLine trails, Piedmont Park and the grounds of Oakland Cemetery are all free. See our free things to do in Atlanta guide for dozens more.
How many days do you need in Atlanta?
Two or three days covers the downtown attractions, the King historic district, a BeltLine walk and one outdoor trip such as Stone Mountain or the Chattahoochee River. Add a day for a mountain day trip.
What is there to do in Atlanta at night?
See a show at the Fox Theatre, a game downtown or at Truist Park, a dome screening at Cosm, or walk the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail to the patios around Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market.
Sources we checked
Facts on this page were checked against official sources on October 21, 2026. Hours, prices and closures change, so confirm before you go:
- National Park Service: Martin Luther King Jr. NHP: hours, free parking and Birth Home closure
- National Park Service: Chattahoochee River NRA and Kennesaw Mountain: $5 daily parking; Kennesaw Mountain summit road closed to private cars since January 2026
- Georgia Aquarium: water volume, whale sharks, timed tickets
- World of Coca-Cola: Taste It! and the Vault of the Secret Formula
- Stone Mountain Park: 2026 parking fee
Spot something out of date? Email Contact@n-georgia.com and we’ll check it against the official source. Read how we research our guides.