Atlanta Travel Guide
Travel guide to Atlanta, Georgia with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Atlanta sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Atlanta Overview
Despite its status as one of the largest cities in the south east of the USA, and the state capital of Georgia, Atlanta was a relative backwater, less than familiar to the rest of the world despite being the home of Coca Cola and Delta Airlines until the city hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Since then, with its raised profile and familiarity around the world, visitor numbers to the city have boomed, and with them, the number and variety of attractions available in and around the city.
Atlanta is a hub for transport and commerce, and where in contrast with the modern building that dominate, Atlanta is a city where good old-fashioned southern hospitality and charm are still considered vital in day-to-day life. Amongst the many attractions outside Atlanta, and not far from the city's modern façade you can visit the overgrown and crumbling colonial style plantation houses around nearby Savannah, which are a major draw for people on self-drive tours of the region.
The city of Atlanta offers great shopping, exciting nightlife, a number of top quality museums, and a good year round climate that combine to make Atlanta a great choice either for a short stop over on the way to somewhere else with Delta Airlines, or as a gateway to the Deep South. Most of all, Atlanta is a place to find America's historic heart.
Top Atlanta Attractions
There is loads to see and do on a visit to Atlanta, so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to pack in as much as you can. Amongst the things that every visitor should see is the Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Area of Sweet Auburn.
Grant Park in the centre of the city is where you can find the famous Atlanta Cyclorama - a moving picture attraction commemorating the civil war, the Atlanta Zoo, and the Steam Train Texas - a symbol of America.
As the worldwide headquarters of Coca Cola, it should come as no surprise that the city is home to a museum dedicated to this sweet concoction. Avoid asking for Pepsi in any bars in Atlanta!
Shopping in Atlanta
In common with most other major American cities, shopping in Atlanta is an absolute treat. In the city centre, there are the usual big name department stores including Macy's where you can buy clothes and jewellery at a fraction of the price you would pay in the UK.
Head out of town, past the suburbs and you find yourself in the midst of the strip malls, where sporting goods such as Golf Clubs and fishing accessories are far cheaper than you would find them at home.
Atlanta Sporting Events
The sporting facilities in Atlanta were generally constructed for the 1996 summer Olympics, and as such are truly first class. The city is home to a number of franchise teams from the various national leagues including the Atlanta Braves NBA baseball team; the NFL Atlanta Falcons; basketball's Atlanta Hawks, and the NHL franchise - the Atlanta Thrashers.
You can get tickets to games from a number of outlets in the city, and weekend games tend to be most popular - so book in advance if you can.