Atlanta is the vanguard of the New South, with the charm and elegance of the Old. It's a city that balances southern traditions with sleek modernism, and southern hospitality with three skylines and the world’s busiest airport. It's a city that has been burnt to the ground and built back up; seen the horrors of war; felt the pain of droughts and floods; and given birth to Martin Luther King, Jr., the greatest figure of the civil rights movement.
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There are three separate skylines in Atlanta: Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead. The size of any one of these districts could rival the center of any other city in the South. However, Atlanta consists not only of skyscrapers and other high-rise constructions; each of the city’s urban neighborhoods offer unique atmospheres that are well adapted to living in the shadow of the city.
Sitting on the Piedmont Plateau in Northern Georgia, Atlanta is almost entirely in Fulton County, while a part of the city limits extends into DeKalb County. The city covers 132 sq mi (343 km²), but Metro Atlanta, which includes 28 counties, has an area of 8,376 sq mi (21,693.7 km²). The Chattahoochee River, which forms the northwestern boundary of Atlanta, is a major source of water throughout the metro area. Aside from the river, the topography of Atlanta is assorted with rolling hills, forests, lakes and ponds, and granite Stone Mountain to the east. In 2020, Atlanta had 500,000 residents within the city limits and 6.3 million in the metro area.
Although most locals rely on their cars for day-to-day transportation, walking and public transit are well suited for visitors. The major downtown neighborhoods are quite walkable, and many attractions are easily accessible from public transit. If you'll have a car anyway, driving is often the fastest means of getting around. It also opens up destinations that are difficult or impossible to access by public transit. However, having a car in Downtown is often a hindrance where parking is scarce, and the lengthy rush hour is an exercise in frustration. Street names in Atlanta are very confusing.
Atlanta's top attractions form an eclectic mix that is sure to have something that appeals to everyone, and enough variety to keep the adventurous traveler busy. The highest concentration of exhibits can be found in the Centennial Park Area, where Atlanta's two biggest attractions are within two blocks of one another: World of Coca-Cola tells the history of the world’s most iconic brand, with plenty of samples to ensure understanding, and across the street is the Georgia Aquarium, The United States’s largest by volume of water, where you can swim with the biggest fish of them all, the whale shark. Those more inclined to history can visit the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Visit Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown and relax by the man-made river, splash in the Fountain of Rings on a hot summer day or go ice skating at the ice rink in the wintertime, attend a concert, and pay respects to the victims of the 1996 Olympics bombing. Walk through Piedmont Park in Midtown, the largest park in Atlanta. Attend the Dogwood Festival in the spring time or one of the many musical events. Grant Park is the oldest city park in Atlanta and is home to Zoo Atlanta.
See the Districts articles for more listings. Affordability, variety of restaurants, culinary diversity and award-winning chefs are key ingredients that earn Atlanta a place at the table with other popular culinary cities. An assortment of neighborhoods offers an array of restaurants featuring cuisine that spans the globe, serving something for every taste. If you want to plumb the depths of what Atlanta's restaurant scene offers, do what locals do and sift through local magazine Creative Loafing. They review restaurants all over the city, and have several lists of "100 Dishes to Eat in Atlanta". During the past few years, several celebrity chefs have traveled south to call Atlanta home.
In much of the South, thanks to the influence of Coca-Cola being headquartered in midtown Atlanta, "coke" can colloquially refer to any soft drink in place of "soda" or "pop". Ordering "a Coke" at a restaurant usually, but not always, means you're asking for a Coca-Cola Classic (and they will ask "Is Pepsi okay?" if they don't serve Coca-Cola products), but if someone says they're going to the grocery store to buy "some cokes" for a party, they mean "a variety of soft drinks", not just Coca-Cola. A true staple of southern culture, sweet tea can be found at almost any restaurant in Atlanta.
Despite Atlanta's historic reputation for crime, the city is not as dangerous as many perceive it to be. In fact, Atlanta's crime rate dropped significantly during the 1990s and 2000s, reaching a forty-year low in 2005. While violent crime levels are still high compared to most American cities, most of it is related to the drug trade and takes place in parts of the city visitors rarely – if ever – see. Usual precautions should be taken, as in any other major city, such as not traveling alone at night and being aware of which neighborhoods are more prone to crime.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Atlanta typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 15 rainy days.
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