This place saw a lot of pain and horror during the American Civil War. It burned down and revived, becoming a leader in the American South. This is Atlanta, Georgia, and what to see here is not the question. In the city, historical sites are bordered by modern tourist attractions, and every traveler can find entertainment to his liking.
Where is Atlanta
The city is located on the hills of the Piedmont. It is officially part of the U.S. state of Georgia and Fulton County. Atlanta’s natural topography is heterogeneous and consists of rivers, lakes, ponds, hills, and forests.
Climate and weather conditions
The climate in the state is subtropical. It has hot summers and warm winters, but sometimes there are brief cold spells that bring the temperature down sharply to -12 ºC. Average winter temperatures range from -1 ºC at night to +12 ºC during the day.
In the last month of winter and early spring, frequent downpours are possible. Hurricanes are not uncommon in the summer and fall, bringing trouble in the form of rain and winds and debris from the bay.
Because the city is above sea level, it is somewhat cooler than other southern settlements.
The most interesting sights in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is known in history and fiction for the names of Martin Luther King, a fighter for the rights of African Americans, and Scarlett O’Hara, the protagonist of the famous novel “Gone with the Wind. King was born here, and the main events of Margaret Mitchell’s work took place in this very place.
In today’s society, Atlanta has been popular since the 1990s, when it hosted the Olympics. Since then, the city is actively developing, there are more and more interesting tourist spots.
Officially the capital of Georgia is divided into 243 districts, and conventionally we can distinguish 3 largest, where most of the attractions are concentrated:
- Downtown. The historic center and the main business district. This is where most of the places to visit tourists are located.
- Midtown. The commercial and cultural center of the city.
- Buckhead. The third largest neighborhood. Office skyscrapers, bars, restaurants, shopping centers – it has everything you need for a city dweller. The luxurious life of the rich in this place is in harmony with cheap fast food and inexpensive housing.
Museum of High Art
It is the largest museum in the southeast on the subject of art. It is located in Midtown. The High Museum of Art is part of the Woodruff Center for the Arts.
The permanent exhibition contains more than 13,000 works for viewing, brought from all over the world. They can be seen on four levels of the museum: the first level contains the classic works of art of the XVIII-XIX centuries, and the last – the modern works. On a regular basis the building hosts thematic exhibitions dedicated to different periods in art.
In front of the museum is a sculpture, “The Shadow,” donated by the French government in memory of the 106 victims from Atlanta who died in the Paris airport during a trip sponsored by the museum.
Centennial Olympic Park
In 1996, the city hosted the Summer Olympics. In honor of this global event, a park was built, which is now a large green recreational area for local residents and vacationing tourists.
The musical Fountain of the Rings, located in the heart of the park, is a reminder of the sporting event that contributed to the creation of this place.
The construction of the new natural area also entailed the development of the city as a whole. After her, Atlanta was home to many museums, hotels, stores, and other places for recreation and entertainment.
Downtown area
This is the central area of the city. It is here that the commerce, politics, and economy of the entire state are concentrated. Downtown also has unique places such as the Coca-Cola Museum, Georgia’s main aquarium, the Capitol, and the headquarters of America’s largest company, CNN. It is also home to the tallest building in the city and in the entire south of the country, Bank of America Plaza.
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
It’s a very romantic spot in Atlanta, close to another green space, Piedmont Park. The centerpiece of the garden’s exhibit is the Earth Goddess.
It is an installation of plants depicting a long-haired woman with water flowing from the palm of her hand. The Orchid Center has more than 2,000 species of these plants. There are also many sculptures and a hanging trail in the garden.
During the fall and winter months, visitors to the garden can catch the festival of lights, which is held here every year.
Georgia Aquarium
It is the second largest aquarium in the world after the Singapore Aquarium. In Atlanta, it is located north of Centennial Olympic Central Park. The waters, with a total volume of 32,000 cubic meters, contain 120,000 sea creatures representing more than 500 species.
You can see tiger sharks, sea lions, stingrays, spider crabs, sea dragons, penguins and many other aquatic animals.
The space is divided into five departments:
- A department in which demonstrations of America’s river and lake animals take place. And visitors look at them from a non-standard angle – from the bottom up.
- Division of Athalines. Several times a day the dolphins have a show for the guests of the aquarium.
- Gallery with representatives of the marine world that lives in cold waters.
- The largest section with barrier reef animals. There is also a tunnel through the hall with floating sharks.
- An exhibition of tropical fish from the waters of the Pacific.
The Aquarium also provides additional services. So, here you can snorkel and get acquainted with the inhabitants personally or go down in a special cage to the sharks and see them at a distance of a few centimeters.
Martin Luther King National Historical Park
Martin Luther King went down in world history as a social activist and leader of the Black rights movement. A park was built in Atlanta as his birthplace, illuminating the preacher’s life journey.
It is a whole complex that includes such places as the house where he was born, the church where he was baptized, and the tomb where he was buried with his wife. There is a museum in the center of the park, and a store and an exhibition devoted to the movement against the denial of African American rights are located nearby.
Shakespeare Tavern Theater
It is the base for the American Shakespeare Company, the first in the country to be able to perform at London’s Globe Theater. In addition to Shakespeare, there are plays based on Dickens.
The Shakespeare Tavern offers master classes and training for schoolchildren and students under the guidance of practicing actors and theater company members.
Atlanta Ferris Wheel
The SkyView Ferris Wheel is located at the south end of Central Park in Atlanta. It consists of 42 cabins, which have built-in climate control for comfortable observation of the city from a height of 20 floors (61 m). There is a VIP-cabin with a glass floor and expensive seats.
Puppet Art Center
The city is home to America’s largest center dedicated to this work. In this place you can trace how puppetry has changed over time and how puppets differ in different parts of the world. The museum has an entire wing dedicated to “Sesame Street” creator Jim Henson.
There are regular performances with the participation of rag actors, master classes on creating toys and other no less interesting events.