Things to Do in Atlanta: Top Attractions
Atlanta’s best-known attractions fall into three groups: the downtown cluster around Centennial Olympic Park, the civil rights district of Sweet Auburn east of downtown, and the Midtown and BeltLine corridor. MARTA rail links the airport, downtown and Midtown. Prices below are in US dollars and are the lowest figures found, so check each official page before you go.
Georgia Aquarium
The aquarium’s centerpiece is Ocean Voyager, a habitat of about 6.3 million gallons with a 100-foot acrylic tunnel. It was designed for whale sharks and also holds manta rays, stingrays, goliath grouper and several shark species. Other galleries include Cold Water Quest, Tropical Diver, Aquanaut Adventure and SHARKS! Predators of the Deep. Fixed Date tickets start at $54.99 and mostly run up to $67.99, depending on the day. An Anytime ticket costs $69.99 and stays valid for a year. Children aged 2 and under are free. Some visitors choose to skip the marine mammal presentations, and the rest of the aquarium works well without them. See the aquarium’s ticket page .
World of Coca-Cola
The museum stands beside the aquarium at Pemberton Place. Highlights are the Vault of the Secret Formula, the Taste It! room where you sample drinks from around the world, a meeting with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear and a newer exhibit called Coca-Cola Stories. Weekday hours run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with later closings on Friday to Sunday, and online sales stop an hour before closing. Adult tickets cost about $25. The official site has the calendar.
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
The park lies in the Sweet Auburn district, about a mile east of downtown, and entry is free. Dr. King’s Birth Home at 501 Auburn Avenue reopened in July 2026 after a rehabilitation. Ranger-led tours are free, hold 15 people and are filled first come, first served on the day, so go to the visitor center early. Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church is an active congregation, and rangers give daily talks inside it. The nearby King Center holds the tombs of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King beside a reflecting pool. The park opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closes on January 1, Thanksgiving and December 25. The tone here is quiet and respectful. Current tour details are on the National Park Service page .
National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The center is downtown at 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, near the aquarium. Its main gallery, Rolls Down Like Water, includes a lunch counter sit-in simulation, and other galleries cover Dr. King’s life and human rights worldwide. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon, with last entry at 4 p.m. Reserved general admission costs $26 for adults, $21 for seniors and $20 for ages 7 to 12, plus tax. See the center’s visit page .
BeltLine Eastside Trail
The paved trail runs about 2.4 miles from near Piedmont Park to the Krog Street Tunnel, past Historic Fourth Ward Park, Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market. It is free and open all day. Summer heat indexes often pass 100 F, so walk before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m. and carry water. More of the 22-mile loop opened in 2026, with nearly 17 miles of mainline trail in use by June.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
The garden is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Mondays. The Kendeda Canopy Walk is a suspension bridge about 600 feet long and 40 feet above Storza Woods. Garden Lights, Holiday Nights runs from November 14 to January 10. Admission prices are on the garden’s visit page .
Passes and getting around
The Atlanta CityPASS costs $106 for adults and $86 for children aged 3 to 12, plus tax. You pick five of six attractions: Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Zoo Atlanta, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, the College Football Hall of Fame and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. It is valid for nine days. MARTA rail and buses cost $2.50 one way, with up to four free transfers in three hours, and a one-day pass costs $9, as listed on MARTA’s fare page . Keep bags out of sight in parked cars, because theft from vehicles is common at tourist lots. For guided options, search Atlanta tours on Viator .
Read more: Atlanta sightseeing and Atlanta walking tours .