Georgia’s Atlanta of today bears small resemblance to the Atlanta of Scarlett O’Hara and Miss Pittypat, who famously fled from Gen. Sherman’s Civil War troops in “Gone With the Wind.” Often referred to as the Gateway to the Deep South, Atlanta is a fast-paced capital city noted for its international business — Coca-Cola and CNN are just two big names — as well as more than three dozen colleges and universities. It’s the shopping mecca of the South, the site of the 1996 Olympics and, yes, also home to Southern hospitality and cuisine — chitlins, crackling bread and barbecue.
Atlanta is also home to much civil rights history. The life and work of the city’s famed slain native son, Martin Luther King Jr., is preserved at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (450 Auburn Avenue; 303-331-5190) established in 1980 under the auspices of the National Park Service. It’s a 10-block area around Auburn Avenue — known as the Sweet Auburn district when Dr. King grew up and played on its tree-lined streets.
With 650,000 visitors annually, the Historic Site is the Southeast’s most visited attraction.
You’ll also be able to visit King’s boyhood home, preserved by his mother and sister, Christine Farris (501 Auburn Avenue; 404-331-3920), and the small yet beautiful and moving Ebenezer Baptist Church where King, his father and grandfather were ministers. It was here the world viewed the leader’s funeral on a sweltering day in 1968. Just outside the gothic-revival chapel’s door is Ebenezer’s historian, Shirley. Don’t pass her by. She’ll regale you with countless private stories of the Kings, having grown up alongside Dr. King and his family (407-413 Auburn Avenue; 404-688-7263).
There’s a new visitor’s center across from the church (450 Auburn Avenue; 404-331-5190) and on the grounds a new, larger Ebenezer church where visitors are welcome for Sunday gospel sings. A large screening room features four excellent half-hour videos that continuously play Dr. King’s most stirring sermons and speeches, including “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” and “I Have a Dream.” The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (449 Auburn Avenue; 404-524-1956) was begun by King’s widow, Coretta Scott, the year after her husband’s death, and she ran the center until 1995, when the reins were turned over to her son, Dexter Scott King. Its commitment is to educate the world about Dr. King’s Nonviolent Social Action techniques and beliefs.
Outside in Freedom Plaza rests Dr. King’s white marble crypt — etched with the famed phrase “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I am free at last” — surrounded by a five-tiered reflecting pool. The week I visited, former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev had just paid his respects, leaving behind a beautiful wreath.
A relatively new addition to the civil rights pilgrimage is the Carter-King Peace Walk — a 1.5-mile path lining Freedom Park between Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and The Jimmy Carter Center and Library, liking two of Georgia’s Nobel Peace Laureates. You can start at either end — or walk the three-mile path, which is invigorating.
Of course, Atlanta is home to more than the civil rights movement. Sit in the Atlanta tourist office and within an hour several visitors will ask for directions to “Tara” or “Twelve Oaks.” Those places exist only in “Gone With the Wind,” by Margaret Mitchell, which continues to sell 250,000 annually in more than 30 languages. However, Mitchell’s home is open to the public.
This turn-of-the-century house, which Mitchell hated and called “the dump,” is Atlanta’s first city landmark and features a great little film about the author’s life, her book, the movie and their profound impact on Atlanta.
(999 Peachtree St.; 404-249-7012)
The Cyclorama (800-C Cherokee Ave.; 404-658-7625) in Grant Park tells an entirely different Civil War-era story. Here, the legendary Battle of Atlanta comes to life in the world’s largest revolving circular painting, accompanied by a spectacular soundtrack to transport you to the heart of this battle that took more than 12,000 Confederate and Union lives.
For another over-sized Civil War-era remembrance, go to Stone Mountain Park, (6867 Memorial Dr., Stone Mountain, 16 miles east of downtown; 404-317-2006). The monolithic gray-granite outcropping of three Confederate heroes — Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson — is the world’s largest. There are also 3,200 beautiful acres with a 19-building antebellum plantation, steam locomotive, paddlewheel riverboat and the popular summer evening laser shows.
If you’re in search of art, Atlanta’s many museums are well worth the efforts. The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (1447 Peachtree St.; 404-881-1109) features more than 250 works by Georgia artists; the High Museum of Art (1280 Peachtree St.; 404-733-4200) houses some 10,000 works, including artists like Mattie Lou O’Kelley and Howard Finster, with roots in Georgia and fine traveling exhibits on the decorative arts.
Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University (574 South Kilgo St./Emory University; 404-727-4282) emphasizes the art and archaeology of ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures to the art of the ancient Americas.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (285 Peachtree Center Ave.; 404-688-2467) is Atlanta’s only exclusively international museum focusing on cultural understanding through art and education programs.
If you’re into a bit of commerce, the World of Coca-Cola beckons (55 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.; 404-676-5151). For millions of people around the world, Atlanta is synonymous with Coca-Cola. The soft drink was created in a Peachtree Street pharmacy in 1886 and has since conquered the world.
Headquartered in Atlanta, the company still closely guards its secret formula. This three-story museum pays tribute to the dark sweet drink and features the world’s largest collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia and a timeline through decades of Coke’s pop-culture advertisements.
See what the world is watching at CNN Studio tours (Andrew Young International Blvd.; 404-827-2300) in a behind-the-scenes tour at the world headquarters of Turner Broadcasting Systems, CNN Headline News Studios and CNN International. You might see owner Ted Turner, who until recently slept on the top floor of the CNN building five days a week.
And for some natural beauty, Atlanta Botanical Garden (1345 Piedmont Ave.; 404-876-5859) is 15 acres of lush landscaped gardens, a hardwood forest with walking trails, the multimillion-dollar Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, a wonderful children’s garden and a huge new Orchid Center.
And if the Southern heat and humidity prove too much to bear, move over to the Centennial Olympic Park (Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park Dr.; 404-223-4412), the centerpiece for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
The Fountain of Rings shoots Olympic-sized bursts of water high into the air, cooling off anyone near its path.
This is just a touch of what Atlanta offers. The more you return here, the more you see it anew.
INCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE
If you have time to explore more of Atlanta, here are some off-the-beaten-path places to discover:
Oakland Cemetery: 248 Oakland Ave. (404-658-6019). Established in 1850, this cemetery is a look into Atlanta’s past, with its Victorian aristocrats entombed in temple-like mausoleums, embellished with stained glass, gargoyles and marble busts. Other highlights: the Confederate and Jewish sections and the graves of the city’s firstborn child and other celebrities.
Here it’s entirely appropriate to spread a picnic lunch under the magnolia trees.
The Wren’s Nest (1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.; 404-753-7735) is the Victorian home of Joel Chandler Harris, creator of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, the Tar Baby, and other critters who roam through his 1880’s book, “Uncle Remus: His Songs & His Sayings.” Especially if you have children, try to visit when storytelling sessions are scheduled — usually the last Saturday of the month and daily during summer.
Just 25 miles from downtown Atlanta (2625 Highway 212, Conyors; 707-483-8705) is the Monastery of the Holy Ghost, a deeply peaceful place.
Since the 1940s, Benedictine Trappist monks have lived and prayed here, and guests can attend Mass highlighted by the monk’s chants and prayers. It’s a beautiful counterpoint to the city’s bustle.
WHERE TO EAT
Try some of these newer eateries and sample the down-home cooking.
The Flying Biscuit CafeD (1655 McClendon Ave.; 404-687-8888) is partly owned by Emily Saliers, half of the Atlanta folk-duo the Indigo Girls. Try this for fluffy biscuits and outstanding grits. At her other restaurant, Watershed (406 W. Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur; 404-378-4900), Saliers is known to chat with customers, and a favorite dish is the white truffle chicken salad sandwich.
For more upscale Southern cuisine, try Horseradish Grill (4320 Powers Ferry Road; 404-255-7277). Located in a former horse barn, this place whips up innovative takes on fried green tomatoes and bourbon-marinated pork.
If you want to rub elbows with the beautiful people amid minimalist exposed concrete decor, try Atlanta’s bar of the moment, HALO Lounge (817 W.
Peachtree St.; 404-962-7333) which, like ultra-cool New York bars, is sign-less. One Midtown Kitchen (559 Dutch Valley Road; 404-892-411) is currently the place in the city to dine.
(Janet Kinosian is a journalist who has written regularly on travel destinations. She is the author of “The Well-Rested Woman: 60 Soothing Solutions to Getting a Good Night’s Rest,” Conari Press.) (c) 2004, Janet Kinosian. Distributed by Tribune Media Services International.
