A Guide to Multicultural Atlanta

One of Atlanta’s most anticipated annual summer events, the National Black Arts Festival is a celebration of African art, music and culture.

During the Atlanta Jazz Festival each May, more than 100 performers appear at venues throughout the city.

The Bronner Brothers Atlanta Hair Show, held each August, attracts thousands and offering classes, presentations and a trade floor at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Martin Luther King Jr. Week (Jan. 10-15, 2007) is an annual citywide celebration of the civil rights leader's birthday.

"Sweet" Auburn Avenue served as the center of African-American enterprise in Atlanta and a cradle for the civil rights movement and includes the four-block Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

Also in the neighborhood are the Auburn Avenue Research Library; the Atlanta Life Insurance Co., founded in 1905 by former slave Alonzo Herndon; the national headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; the African American Panoramic Experience (APEX) Museum; and the open-air Sweet Auburn Curb Market.


Amazing Attractions

The Georgia Aquarium, the largest in the world, is home to Beluga Whales, Whale Sharks, and more than 100,000 animals from around the globe.

A 21-acre legacy from the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, Centennial Olympic Park is home to the famous Fountain of Rings.

Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta offers hands-on, interactive exhibits and programs for kids of all ages.

CNN Studio Tours allow viewers to go behind-the-scenes at CNN's global headquarters.

Underground Atlanta features restaurants, specialty shops, street-cart merchants, street performers and the newly expanded Kenny's Alley restaurant and nightclub district.

The World of Coca-Cola will move next to the Aquarium in 2007, but in its current site next to Underground Atlanta, check out memorabilia and taste more than 40 soft drinks from around the world.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden presents major exhibits and is home to the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory housing rare plants from tropical rain forests and desert regions, and the Fuqua Orchid Center, containing rare and endangered orchids from around the world.

Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park features an Australian-themed petting zoo and kangaroo exhibit, giant pandas, Western Lowland Gorillas, and many other rare and endangered species.

Atlanta Cyclorama features the world's largest oil painting and one of only three surviving 3-D circular dioramas of its kind.

Margaret Mitchell House & Museum includes the apartment where the Atlanta author penned her most famous work and a Gone with the Wind Museum showcasing movie memorabilia.

The National Museum of Patriotism promotes the history of patriotism through educational exhibits.

Six Flags Over Georgia features 10 roller coasters, including the all-new GOLIATH, the Skull Island water park, Broadway-style shows, concerts and more.

Stone Mountain Park offers family activities including a re-created 19th century town, Ride The Ducks land and water tours, a sky lift, antebellum plantation, the Treehouse Challenge children's attraction, and the popular Lasershow Spectacular.


A Walk Through History

Stand in the footsteps of civil rights leaders on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, where the shoe prints of heroes such as Rosa Parks, President Jimmy Carter, Thurgood Marshall and 35 others have been memorialized in the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.


The Sports Scene

Presented by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta Inc. each September, the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic matches the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattlers and Tennessee State University (TSU) Tigers at the Georgia Dome.

In April, local black business leaders tee off at the 100 Black Men of Atlanta's 100 Golf Classic.

Run every year on July 4, the Peachtree Road Race is the world's largest 10K race with 55,000 participants.

Visit Turner Field - home to the Atlanta Braves, and the Ivan Allen Jr. Braves Museum & Hall of Fame.

Other major sports venues in Atlanta include the Georgia Dome, home to the Atlanta Falcons, and Philips Arena, home of Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Georgia Force.

Shop the Sports Celebs' Stores
Hip and diverse, just like their sports-hero owners, these shops are hometown winners:

• The Wine Store in Alpharetta is owned by offensive lineman Chris Hinton, who spent four years playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
• Sports home-run champion Hank Aaron is proprietor of Hank Aaron BMW Atlanta. Fans can test-drive the latest models and get an autograph if they're lucky.
• Bella Azul, in Atlanta's West Side District, is a funky yet sophisticated women's clothing shop that sells upscale body lotions and fashion, co-owned by former Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Bob Whitfield and his wife, Sheree.

African-American Sports Museum
This first U.S. museum devoted to black athletes is packed with more than 1,000 photos, uniforms and posters. Exhibits chronicle the accomplishments of African-Americans and the roles these legends played in ending prejudice.


Famous Places

Atlanta’s West End Neighborhood
Many famous black Atlantans have called Atlanta's West End neighborhood home, including Joel Candler Harris who created the children's stories of Br'er Rabbit. His former residence, the Wren's Nest, is a historic register museum and storytelling center.

South-View Cemetery
Situated south of downtown Atlanta at 1990 Jonesboro Road, South-View Cemetery was founded in 1886 by nine black businessmen who petitioned the state of Georgia for a charter to establish a cemetery where people could be buried with dignity, without regard for race. Now, more than 70,000 African-Americans have been buried here including The Rev. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr., Alonzo F. Herndon and musicians Graham Jackson and Chuck Willis.


Atlanta Tourist Loop

MARTA, Atlanta's transit authority, has started the ATL (Atlanta Tourist Loop), a new shuttle bus service linking downtown and Midtown hotels with attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, High Museum of Art, Atlanta Botanical Garden, CNN Center and more. For route information and schedules, call (404) 848-5000 or visit www.itsmarta.com.


Independent Bookstores

For a book-signing series of progressive black writers, poetry readings and lectures on topics related to black history and culture, visit the Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural Center & Bookstore at Greenbriar Mall; call (404) 752-6125.

Other independent bookstores that host author readings and signings include Medu, also at Greenbriar Mall [(404) 346-3263] and Nubian Bookstore at Southlake Mall [(678) 422-6120].