Downtown Area
For some Atlantans, "new construction" means anything built after Sherman burned down the city in 1864, but the downtown area is decidedly 21st century. For historic perspective, check out Martin Luther King Jr.'s childhood neighborhood, just east on Auburn Avenue, and relive 1920s Atlanta at the nearby African-American Panoramic Experience (APEX) Museum's Trolley-Car Theater. Further west, along Andrew Young International Boulevard, you'll see a mix of fourth-generation locals and suits as you pass CNN's massive headquarters, the giant Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coca-Cola museum. To the south, past the huge Centennial Olympic Park and its beckoning Fountain of Rings, is the fashionable Castleberry Hill section of downtown, where artists have turned old warehouse space into residential lofts, cool galleries, and restaurants with broad porches.
RESTAURANTS
Luckie Food Lounge
Try the shrimp and grits, and don't miss the Wonka-like sweets selection at the takeout bakery counter. 375 Luckie Street NW, (404) 525-5825
Sweet Auburn Bread Company
It has a life-changing sweet-potato cheesecake. 234 Auburn Avenue NE, (404) 221-1157
Baltimore Crab and Seafood
Let the kids wrestle with their crab legs and dive into heaping bowls of southern-style mac and cheese and banana pudding. 253 Peters Street, (404) 523-2121
STORES
No Más! Hacienda
Find unique Mexican folk art, statuettes, and lighting. 180 Walker Street SW, (404) 215-9769
The Store At Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta
Buy moon sand and a toy that turns doodles into stickers. 275 Centennial Olympic
Park Drive NW, (404) 659-5437
Rondo Distributing Company
Set your karma straight in this packed voodoo store of candles, incense, and potions. 171 Mitchell Street, 404-522-4379
ACTIVITIES
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birth Home
Free tours of his boyhood home are led by National Park Service rangers. 501 Auburn Avenue NE, (404) 331-5190
World of Coca-Cola
The tasting room has 64 international flavors. (Good luck limiting the kids to one.)
121 Baker Street NW, (404) 676-5151
Georgia Aquarium
You'll need a few hours to see all the sea critters in the 8 million gallons' worth of tanks, including a 100-foot-long tunnel with stingrays and sharks. 225 Baker Street NW, (404) 581-4000
Centennial Olympic Park
Get sweaty at the south end playgrounds, cross the grassy "Great Lawn," then cool off in the Fountain of Rings. 285 International Boulevard NW, 404-222-7275
Next Page: Candler Park Area
