Atlanta is the capital of Georgia and the largest city in the American South, a sprawling, car-dependent metropolis with a surprisingly good cultural centre. Downtown holds the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola museum, and Centennial Olympic Park, remnant of the 1996 Games. Midtown has the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Sweet Auburn is one of the more affecting memorial sites in the country.
The city spreads across a series of distinct neighbourhoods. Virginia Highlands and Inman Park are pleasant on foot, with good restaurants and independent shops. Buckhead, to the north, is where the nightlife concentrates — large venues, upmarket bars, and a density of restaurants. The BeltLine trail connects many of these neighbourhoods and is the best way to navigate between them without a car.
Atlanta was almost completely destroyed during Sherman's March to the Sea in 1864 and rebuilt rapidly in the following decades, which is why the architecture is mostly modern. The city has been a centre of the civil rights movement — Martin Luther King Jr. was born here — and that history is taken seriously, not turned into kitsch. Plan at least two days to see the major sites properly.