One day in Atlanta

Day by day

1. Day 1: Georgia Aquarium and National Center for Civil and Human Rights

   Georgia Aquarium, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park, then Fox Theatre in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Georgia Aquarium

      Go straight to Ocean Voyager at opening, then circle back through the smaller galleries as school groups arrive. Allow 3 hours.

   2. Late morning

      National Center for Civil and Human Rights

      Allow time to recover after the lunch-counter exhibit; it is intense and many visitors find it emotional. Allow 2 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Lemon pepper wings

      Neighbourhood wing joints across the city and in most sports bars; locals argue over which one is best.

   4. Afternoon

      World of Coca-Cola

      Save the tasting room for last and try the bitter Italian aperitif-style drink everyone talks about. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Centennial Olympic Park

      Bring a change of clothes for young children on hot days; the fountain is hard to resist. Allow 30–60 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Fox Theatre

      Even a cheap seat for a concert gets you the full interior; arrive early to look around.

Before you go

• Georgia Aquarium: Timed tickets are cheaper and easier to secure online; weekends and school holidays sell out.

If it rains

• Swap in Ponce City Market (Old Fourth Ward): Eat in the food hall, then buy a rooftop ticket around sunset for the skyline view.
• Swap in High Museum of Art (Midtown): Check which special exhibition is on; they often require a separate timed ticket.
• Swap in Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Druid Hills): Combine the indoor dinosaurs with the outdoor WildWoods trails for children who need to run around.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–9 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. MARTA has four rail lines: the Red and Gold lines run north–south from the airport through downtown, Midtown and Buckhead, and the Blue and Green lines run east–west.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Atlanta
• 3 days in Atlanta

Questions travellers ask