Even though Atlanta has been torn down and rebuilt a number of times, the city is steeped in history. You can still find historic buildings dotted throughout the city - from the Civil War to the civil rights movement and everything in between. Instead of putzing around a stuffy library, visit one or two of these places to get a real taste of Atlanta history:
Sweet Auburn Curb Market - This market was first established in the early 1900s and is still a functioning municipal market today. During segregation, blacks were only allowed to shop the stalls along the curb, hence its name. Today, the market is located downtown near the Georgia State Campus. It has a number of stalls that sell meats, fish, and produce. There are also a number of small, popular eateries like Grindhouse Burgers and Bell Street Burritos. This is not a gentrified, downtown, touristy market like Chelsea Market in New York and Pike Street Market in Seattle. Its appearance is a little rough around the edges, but that just adds to the charm and authenticity of the place.
After stocking up on groceries and getting a bite to eat at the curb market, head north one block and walk along Auburn Avenue. This is the Sweet Auburn district, a historically black business district and home to Ebenezer Church and the birth home of Martin Luther King, Jr. You can still see some of the facades of the historic businesses that shut down decades ago like the famous music club, The Royal Peacock. If you want a guided tour of the area, get in touch with the Atlanta Preservation Center for more information.
Not too far north of the Sweet Auburn district is Margaret Mitchell House on Peachtree Street. You can take a tour of the famous writer’s apartment and see where she wrote Gone with the Wind. If you’re looking for a grander house museum, head north on Peachtree and check out Rhodes Hall, the home of Rhodes Furniture founder Amos Rhodes. Peachtree Street used to be lined with mansions and Rhodes Hall is one of the only remaining ones today. It was built to look like a small German castle and the interior does not disappoint.
Just south of downtown is Oakland Cemetery. It’s the resting place for many famous Atlantans like Margaret Mitchell and Maynard Jackson, and has a number of beautiful mausoleums scattered throughout the grounds. Stop by the Visitors Center, take a self-guided tour, or come for one of the events hosted at the cemetery. If you think cemeteries are creepy and/or boring, a trip to Oakland Cemetery will change that mindset.
Not far from Oakland Cemetery is the Cyclorama located in Grant Park. It’s a giant, panoramic painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta fought during the Civil War. The best part is that you get to sit on a rotating platform during the tour of the painting, which is complete with music, educational facts, and lighting. There’s nothing else like it in town. Make sure to stop by the small exhibit on how the Cyclorama was installed and how, at one point, it became overrun with rats.
Last, but definitely not least, head west to the Wren’s Nest. In the West End neighborhood, it is the oldest house museum in Atlanta and the home of Joel Chandler Harris, the creator of Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit. Plan ahead and make sure to come for a tour and storytelling. It’s fascinating to tour the home of one of the most popular authors of the 19th and 20th centuries. The storytelling is geared towards kids, but it’s equally as fun for adults.
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Things To Do In Gainesville
Adventure Supercars
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Customers experience driving a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Nissan, BMW, or McLaren themselves around a track
Atlanta Motorsports Park
45% Off Giant Swing Ride at ZipNTime
ZipNTime
Helen
$20 $11
Drop from 50 feet in a giant swing overlooking the scenic Nacoochee Valley and Mount Yonah
Up to 57% Off at Funtastik!
Funtastik!
Gainesville
$52.97 $25.99
24 gleaming bowling lanes; 3,500-square-foot laser-tag arena comprises two floors
Up to 56% Off Zipline Tour or Teepee Stay
North Georgia Canopy Tours
Lula
$89 $44
Three hours of ziplining on 1+ miles of cable, including a 695-foot dual zip; stay in a teepee with provided linens
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Mountain Wake
Hiawassee
$110 $55
While attached to a propulsion apparatus at the feet, participants fly high above the water before diving back into the surf
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On Set Actors Studio
Gainesville
$90 $45
Celebrity coaches from popular television shows lead students in exercises to improve their acting skills and help them think on their feet
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Velocity Motorsports
Velocity Motorsports
$299 $149
At speeds reaching over 100 MPH, cruise around the track at Atlanta Motorsports Park behind the wheel of a supercar
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Anytime Fitness
Gainesville
$100 $50
Local businesses like this one promote thriving, distinctive communities by offering a rich array of goods and services to locals like you
Half Off Fly-Fishing Outing with Expert Guide
Sweetwater Outfitting Company
Multiple Locations
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An expert guide leads four-hour fly-fishing trip down one of the companies streams in search of trout
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Pure Speed Drag Racing Experience
Multiple Locations
$169 $119
Dragster creates g-force as drivers accelerate to speeds of 100+ mph during ride-alongs or self-piloted adventures
Up to 51% Off Gun-Range Packages
Cedar Creek Gun Range and Shop
Greater Gainesville Area
$46 $23
Six 45-foot shooting lanes in a range with a HEPA air-filtration system and a closed-circuit TV system so spectators can watch
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Atlanta Motorsports Park
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Test drive exotic cars like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Nissan, Audi, and more at high speeds on a professional racetrack
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Gainesville
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Local businesses like this one promote thriving, distinctive communities by offering a rich array of goods and services to locals like you
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American Guitar Academy
Multiple Locations
$129.95 $49
Under the tutelage of skilled instructors, prospective rock icons learn scales, chords, and soloing techniques during 30-minute lessons
81% Off Martial Arts
Rock Solid Karate
Gainesville
$160 $30
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Passion Music Institute
Gainesville
$70 $34
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Loomis Bros. Circus
Multiple Locations
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At the summit of Mount Yonah, hikers bask in the dying sunlight and soak up views of verdant foothills that span the horizon. Before the sun dips below the peaks, they meander back down the craggy trail toward Habersham Vineyard, where they can toast to a wholesome day of hiking. This scenic hike is one of dozens of possible routes led by Skywater Georgia Wine Hiking’s knowledgeable guides. They draw upon their knowledge of the region to showcase the best trails and wineries during daylong tours. Based on each group’s fitness level, interest, and ability to tolerate photo-bombing sasquatches, guides can plan easy-going three-hour hikes around Victoria Bryant State Park, or embark instead on a 10-hour journey up the steep foothills of Standing Indian. Regardless of the tour route, guides take time to point out local flora and fauna, and energize groups’ with a light lunch.
7025 South Main Street
Helen,
GA
US
After designing more than 100 golf courses in countries including Spain, South Africa, Japan, and Scotland, architect Denis Griffiths set his sights on the mountains of North Georgia. He carved out a course that Golf Georgia hailed as “entirely unique” for its landform variety and dune-inspired topography. The course’s layout takes players on a journey through hidden landing zones, scattered bunkers, slopes reminiscent of Scotland, and wetlands full of politely clapping salamanders. Golfers looking to gussy up their game can visit one of 20 hitting stations at a double-tiered grass range that stretches 400 yards. Two short-game target greens and a full putting green round out Old Union Golf Course's practice facilities.
Course at a Glance:
- 18-hole, par 72 course
- Total length of 7,681 yards from the back tees
- Course rating of 76.8 from the back tees
- Course slope of 144 from the back tees
- Five sets of tees per hole
- Scorecard
78 Scores Point Dr
Blairsville,
GA
US
Byron Herbert Reece's life may have been short, but his body of work has endured the test of time. In his 40 years, Reece wrote five volumes of poetry inspired by nature and the Bible, as well as two novels. Before his death in 1958, he had been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won the Georgia Writers Association’s Literary Achievement Award five times.
The Byron Herbert Reece Historic Homeplace celebrates this legacy. The grounds encompass a restored barn, the renovated and relocated Reece family home, and other structures quintessential of the rural south. They serve as the location for the Reece Family Museum and its various exhibits. Nearby, the aptly named Poetry Trail wanders past six stone boulders, each inscribed with one of Reece's poems and filled with a secret candy filling.
8552 Gainesville Highway
Blairsville,
GA
US
Though the two squadrons of the 706th Fighter Wing operate from under Fighter Wing Virtual Air Combat's single roof, the divide between them couldn't be deeper. The blue Virtual Vipers fly their F-35A jets into never-ending battle against the red Crazy Ivans, who dive into the fray with the MiG-29 Fulcrum. These dogfights take place on the screens of realistic flight simulators, the same used by the USAF for training, replete with the dozens of gauges, buttons, and tactical cup holders that populate an actual fighter's cockpit. As visiting airmen become more familiar with such skills as landing and navigation, they might find themselves thrown into daring missions against enemy planes, vital ground targets, and even their fellow pilots.
Unknown
Dahlonega,
GA
US
The Range
- Six 45-foot shooting lanes
- Accommodates rifles, shotguns, and handguns
- Closed-circuit TV system lets spectators watch
- HEPA air-filtration system
The Rentals
- Pistols
- Rifles
- Traditional and themed targets
At a Glance
Sometimes, a regular bullseye just won't cut it. That's the case at Cedar Creek Gun Range and Shop, where themed competitions regularly takeover the gun range. On Tuesdays, shooters fire at bowling pins. They aim at poker cards on Friday and Saturday nights, and then compete in shooting games that mimic the classic board game, Battleship. Cedar Creek also hosts NRA pistol classes, while its onsite armorers and gunsmiths maintain and upgrade customers' firearms.
4042 Chamblee Rd.
Oakwood,
GA
US
Golfers across Texas, Arizona, and Georgia get an expert's opinion on their local private and public courses through AvidGolfer Magazine. The professionals also offer some basic instructions, in-depth product reviews, and careful explanations of why a lower score is better. Besides expert advice, the magazine releases an annual passbook that grants subscribers entry into several local courses.
210 Marina Way
Dawsonville,
GA
US
