Stone Mountain, Atlanta © Atlanta DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau

Why? There are many reasons why people choose to holiday in Atlanta. It holds a certain mystique as the centre of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and has retained a reputation for true Southern hospitality, despite having become a major international metropolis in a relatively short time. The city also boasts a number of varied attractions from the country's biggest aquarium to the home of Coca-Cola and is not short on sports and music venues.
When? Georgia summers are prone to heat-waves, and winters can be very cold, therefore the best time to travel to Atlanta is in spring or autumn.
Who for? A holiday in Atlanta is particularly popular among African-Americans who come to visit Dr Martin Luther King's birthplace. Others who travel to Atlanta come to shop and sight-see among the magnificent high-rise malls and shopping plazas. Being the home of several major corporations Atlanta is also a favourite conference venue, attracting business people who find plenty to keep them busy in their leisure time.
More Info: Making the most of an Atlanta holiday is easy with the help of our Atlanta travel guide, which is updated regularly with the latest events, attraction details, and restaurant recommendations. The Atlanta travel guide also contains all sorts of useful information like public transport, tipping, airport facilities and much more.

Overview

Back in 1837 Atlanta was little more than a hamlet existing to serve as a railway terminus; then came the Civil War that saw the town burned to the ground. Undaunted, 135 years later Atlanta bustles with more than three million people, and has been chosen by numerous leading international companies as the home of their corporate or regional headquarters. The lively, thriving city styles itself as the capital of the 'New South', and its dramatic skyline is littered with gleaming skyscrapers.

Atlanta attracts visitors both for holidays and business, with its plethora of entertainment, shopping and cultural attractions as well as innumerable top class convention and accommodation venues. The downtown Peachtree Centre pedestrianised precinct covers 14 blocks of retail space, including three massive hotels, dozens of restaurants and imposing office towers. There are also plenty of museums, galleries and centres for performing arts, as well as the world's largest aquarium.

Atlanta has not lost its pioneering southern spirit or charm despite its modern guise, and the city's symbol of the phoenix serves as enduring reminder of its troubled past and bright future. The energy that was embodied in its famous sons, Martin Luther King, Jr and Ted Turner (founder of CNN) still crackles in the air and the genteel olde-world atmosphere still lingers in the residential neighbourhoods. Above all, Atlanta radiates a warm welcome in the true tradition of Southern hospitality.