Photo by Sean Pavone - Getty Images
Atlanta Skyline
Atlanta's skyline over Piedmont Park
The jam band Little Feat sang memorably about the capital of South in its song “Oh, Atlanta,” but visitors had been flocking there even before the song. In fact, you might say that American Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and the Union Army were among the first tourists, intent on burning the Big Peach to the ground in 1864. That didn’t happen.
Today, most visitors fly into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). As the home to Delta Air Lines, the carrier offers many flights to Georgia’s capital. You can fly non-stop from Mitchell International Airport (MKE) to Atlanta (ATL) on Delta Air Lines multiple times per day and Frontier Airlines twice a week. View flight schedules here. (Hint: January is the cheapest month to travel.)
Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia, the Atlanta metro area covers 132 square miles and was the hometown of American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is the state’s largest city and its financial and cultural hub.
Cultural Highlights
Visitors enjoy Atlanta, they say, because of its blend of Southern hospitality and cultural sophistication, and the city has no shortage of either. Whether it’s history, music, theater, or visual arts, Atlantans have a wide variety of cultural destinations to choose from.
The Egyptian-styled, architecturally significant Fox Theatre is a work of art all its own. If you’re there for New Years Eve this year you can ring in 2026 with three nights of Widespread Panic, the jam band that hails from nearby Athens, Georgia. The rest of the spring schedule ranges musical theater favorites from The Sound of Music (April 7–12) to Monty Python’s Spamalot (July 21-26), the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater (February 11–15), and classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma (April 18), to name just a few.
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Atlanta also is home to the Center for Puppetry Arts, where Muppet creator Jim Henson’s legacy plays a significant role. There are lots of other family attractions to take in as well, including Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium and the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Along with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historical Park and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, the city boasts Skyview Atlanta, a 20-foot-high Ferris wheel with stunning views of the surroundings, and the Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile “loop” walking trail that connects with a lot of the attractions as well as the city’s most characteristic neighborhoods.
Restaurants? Atlanta has 2,788 with heavier concentrations in the Buckhead and Midtown neighborhoods. STK-Atlanta (steakhouse), Campagnolo (Italian), and Rumi’s Kitchen (Persian) top the list. Make your reservations early.
I’d Like to Buy the World a What?
Perhaps the most popular only-in-Atlanta attraction is The World of Coca Cola, humankind’s most audacious tribute to a soft drink. Part theme-park, part history museum, the location at Pemberton Place tells the story of pharmacist John Pemberton who in 1886 bought his perfected syrup to Jacob’s Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta. The first glasses of Coke were poured at just 5 cents each.
The original recipe for Coke contained fresh coca leaves, adding significant amounts of cocaine to the beverage. The “coke” in Coke was eliminated in 1903, but caffeine still gives drinkers the light buzz they may be looking for, and the beverage also is thought to aid digestion.
Atlanta’s Motto
Given its long and productive history, you’d think Atlanta would have a motto. It does, and that word is Resurgens, Latin for “rise again.” It’s a reference to the mythical Phoenix, which is said to have been reborn out of its own ashes for a greater purpose. And that’s a goal for which we all should strive.
