Downtown Walking Tour
The Visitors Center at Centennial Olympic Park is a good place to start any visit to Atlanta. The site of the tragic Olympic bombing in 1996, the park now features a memorial, ringed fountains whose displays are choreographed to music, and a column of flags honoring past Olympic hosts. Across the street stands the state-of the- art Georgia Dome, home of the football Falcons and Super Bowl XXXIV, as well as Phillips Arena, where basketball’s Atlanta Hawks and hockey’s Atlanta Thrashers play their home contests. Tours are available of both facilities.

Facing these two imposing structures is yet another, the CNN Center, headquarters to Ted Turner’s media empire. Enjoy a 45- minute behind-the-scenes tour or join the audience for a taping of “Talk-Back Live,” which broadcasts daily from the lobby.

From CNN, follow Marietta Street east to Peachtree, then walk south a few blocks to Capitol Avenue, then follow west to the corner of Capitol and Washington, for a 45-minute guided tour of the State Capitol. Built in 1889, the 75-foot golden dome crowns one of the most beautiful government buildings in the Southeast.

Atlanta-based soft drink giant Coca-Cola is never really out of sight in the city, and nowhere is that more true than at the interactive World of Coca-Cola Museum at Underground Atlanta, visible from the Capitol steps. The rest of Underground Atlanta is worth a look, too. Opened in 1989, the enclosed 12-acre facility now boasts over 100 stores and restaurants. While you shop, keep an eye out for the marker that denotes the location of the original terminus of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, from which the city got its original name: Terminus.

Complete your tour by choosing from among the many chain restaurants at Underground Atlanta, or head back toward the business district to choose among the many fine downtown offerings.

One word of caution: Downtown Atlanta is primarily a business district, and the area largely shuts down after dark. While not explicitly dangerous, downtown at night is not the safest place to be.

Virginia Highland Walking Tour
The great diversity of eateries in the Highlands make this neighborhood a great choice for lunch, which is a good time to start your tour. Begin at the intersection of Highland and Lenox Road. A nice collection of casual restaurants is amassed at this site of the Union encampment during the Battle of Atlanta. Choose from the Oriental fusion of Doc Chey’s Noodle House, tastes of Cuba at Mamba, or Mexican at Caramba Cafe.

After lunch, take some time to work your way through the galleries and specialty shops, such as the Eclectic Electric Gallery, which showcases modern art with a glowing twist. Next, stroll south along Highland Avenue and enjoy a half-mile stretch of one of Atlanta’s most charming residential districts, which features a diverse showing of late 19th and early 20th century architecture.

As you approach Virginia Avenue and the neighborhood’s namesake intersection, browse an array of boutiques featuring everything from folk art to high fashion. In warm weather, pause for a lemonade (or one of over 100 beers) on the patio at Taco Mac, which commands a bird’s eye view of the busy intersection.

Continuing southward on Highland, another three blocks will land you in the area’s busiest section. Of particular interest to music lovers is the diminutive blues bar Blind Willie’s near Drewry Road. While you’re nearby, check out the menus at some of Atlanta’s hippest restaurants such as Dish, Harvest, and Surin of Thailand, and perhaps leave your name for a dinnertime return.

Proceed on Highland to the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue, a direct line into downtown. Continue for one more block and pause for political chit-chat at Manuel’s Tavern. A longtime watering hole of City Hall denizens, the heated tavern debates have also included such hometown heroes as Jimmy Carter, whose presidential library is just another two blocks down the road.

The Jimmy Carter Center features 30 acres of gardens and lakes, a commanding view of the downtown skyline, and more than 27 million pages of documents, correspondence, and photos from the Carter administration. Backtracking along Highland to Ponce de Leon, turn right and head east into one of Atlanta’s loftiest zip codes. Your final stop is the Fernbank Museum of Natural History at 156 Heaton Park, just half a block off Ponce. This unique building is set on 65 acres of wooded grounds and rolling lawns, and also houses a planetarium, science center and I-MAX theater.

Stone Mountain Tour
Just 16 miles from downtown, Georgia’s Stone Mountain State Park offers a broad range of activities for all ages. The park centers around its impressive namesake, a 1,685-foot-high granite boulder which can be accessed via a short gondola ride up the steep north face, or by a hearty mile-and-a-half climb up the gently sloping east face. Be sure to get a look at the world’s largest bas-relief sculpture, which portrays Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and President Jefferson Davis.

More than 3,000 acres of natural woodland, lakes, fields, and trails provide opportunities for hiking, biking, or just communing with nature. The Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad departs regularly on treks around the base of the mountain, making various stops on its breathtaking half-hour run.

History lovers will want to visit the restored plantation museum, or climb aboard the Scarlett O’Hara, an authentic riverboat that tours the park’s lakes in style. Other attractions include a petting zoo, Civil War museum, water park, several championship golf courses, tennis courts, restaurants and more. Stay late for the laser light show, a nightly event during summer months, Fridays through Sundays in spring and fall.

Stone Mountain is easily-accessible by public transportation. Catch an East Line MARTA train to the Indian Trail station, from which point bus service will deliver you directly to the park.