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Located in the northern half of Georgia known as the Piedmont in the USA, Atlanta's landscape is one of undulating hills wedged between rugged mountains and a flat coastal plain. Its unique geographical position has made it the transportation core of the South since the 19th century.

Railroads, highways and its airport - the world's busiest - have made it accessible to the rest of the country and attractive to the convention trade. Brimming with Southern hospitality, Atlanta hosted the International Exposition in 1895, and 101 years later was the site of the 1996 Olympics.

The city is the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement and birthplace of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King. The Center for Human Civil Rights will open in 2010, housing all of Dr King's personal papers.

Today, Metropolitan Atlanta, with a population of over 5 million, sprawls over 28 counties and 140 cities and towns. An efficient transportation band encircles the city proper, a diverse range of neighbourhoods with a growing population of 520,000 residents and over 52 different streets named Peachtree.

Besides being the economic and cultural centre of the southern United States, and corporate headquarters for dozens of major companies, Atlanta offers traditional charm with a modern flair. Filled with attractions and activities, including the world's biggest indoor aquarium, Atlanta Civil War Cyclorama, CNN Studio Tours, the Martin Luther King Jr Historic District, and Six Flags Over Georgia, metropolitan Atlanta has something for almost every visitor.

Getting Around

Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Tel: 1 800 897 1910.
Website: www.atlanta-airport.com

Located 16.2km (10 miles) south of the city, the Hartfield-Jackson, the busiest airport in the world, serves around 90 million passengers annually. A fifth runway opened in May 2006. As the Capital Improvement Program continues, travellers will have access to a new energy-efficient car rental facility and new 12-gate international terminal.

Airport facilities: Services include restaurants, bars, Internet kiosks, retail shops, a post office, chapel, bank, ATMs, bureaux de change, tourist information and car hire (including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty).

Transport to the city:MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) (tel: (404) 848 5000; www.itsmarta.com) operates light rail services from the airport to Downtown and throughout the metropolitan area. Schedules may be obtained from the MARTA airport station (tel: (404) 848 4711), Traveler's Aid and the International Information Counter. Taxi services take 15-60 minutes to Five Points, depending upon traffic. Taxis have flat rates to the central business district (about US$32), to Midtown (about US$33) and to Buckhead (about US$47). The Atlanta Link (tel: (404) 524 3400 or 1 866 545 9633; www.theatlantalink.com) provides airport shuttle service from Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead hotels. Reservations for shared-ride shuttles to Atlanta, Atlanta metro and non-metro areas can be secured at the Ground Transportation Center's island F.

Trains

Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com) is the national railway service provider.

Amtrak Station, 1688 Peachtree Street Northwest (tel: (404) 881 3063), in Midtown, only sees two arrivals and departures each day, on slow trains. These offer an overlooked way to see the countryside and small towns of the USA. Reservations are necessary for priority seating and sleeping accommodations. The station has basic facilities, such as vending machines and an ATM.

Rail Services
The Amtrak Crescent service links Atlanta with New Orleans and New York (trains 19 and 20). An evening departure runs to Washington and New York and a morning departure to New Orleans. Sleepers, restaurant service and various excursion options are available.

By Road

The USA has a network of sequentially numbered Interstate (I) highways. The roads with numbers ending in 0 cross the country east to west, while those ending in 5 run north to south.

Maximum speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on rural Interstates, 105kph (65mph) on urban Interstates and 88kph (55mph) on other roads. Locals regularly exceed these limits and pass with impunity on both left and right sides. In business or residential districts, a limit of 48kph (30mph) applies. The maximum legal alcohol-to-blood ratio is 0.08%. Both front and backseat passengers must wear seat belts, while children under the age of five years are required to be seated and belted in the back of the car in a child protective seat. Helmets are mandatory for motorcycle riders. As a deterrent, radar detectors are common. Fines can be issued on the spot for seat-belt or helmet offences, speeding and also throwing litter from the vehicle. Drunk-driving is always prosecuted and can result in penalties of up to a US$1,000 fine plus 12 months in jail.

The minimum age for driving in Atlanta is 16 years; however, there are various restrictions for drivers under 18 and 21 years. It is best to check the Georgia Motor Vehicle Division online (www.dmvs.ga.gov). National driving licences are sufficient if in English, otherwise International Driving Permits are required. Rush hours are 0700-0930 and 1600-1900.

The Southern Automobile Association (AAA) (tel: 1 800 222 1134; www.aaasouth.com) provides insurance and breakdown recovery for members at competitive prices, and also provides free maps and tourist guides.

Emergency breakdown services
AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357/AAA HELP).

Routes to the city
Atlanta is intersected by Interstates 20, 75 and 85. I-20 travels west to Birmingham (Alabama) and Dallas (Texas) and east to Augusta and Columbia (South Carolina). I-75 passes through Atlanta on its way north from Florida to Michigan. I-85 heads southwest to Montgomery (Alabama) and northeast to Charlotte (North Carolina) and Virginia. I-285 is a perimeter highway that rings the metropolitan area but the city has expanded northwards to Marietta, Roswell and other suburbs outside the ring. An urban highway, GA400, links the northern suburbs with the city centre and provides easy access to the north Appalachians. GA400 is a toll road; the cost levied depends upon the mileage driven.

Coach services
Greyhound (tel: (404) 584 1728 or 1 800 231 2222 or 1 800 229 9424; www.greyhound.com) has a 24-hour coach station, at 232 Forsyth Street Southwest, off Peachtree Street Southwest, where baggage and parcel services, ticketing and fast food are available. Greyhound operates coaches throughout the USA; some direct destinations include Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans and Orlando.

Local Transport

Public Transport

Although a car-dominated city, Atlanta also has rapid rail and bus services provided by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) (tel: (404) 848 5000; www.itsmarta.com), which means that most places can be reached by public transport. The bus network operates throughout the city around 0500-0130 Monday to Friday and 0500-2430 Saturday and Sunday. Buses take correct change or tokens only. The underground rail network runs from the north suburbs of Marietta to the airport in the south; east-west lines also extend across the suburbs. Trains are quiet, clean and, outside the rush hour, uncrowded. In stations, machines dispense tokens and change. Ticket booths are closed in the evenings. Rail services operate around 0500-0100 Monday to Friday and 0500-2430 Saturday and Sunday.

For bus or rail, fares are purchased from a ticket dispenser. Rail stations sell tokens or the reloadable Breeze Card (www.breezecard.com) for use on both bus and rail services. A useful option is to buy one of the following Visitor Passes (loaded onto your Breeze Card and allowing unlimited access to all services): 1-4 days, 7 days, 10 days, 30 days, 10 trips or 20 trips.

Driving in the City

Atlanta relies heavily on cars, so there is plenty of parking for most major office buildings, malls and hotels. The city is generally jam-packed with cars so it is not advisable for visitors to hire a car unless staying outside the immediate town centre or planning to visit sites located in the outskirts of the city.

Freeways are often congested, especially within the ring road (I-285) during weekday rush hours. The I-285 is a frighteningly busy five-lane highway with multiple exits and speeding traffic. Lane discipline is almost non-existent but should drivers venture into another's, they are likely to be hooted or verbally abused.

For visitors staying on the outskirts of the city and using the light rail system to travel into the city, most MARTA stations provide parking. However, visitors should be careful of off-street parking near theatres and music venues. Not all of these temporary parking lots are legal. On average, parking costs approximately US$2 per hour in car parks, or US$5-10 flat rate. Hotel overnight parking averages about US$20 per night.

Car Hire

To hire a car, an International Driving Permit is only required if the visitor's national driving licence is not in English. Some agencies will not hire cars to anyone under 25 years old or possibly over 71 years. Car hire prices are very competitive and fly-drive deals can reduce the prices further.

Companies insist on Collision Damage Waiver insurance (CDW) and car hire prices quoted will usually not include this or sales tax at 8%. However, European insurance may be extendible to cover US driving and some credit cards may have an insurance option that covers car hire insurance.

Major car hire agencies, which have several offices throughout the city, include: Alamo (tel: 1 800 327 9633; www.alamo.com), Avis (tel: 1 800 331 1212; www.avis.com), Budget (tel: 1 800 527 0700; www.budget.com), Dollar (tel: 1 800 800 4000; www.dollar.com), Enterprise (tel: 1 800 261 7331; www.enterprise.com), Hertz (tel: 1 800 654 3131; www.hertz.com), National (tel: 1 800 227 7368; www.nationalcar.com) and Thrifty (tel: 1 800 367 2277; www.thrifty.com).

General Information

Special note: When placing telephone calls within the city, visitors must use one of the four existing area codes (404, 770, 470 or 678) with the number. In general, the 404 code is used within the ‘Perimeter' ring road of I-285, while 770 is used outside the Perimeter. Codes 470 and 678 are in use in both of these areas and give no indication of the location.

Location

State of Georgia, southeast USA.

Time zone

GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from second Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity

110 volts AC, 50Hz; two-pin plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures

9ºC (48ºF).

Average July temperatures

32ºC (90ºF).

Annual rainfall

1,200mm (48 inches).

Things to do

Sightseeing Overview

Atlanta is more of a business centre than a holiday destination, yet it is one of the South's most interesting cities, a mixture of history, family attractions, art, culture and dining. While there are no beaches for sunbathing, no mountains for skiing and no cobble-stoned quaintness or soaring gothic cathedrals, Atlanta does have something to offer everyone. The Georgia Aquarium claims to be the biggest indoor aquarium in the world. Other popular attractions include the Atlanta Cyclorama, the CNN Center, Stone Mountain Park, the Martin Luther King Jr Historic District, Six Flags Over Georgia and Zoo Atlanta.

The city's history helps to define Atlanta's uniqueness. Underground Atlanta, with its hidden delights, marks the birthplace of the city; a few MARTA stops away, the Fox Theatre, an architectural riot of domes and minarets, reflects the excesses of the 1920s.

Sandwiched between business towers of the 1990s, less than a mile north on Peachtree Street, the Margaret Mitchell Home is a diminutive museum of life in the 1930s. Continuing north on Peachtree Street, the High Museum of Art glistens with sleek white porcelain panels in the sun.

Notices at street corners and on buildings (especially around the Virginia Highlands neighbourhood), mark the sites of major battles and events in the Civil War. The Confederacy is also commemorated in several stately Southern homes, such as the Governor's Mansion and the houses of Grant Park. The Martin Luther King Jr Historic District in Sweet Auburn chronicles the city's more recent history.

The Downtown area near Centennial Olympic Park, the CNN Center and Five Points are the best places to explore by foot. Pedestrians really need to keep their wits about them in this vehicle-dominated city. Cars rule the roads and drivers expect obeisance from those on foot.

Tourist Information

Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau
Suite 1400, 233 Peachtree Street Northeast
Tel: (404) 521 6600 or 1 800 285 2682/ATLANTA.
Website: www.atlanta.net 

Atlanta has three visitors centres at: Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Boulevard, Downtown, although this is open only during GWCC events; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, North Terminal; and Underground Atlanta, 65 Upper Alabama Street.

Passes

Passes
The Atlanta CityPass (www.citypass.com), valid for nine days, gives free entry to six out of eight attractions (to choose from: Georgia Aquarium, New World of Coca Cola, Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour, Zoo Atlanta, Fernbank Museum of Natural History or Atlanta Botanical Garden, High Museum of Art or Atlanta History Center).

Attractions

Atlanta Botanical Garden
While away some pleasant hours amid sculptures and English and Japanese gardens. Tropical, desert and endangered plants are shown year round in the Fuqua Conservatory. Located 5km (3 miles) from Downtown.

1345 Piedmont Avenue Northeast
Tel: (404) 876 5859.
Website: www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1900 (Apr-Oct); Tues-Sun 0900-1700 (Nov-Mar).
Admission charge.

Michael C Carlos Museum
Part of Emory University, this museum of ancient art seeks to share the stories of civilisation: tales of love, beauty, power, faith and glory. Its Asian Art collection highlights Hinduism and Buddhism, while Ancient Egypt stresses the afterlife. The Roman and Greek galleries focus on warfare, private life and theatre. Other exhibits include African and pre-Columbian art.

571 South Kilgo Circle
Tel: (404) 727 4282.
Website: http://carlos.emory.edu
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1800, Sun 1200-1800.
Admission charge.

National Archives Southeast Region
This Southeast branch of the National Archives (the main branch is in Washington, DC) has original documents like family histories, penitentiary files and naturalisation papers that date back to 1716. There is an interesting exhibit of draft cards (selective service cards) of famous people such as Harry Houdini, Babe Ruth and James Cagney.

5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow (close to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport)
Tel: (770) 968 2100.
Website: www.archives.gov/southeast
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 0830-1700.
Free admission.

Underground Atlanta
Constructed on the underpinnings of early Atlanta, this one time railroad gulch (ravine) is now a marketplace, featuring restaurants, speciality shops, street vendors, entertainment emporiums and guided or unguided history tours. It appeals primarily to tourists.

Corner of Peachtree and Alabama Streets
Tel: (404) 523 2311.
Website: www.underground-atlanta.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-2100, Sun 1100-1900.
Free admission.

Restaurants

Gastronomic

Bacchanalia
Chef owners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison are so obsessed with freshness, they grow many of the ingredients on their own farm. Menu offerings focus on seasonal fruits and vegetables. The funky dining room is a rehabbed factory complex with high ceilings and yellow brick framing the former factory windows. Risottos, cheeses and homemade ice creams are mouth-watering. Star Provisions, the adjoining shop, offers many unusual food items.

1198 Howell Mill Road
Tel: (404) 365 0410.
Website: www.starprovisions.com
Price: $$$$ 

Nikolai's Roof
Grab your ermine tails and ascend to Nikolai's Roof at the top of the Hilton Atlanta. The button-fronted red-jacketed wait staff will make you feel like a Russian tsar or tsarina. Mirrors and floor-to-ceiling windows complete the Old-World ambience. Dinner is not a meal, but an event. Start with an icy, flavoured vodka and maybe caviar. Whatever your main course, it will be beautifully presented and luscious. Save room for the de rigueur soufflé as a finale.

Hilton Atlanta, 255 Courtland Street, Northeast
Tel: (404) 221 6362.
Website: www.nikolaisroof.com
Price: $$$ (Prix fixe eight-course tasting menu: $$$$)

Business

Atlanta Fish Market
The huge fish sculpture over the entrance leaves no doubt about the cuisine. The bistro-styled restaurant, with tables and chairs packed cheek by jowl, is the place for oysters, crab cakes, gumbo and Hong Kong-styled steam bass. Service is fast but the place is often crowded, especially on weekends. Diners can enjoy their fish baked, steamed, broiled or even with an eye staring right back at them.

265 Pharr Road
Tel: (404) 262 3165.
Website: www.buckheadrestaurants.com
Price: $$$

Bone's
Bone's, the place for a power-lunch or dinner, is the quintessential steakhouse. It has a clubby atmosphere (with photos of the rich and shameless adorning every square inch of wall space) and is tastefully adorned with rich fabrics and dark woods. Good beef, good wine, fried onion rings, lobster bisque and a pecan pie close to perfection are the stars on the cholesterol-laden menu. Reservations are essential.

3130 Piedmont Road
Tel: (404) 237 2663.
Website: www.bonesrestaurant.com
Price: $$$$

NEO at The Mansion on Peachtree
This upscale, contemporary Italian restaurant's terrace dining overlooks the English country garden of the elegant Rosewood Mansion on Peachtree. Sunday Brunch is a traditional affair, with food exquisitely presented and decadent desserts for the chocolate lovers. The last Wednesday of every month, NEO Unplugged offers a unique release from the working world. Cell phones and blackberries are checked at the door, the restaurant lights are unplugged, and give way to a relaxing, candlelit dinner.

3376 Peachtree Road
Tel: (404) 995 7500.
Website: www.rwmansiononpeachtree.com/dining.cfm
Price: $$$

Trendy

Buckhead Diner
Buckhead Diner's sleek steel structure is reminiscent of the 1940s and 1950s. The retro atmosphere pervades the frequently changing menu, which runs the gamut from homemade potato chips and meat loaf to seared yellow fin tuna. A very popular eatery, this is a prime place for people-watching and absolutely the best place to have dinner solo. Brunch is particularly popular on Sundays.

3073 Piedmont Road
Tel: (404) 262 3336.
Website: www.buckheadrestaurants.com
Price: $$

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Attend a heart-pounding medieval tournament with stunning horsemanship and thrilling swordfights while cheering for your own knight in shining armour. A 4-course medieval banquet is served while the show unfolds in fairytale spectacle - eaten with fingers only, of course! Festivities begin before the tournament, with selected guests being officially knighted and trumpeters heralding the guests to join in the revelry of these equestrian games. The medieval castle and tournament is a perfect family or group experience. In keeping with the magic, a romantic wedding proposal often occurs during pre-tournament festivities.

5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville
Tel: (770) 225 0230.
Website: www.medievaltimes.com
Price: $$$-$$$$

Trois
A study of glass, stainless steel, wood and white with rounded walls and bar, Trois is on three levels, hence the name. Ultra chic and ultra trendy, it is where the ‘in' crowd comes for power lunches and romantic dinners. Executive Chef Jeremy Lieb creates a nouvelle cuisine menu dependent on fresh ingredients. Favourites include braised beef oxtail and monkfish osso bucco. Elegant presentation makes the dishes that much more appetising. Located close to Woodruff Arts Center and the future Atlanta Symphony site.

1180 Peachtree Street
Tel: (404) 815 3337.
Website: www.trois3.com/home.html
Price: $$$$

Budget

Flying Biscuit Cafe
Fist-sized biscuits, black-bean cakes, organic-oatmeal pancakes and turkey meatloaf are staples at this eating place. Crowded and hectic, there is always a queue and no reservations are taken. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served Tuesdays to Sundays. Brunch is added to the menu on Saturday and Sunday.

Candler Park 1655 McLendon Avenue, Northeast
Tel: (404) 687 8888.
Website: www.flyingbiscuit.com
Price: $
Branch:
Midtown 1001 Piedmont Avenue
Tel: (404) 874 8887.

Mary Mac's Tea Room
This 'tea room' features authentic tastes of the Old South. First-time visitors get free cornbread and Pot Likker - turnip greens with broth and cornbread. Food is prepared the same way it was when this local favourite opened in 1945. Its many dining rooms are a rambling complex of adjoining buildings. Lunch and dinner.

224 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Northeast
Tel: (404) 876 1800.
Website: www.marymacs.com
Price: $-$$

Silver Skillet
Sleep as late as you want. Breakfast is served all day here and it seems to come straight from the 1950s. This is Southern cooking workman-style - collard greens with cornbread, chicken-fried steaks with green beans dredged in ham drippings, and, of course, grits. Grease and salt are free and served in copious amounts. For the occasional blow-out, the Silver Skillet is downright fun and tasty. No dinner.

200 14th Street
Tel: (404) 874 1388.
Website: www.thesilverskillet.com
Price: $

Personal Recommendations

Australian Bakery Cafe
Fellow Australians Mark Allen and Neville Steele, once partners in a cafe in the Victorian rural town of Boort, opened this Aussie cafe on the square in Marietta in 2001. It's been a roaring success for both Aussie and Kiwi expats all over the country, but is now educating Americans about the delights of the infamous Aussie meat pie and Cornish pasty. Everything is baked fresh on site, and patrons can also enjoy genuine melt-in-your-mouth pavlova, lamingtons, vanilla slices, and many other cakes and cookies unique to Australia. Not to mention snags - also known as bangers or sausages. Made locally, of course, all products can be shipped across country for those unable to make the trip to this cafe on the northern edge of Atlanta. On Tuesday nights, the cafe stays open until 2100 for a Bluegrass jam session.

48 South Park Square, Marietta
Tel: (678) 797 6222.
Website: www.australianbakery.com
Price: $

Bangkok Thyme
Experience a taste of the Orient in this family-owned restaurant with the ambiance of an authentic Thai village of intimate booths, carved wood, lamplight, and gracious hospitality. Savour the traditional Thai food from the closely guarded recipes of this family's youth in Thailand, artistically presented and prepared with the freshest produce. Don't miss the signature Tom Kha Kai soup, worth coming for this alone, and the true measure of a good Thai restaurant. Your palate will be tantalised with light delicate flavours, then piqued with spicy curries and combinations of seafood, duck, tropical fruits, crisp vegetables, and fresh sushi. Sunday evenings occasionally feature traditional Thai music played on a stringed instrument.

4969 Roswell Road, Suite 235-240 (Sandy Springs)
Tel: (404) 389 0909.
Website: www.bangkokthyme.com
Price: $$

ENO
Casually elegant, ENO is about good food and good wine. A hidden gem, this friendly, comfortable restaurant, with both outdoor and indoor dining, offers over 80 different wines by the glass and 275 varieties by the bottle. Each menu selection is paired with wine. If duck is on the menu, order it. It will be uniquely prepared and delicious.

800 Peachtree Street Northeast (Midtown)
Tel: (404) 685 3191.
Website: www.enorestaurant.com
Price: $$-$$$

Pricci
White tablecloths and art deco décor makes this kitschy place look more like a 1940s nightclub than an Italian ristorante. Friendly servers offer deliciously authentic cuisine, like wild mushroom risotto and veal scaloppini with prociutto and polenta. There are also some wonderfully creative pizzas. The tomato, prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula salad pizza is yummy. Open for lunch and dinner.

500 Pharr Road, Northeast
Tel: (404) 237 2941.
Website: www.buckheadrestaurants.com
Price: $$$

Night Life

Nightlife in Atlanta varies from intimate bars to live music venues and nightclubs. Dress up for intimate dinners, dress ostentatiously for the Buckhead scene and dress as way out as you dare for Little Five Points.

Some bars stay open until 0400 but tend to close much earlier on Sundays. Although the legal drinking age is 21 years, many bars may admit those who are 18 and above. Drink prices start from around US$4 and vary enormously according to the establishment; draught beers are less expensive than bottled imports.
Little Five Points (west of Georgia State University) is the 'Greenwich Village' of Atlanta. A small group of live music clubs and performance theatres hosts the city's cutting-edge artists, and the small plaza area is a hangout for street performers and a younger crowd. There are a few festivals throughout the year, most notably the massive Halloween festival.

Buckhead, where Peachtree and Roswell roads meet, is for the young, smart and unattached, who pack the bars, especially on Friday nights. There are several clubs, a few live music venues, and tons of bars and restaurants to suit every fancy.

Midtown stretches from Downtown to Buckhead, and Piedmont Park hosts everything from the Gay Pride Festival to the Montreux-Atlanta International Music Festival and the Dogwood Festival. Make sure to spend an evening at The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree Street Northeast (www.shakespearetavern.com), where you can see a full-length Shakespeare play in a setting not unlike the original Globe Theatre, accompanied by a hearty pub dinner. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Go early if you don't want to watch from the rafters.

Weekly listings can be found on www.accessatlanta.com, and events information is also published weekly in Creative Loafing (Thursdays). Check City Search (http://atlanta.citysearch.com) for recommendations and reviews.

Bars: For European chic, Bazzaar, located next to the Fox Theatre at 654 Peachtree Street Northeast (www.bazzaaratlanta.com) fits the bill. Beluga Martini Bar, 3115 Piedmont Road (www.belugamartinibar.com), which is said to have the best Martinis in the city, has live jazz and a sophisticated clientele. Halo, 817 West Peachtree Street Northwest (www.halolounge.com), a basement-level lounge, is the place to socialise. If casual and boisterous is more your style, try American Pie, 5840 Roswell Road NE, Sandy Springs. Neighbor's Pub, 752C North Highland Avenue (www.neighborsatlanta.com), is altogether a classier joint in the posh suburb of Virginia Highlands.

Clubs: Atlanta has hotspots for every taste. Indoor waterfalls and interactive plasma, plus disco, funk and dance music make the chic Mark, 79 Poplar Street (www.themarkatlanta.com), the place where well-known entertainers hold their post-concert parties. IQ Lounge, 5299 Old National Highway (http://iqloungeatl.com), is a sultry urban lounge for the chic and mature - great for dancing, cocktails and intimate VIP rooms. Sanctuary, 3209 Paces Ferry Place Northwest (www.sanctuarynightclub.com) is Buckhead's hottest Latin nightclub.

Live Music: Recommended for jazz in Buckhead is Cafe 290, 290 Hildebrand Drive Northeast (www.cafe290atlanta.com). Churchill Grounds (www.churchillgrounds.com) is a swanky little jazz club cuddled up next door to the Fox Theatre at 660 Peachtree Street, which has become the place to hear traditional jazz from solid local ensembles. Major concerts are held at the Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive (www.philipsarena.com), or the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre, just out of town at 2002 Lakewood Way. Up-and-coming bands play at The Cotton Club, which is actually in the basement of the Tabernacle, 152 Luckie Street (www.tabernacleatl.com). Eddie's Attic, 515 North McDonough Street, Decatur, (www.eddiesattic.com), the Rialto Center For the Performing Arts, 80 Forsyth Street, Downtown (www.rialtocenter.org) and Center Stage Theatre, 1374 West Peachtree Street, Midtown (www.centerstage-atlanta.com) are three other popular live music venues.

Shopping

In the days of its antebellum greatness, Atlanta was a cultural centre with big aspirations. The major cultural venue is the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street (tel: (404) 733 4200; www.woodruff-arts.org). This glass and stone modern architectural showpiece was erected by the then head of Coca-Cola, Donald Woodruff, as a non-profit-making service to the community. It commemorates a 1962 plane crash at Orly, Paris, which killed 106 Atlanta citizens and one of the buildings is still known as the Memorial Arts Building. The centre, now spread around a campus, hosts a continuing series of cultural events and is home to the High Museum of Art (see Key Attractions). It also contains three theatres, exhibition galleries and is home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alliance Theatre Company, the 14th Street Playhouse, as well as children's and Afro-American groups. The Center For Puppetry Arts (see Key Attractions) is only a few blocks away.Access Atlanta (www.accessatlanta.com) lists the latest events information online, while Ticketmaster (tel: (404) 249 6400; www.ticketmaster.com) is the agency for all cultural bookings. AtlanTIX (tel: (404) 588 9890;www.atlantaperforms.com) sells same day/half-price tickets for various shows. The ticket booths are located at the Visitors Center at Underground Atlanta, 65 Upper Alabama Street, and at Lenox Square.

Music: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was founded in the 1940s but only became full time in 1968. Fame struck when they played at President Carter's inaugural concert; they have toured Europe and the Americas extensively. Programmes often feature classical-pop, with at least one distinctly non-classical concert each month. The orchestra performs at the Atlanta Symphony Hall (tel: (404) 733 4900; www.atlantasymphony.org) in the Woodruff Arts Center; the Delta Classic Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 135 West Wieuca Road (tel: (404) 733 4955; www.classicchastain.com), and at the newly opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park (tel: (404) 733-5010; www.vzwamp.com).

Theatre: The Art Deco Islamic extravaganza Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street (tel: (404) 881 2100; www.foxtheatre.org), known as the 'fabulous fox', is a National Historic Landmark and an attraction in its own right, with a star-studded foyer, fantastic balconies and exotic gilding. The Atlanta Opera (tel: (404) 881 8801; www.atlantaopera.org) is at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. It stages four operas each year. The Alliance Theater Company (tel: (404) 733 5000; www.alliancetheatre.org) is based at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street Northeast (http://woodruffcenter.org), and performs modern American drama with an occasional European piece. The 14th Street Playhouse, also part of the Woodruff Arts Center but based at 173 14th Street (tel: (404) 733 4738 (box office) or 733 4750 (recorded information); www.14thstplayhouse.org), is an umbrella space that showcases the work of many small theatre companies.

The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree Street Northeast (tel: (404) 874 5299; www.shakespearetavern.com), pays homage to the Bard with a Globe-like theatre experience. Lastly, the Theatre in the Square, 11 Whitlock Avenue, in Marietta (tel: (770) 422 8369; www.theatreinthesquare.com), is housed in an old cotton warehouse and produces plays that reflect local history and feature local writers. It is only 20-minute drive from Atlanta and worth a visit.

Dance: The oldest continually operating company in the US, the Atlanta Ballet, 1400 West Peachtree Street Northwest (tel: (404) 873 5811; www.atlantaballet.com), is over 75 years old and performs during autumn, winter and spring. Presentations are held at the Fox Theatre (see Theatre above). A new home for the ballet is under construction and should be completed by summer 2010. The Robert Ferst Center for the Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology, 349 Ferst Drive Northwest (tel: (404) 894 9600; www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu) features jazz, dance, theatre and classical music.

Film: Multi-screen movie houses screen Hollywood releases and the international distributors' list. The 1920s Fox Theatre (see Theatre above) hosts the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival with both classic and contemporary hits on the biggest screen in town. The film programme offered by the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street (tel: (404) 733 4200; www.woodruff-arts.org), includes a remarkable range of foreign films, while the Goethe-Institute, Colony Square (tel: (404) 892 2388; www.goethe.de/uk/atl/enindex.htm), shows German films every Wednesday evening in their auditorium.

Movies shot on location in Atlanta include Sharky's Machine (1981), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002). Parts of Apollo 13 (1995) were filmed on top of Stone Mountain. Recent films that used Atlanta as its setting include Mad Black Woman (2004), Madea's Family Reunion (2005), We Are Marshall (2006), The Closer (2007) and The Preacher's Kid (2008).

Literary Notes: Margaret Mitchell, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece about the antebellum and post-Civil War South, Gone with the Wind (1936), is the city's favourite literary child. The book has sold more hardcover copies in the USA than any book other than the Bible. After 70 years, it still sells over 250,000 copies per year.

Markets
Tom Wolfe recently moved decidedly upmarket and set A Man in Full (1998) among the rich and powerful bankers and real-estate magnates of the suburb of Buckhead in Atlanta. It reveals a seamy underside to their upper-crust lives and the city very nearly banned the author from ever setting foot in Atlanta again. More light-heartedly, The Cat Who Robbed A Bank (2000), a mystery by Lillian Jackson Braun, stars a wealthy Atlanta auction buyer. Leaving Atlanta (2003), by Tayari Jones, is a murder mystery based on fact. Up-and-coming Atlanta novelist George Weinstein (Jake and the Tiger Flight) is working on a children's series based on the Tiger Flight Formation Flight Team.
In the non-fiction arena, the Southern Architecture Foundation has published the Architecture of James Means (2001), a designer of some of the local stately homes.

Events

Martin Luther King Jr Day
January
Atlanta is the birthplace of Martin Luther King, leader of America's greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.
Throughout the city
Website: www.thekingcenter.org 

Southeastern Flower Show
January/February
Annual show presents landscape gardens, stunning floral horticultural exhibitions and programs for all ages.
The Cobb Galleria Center
Website: www.flowershow.org

Atlanta Dogwood Festival
April
Celebrates the flowering of the dogwood trees with food, canine competition, community awareness and a crafts market.
Piedmont Park
Website: www.dogwood.org

Georgia Renaissance Festival
April-June
This jousting festival brings visitors back to the renaissance with games, rides, food and fun.
Virlyn B Smith Road, Fairburn/Peachtree City
Website: www.georgiarenaissancefestival.com

Atlanta Jazz Festival
May
Jazz concerts celebrated throughout the month in various locations, embracing Atlanta's musical roots.  Culminates with two-day Memorial Day Weekend celebration in Grant Park.
Various venues
Website: www.atlantafestivals.com

Coca Cola Summer Film Festival
July-August
Enjoy a selection of top movies at various showtimes. Pre-show wine tastings.
Fox Theatre
Website: www.foxtheatre.org/coke_series.htm

Taste of Atlanta
October
Attend wine classes, cooking demonstrations and chow out to your heart's content on Atlanta delicacies from more than 70 of the city's best eateries at this two-day food fest.
Atlantic Station
Website: www.tasteofatlanta.net

Stone Mountain Highland Festival
October
Solo pipers, drummers, a highland dance competition and highland athletic contests will make you think of Scotland.
Stone Mountain Park
Website: www.smhg.org

Atlanta Marathon
November
A Thanksgiving institution, the oldest marathon in the southeast also follows the course of the 1996 Olympic Games marathon. A half marathon is run the same day.
Turner Field Stadium
Website: www.atlantatrackclub.org

Chick-fil-A Bowl
December
Large parade with floats and marching bands precedes the football game that pits two highly-rated college football teams against each other.
Georgia Dome
Website: www.chick-fil-abowl.com

History & Culture

In the days of its antebellum greatness, Atlanta was a cultural centre with big aspirations. The major cultural venue is the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street (tel: (404) 733 4200; website: www.woodruff-arts.org). This glass and stone modern architectural showpiece was erected by the then head of Coca-Cola, Donald Woodruff, as a non-profit-making service to the community. It commemorates a 1962 plane crash at Orly, Paris, which killed 106 Atlanta citizens and one of the buildings is still known as the Memorial Arts Building. The centre, now spread around a campus, hosts a continuing series of cultural events and is home to the High Museum of Art (see Key Attractions). It also contains three theatres, exhibition galleries and is home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Alliance TheatreCompany, the 14th Street Playhouse, as well as children's and Afro-American groups. The Center For Puppetry Arts (see Key Attractions) is only a few blocks away.

Access Atlanta (website: www.accessatlanta.com) lists the latest events information online, while Ticketmaster (tel: (404) 249 6400; website: www.ticketmaster.com) is the agency for all cultural bookings. AtlanTIX (tel: (404) 588 9890; website: www.atlantaperforms.com) sells same day/half-price tickets for various shows. The ticket booth is located at Visitors Center at Underground Atlanta, 65 Upper Alabama.

Music: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (website: www.atlantasymphony.com) was founded in the 1940s but only became full time in 1968. Fame struck when they played at President Carter's inaugural concert; they have toured Europe and the Americas extensively. Programmes often feature classical-pop, with at least one distinctly non-classical concert each month. The orchestra performs either at the Atlanta Symphony Hall (tel: (404) 733 4900) in the Woodruff Arts Center or at the Chastain Park Ampitheatre, 135 West Wieuca Road (tel: (404) 733 4955).

Theatre: The Art Deco Islamic extravaganza Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street (tel: (404) 881 2100; website: www.foxtheatre.org), known as the 'fabulous fox', is a National Historic Landmark and an attraction in its own right, with a star-studded foyer, fantastic balconies and exotic gilding. The Atlanta Opera (tel: (404) 881 8801; website: www.atlantaopera.org) is at the Atlanta Civic Center at 728 West Peachtree Northwest. It stages four operas each year. The Alliance Theater Company (tel: (404) 733 5000; website: www.alliancetheatre.org) is based at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street Northeast (website: http://woodruffcenter.org), and performs modern American drama with an occasional European piece. The 14th Street Playhouse, also part of the Woodruff Arts Center but based at 173 14th Street (tel: (404) 733 4738 (box office) or 733 4750 (recorded information); website: www.woodruffcenter.org/14thstplayhouse), is an umbrella space that showcases the work of many small theatre companies.

The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree Street Northeast (tel: (404) 874 5299; website: www.shakespearetavern.com), pays homage to the Bard with a Globe-like theatre experience. Lastly, the Theatre in the Square, 11 Whitlock Avenue, in Marietta (tel: (770) 422 8369; website: www.theatreinthesquare.com), is housed in an old cotton warehouse and produces plays that reflect local history and feature local writers. It is only 20 minutes' drive from Atlanta and worth a visit.

Dance: The oldest continually operating company in the US, the Atlanta Ballet, 1400 West Peachtree Street Northwest (tel: (404) 873 5811; website: www.atlantaballet.com), is over 75 years old and performs during autumn, winter and spring. Presentations are held at the Fox Theatre (see Theatre above). The Robert Ferst Center for the Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology, 349 Ferst Drive Northwest (tel: (404) 894 9600; website: www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu) features jazz, dance, theatre and classical music.

Film: Multi-screen movie houses screen Hollywood releases and the international distributors' list. The 1920s Fox Theatre hosts the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival with both classic and contemporary hits on the biggest screen in town. The film programme offered by the Woodruff Arts Center includes a remarkable range of foreign films, while the Goethe-Institute, Colony Square (tel: (404) 892 2388; website: www.goethe.de/uk/atl/enindex.htm), shows German films every Wednesday evening in their auditorium.

Movies shot on location in Atlanta include Sharky's Machine (1981), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002). Parts of Apollo 13 (1995) were filmed on top of Stone Mountain. Recent films that used Atlanta as its setting include Mad Black Woman (2004), Madea's Family Reunion (2005) and We Are Marshall (2006).

Literary Notes: Margaret Mitchell, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece about the antebellum and post-Civil War South, Gone with the Wind (1936), is the city's favourite literary child. The book has sold more hardcover copies in the USA than any book other than the Bible. After 70 years, it still sells over 250,000 copies per year.
Tom Wolfe recently moved decidedly upmarket and set A Man in Full (1998) among the rich and powerful bankers and real-estate magnates of the suburb of Buckhead in Atlanta. It reveals a seamy underside to their upper-crust lives and the city very nearly banned the author from ever setting foot in Atlanta again. More light-heartedly, The Cat Who Robbed A Bank (2000), a mystery by Lillian Jackson Braun, stars a wealthy Atlanta auction buyer.

In the non-fiction arena, the Southern Architecture Foundation has published the Architecture of James Means (2001), a designer of some of the local stately homes.

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