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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Atlanta
Atlanta has come a long way since Union general William Sherman reduced it to ashes in 1864. In 1996, the "Capital of the New South" spiffed itself up to host the Summer Olympics, and more than a decade later, gentrification continues. Once-downtrodden neighborhoods are getting a makeover as warehouses are converted into chic lofts and stylish boutiques. There's more room to breathe as the city creates more green spaces. And as a host of high-profile attractions debut, there are more reasons than ever to visit.
Attractions & Activities Consider making Buckhead, just north of Downtown, your base and relying on MARTA, the public transportation system, to get around. If you prefer to rent a car and drive, be prepared for serious gridlock: Sights are spread far apart. The city's splashy new star in the heart of Downtown is the Georgia Aquarium, the largest in the world, with more than 100,000 freshwater and saltwater fish. Luminaries in residence include whale sharks, the first of their kind to be on display outside Asia, and Gasper and Nico, two beluga whales that were rescued from unhealthy living conditions in an amusement park in Mexico City (404-581-4000; georgiaaquarium.org). West of Centennial Park, in Downtown, at the headquarters of the CNN news network, the popular CNN Studio Tour gives a sense of how a TV newscast is put together. While you won't spot Anderson Cooper, the 55-minute guided walking tour includes a stop at a re-creation of the main control room and a demonstration of greenscreen technology, in which a reporter standing before a monochromatic background appears to be fronting, say, a moving weather map. Find out everything you could possibly want to know about another world-famous local product—except its secret formula—at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Midtown. The main draws are tasting the libation's different flavors from around the globe and the hefty collection of kitschy memorabilia on display, including a soda fountain. An expanded version of the museum, which will include rotating exhibits and an expanded floor plan, is slated to open in summer 2007, right next to the Georgia Aquarium. On Peachtree Street, in Midtown, the High Museum of Art is a monolithic stark white Richard Meier-designed building that displays an impressive assortment of nineteenth- and twentieth-century decorative art. Through 2009, the High's partnership with Paris's Louvre will bring nine exhibitions to Atlanta, including works by Raphael, Rubens, and Rembrandt. An expanded gallery by Renzo Piano more than doubles the museum's size, with four buildings arranged around an Italian-style piazza (404-733-4400; high.org). Northeast of the city, the posh residential neighborhood of North Druid Hills is home to Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum, largely devoted to artifacts Emory professor William Shelton acquired in Egypt in the 1920s. The expansive collection also includes ancient artwork from Greece, Rome, and the Near East (404-727-4282; carlos.emory.edu). Two miles east of Downtown, on 30 green acres dotted with lakes and waterfalls, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum is a living tribute to the local boy's White House years, with some 27 million pages of documents as well as photographs and audio and videotapes. Highlights range from a replica of the Oval Office during Carter's presidency to gifts of state, such as a carpet from the Shah of Iran (404-865-7100; jimmycarterlibrary.org). West of Downtown is another institution dedicated to a Nobel Peace Prize recipient: the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. The street it occupies, Auburn Avenue, had its heyday at the turn of the twentieth century, when it was the most commercially successful black thoroughfare in the country. Today, it encapsulates three landmarks: King's childhood home; the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King's powerful oratory moved the nation; and his burial site (404-331-5190; nps.gov/malu). For a visit to the South's answer to Central Park, head to Piedmont Park, a 185-acre bucolic playground in Midtown with jogging and bike paths and fishing ponds. It hosts several annual crowd-drawing events, including the Dogwood Festival in April and the Atlanta Jazz Festival in June. More than 30 acres adjacent to the northern tip of Piedmont Park are devoted to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, home of one of the world's largest permanent orchid displays (404-876-5859; atlantabotanicalgarden.org). Lodging Three of the city's hotels rank on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the world's best places to stay: The Ritz-Carlton properties in Downtown and in Buckhead, and the Four Seasons in Midtown. In the center of Downtown, the 73-story Westin Peachtree Plaza is topped with the revolving Sun Dial Restaurant, with skyline views. All guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows to let you take in the action on the streets below. Within walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Park, and Philips Arena, the Glenn Hotel, also Downtown, is all mod design, with simple furnishings revved up in deep reds, brooding browns, and shimmery metallic. Directly across from the historic Fox Theater in Midtown, the Georgian Terrace is a study in Southern charm and elegance. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel hosted the world premiere reception for Gone with the Wind. A central location in Midtown's new Atlantic Station retail development is key to the appeal of Twelve. A techie hotel/condo hybrid, it's a high-rise composed of suites with plush bedding, full kitchens with stainless steel appliances and stylish black tiles, and around-the-clock concierge access. The InterContinental, on Peachtree Street in Buckhead, is close to upscale shopping at Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza, and has an excellent fitness center and spa. The JW Marriott, also in stylish Buckhead, has a walkway that connects it to the neighboring Lenox Mall. Dining Atlanta's culinary reputation has soared to new heights in recent years, with an eclectic selection of dining options ranging from hearty Southern fare to chic fusion cuisine. One Midtown Kitchen, in a renovated warehouse, serves small plates of American fare from an unpretentious menu that changes daily. For a great view of Piedmont Park and the skyline, get a table on the covered patio and sample dishes like grilled sourdough bread stuffed with goat cheese and wild mushroom sauté (559 Dutch Valley Rd.; 404-892-4111; entrées, $17-$23). Housed in a 10,000-square-foot space in east Midtown, Two Urban Licks has a 14-foot flame-licked rotisserie, an open-air garden, and a central theater-style kitchen. Chef Scott Serpas's small plates pack big flavors, as with the frog's legs that get the buffalo wings treatment with hot sauce and blue cheese, the crumbled salmon and chipotle cream over house-fried potato crisps, and the roasted minced lamb meatballs on lollipop sticks (820 Ralph McGill Blvd.; 404-522-4622; entrées, $16-$22). Located in a former Midtown bank, Piebar is where the city's glitterati nosh on thin-crust pizzas with eccentric toppings such as rabbit and duck confit. A minimalist circular dining room and a white-tented terrace add to the sexy vibe (2160 Monroe Dr.; 404-815-1605; entrées, $8-$14). Occupying a converted potbellied-stove factory in Inman Park, Rathbun's tweaks all-American cooking—with Southern touches, of course. The seasonally changing menu is divided into small plates, raw plates, side plates, big plates (entrées such as roasted green chile tacos and sea scallops served on country ham-studded grits), and "second-mortgage plates," big-ticket items, like the generous portion of Maine lobster, that break the bank (112 Krog St.; 404-524-8280; entrées, $15-$35). Tucked away in a quiet corner off North Highland Avenue, Fritti serves Italian-style fried dishes by the plateful in a chic, industrial setting. Wood-fired pizzas are the house specialty (309 N. Highland Ave.; 404-880-9559; entrées, $9-$28). Perennial neighborhood favorite Murphy's, in the Virginia-Highlands area, cooks up American dishes such as the burger with avocado mayonnaise and applewood bacon, and the heirloom tomato and goat cheese crostini (997 Virginia Ave.; 404-872-0904; entrées, $13-$24). For true Southern cooking—and arguably the best biscuits south of the Mason-Dixon line—head to the Flying Biscuit Café, which has a pair of locations in the city. The cozier of the two, in Candler Park, serves equally cozy comfort food, including scrambled tofu and "love cakes"—soft bean curd patties with sour cream and red onion. Despite the hour-long wait for a table at brunch, the quirky mismatched furniture and friendly staff make a visit worthwhile (1655 McLendon Ave.; 404-687-8888; entrées, $5-$15). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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