Georgia Aquarium
Located in downtown Atlanta across from Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest indoor aquarium in the world. It boasts an impressive 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, over 47,000 sq m (505,000 sq ft), and features more than 100,000 freshwater and saltwater fish and mammals representing 500 species from around the globe, divided into 60 different habitats. The largest one holds 6.2 million gallons of water and was specially designed to house whale sharks alongside tens of thousands of other coral reef and open-ocean creatures. Another striking feature of the aquarium is its 30m- (100ft-) long tunnel, one of the largest aquarium windows in the world with views into whale shark habitat. The second largest habitat (800,000 gallons) was specially designed to simulate the natural habitat of beluga whales. Facilities include shops, a cafe, a learning zone, a 4D theatre, and meeting and conference facilities.

225 Baker Street, Downtown
Tel: (404) 581 4000.
Website: www.georgiaaquarium.org
Opening hours: Sun-Fri 1000-1700, Sat 0900-1800; summer hours vary, often longer (25 May-11 Aug), check website for current opening hours.
Admission charge.

Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum
The Battle of Atlanta, which took place on 22 July 1864, is vividly illustrated on the largest oil painting in the world. Completed in 1886, the 1,396-sq-m (15,030-sq-ft) panoramic painting in the round is 12.8m (42ft) high. With the aid of narrative music, lights, art, sound effects and a diorama, that fateful battle comes to life. This unusual exhibit makes a huge impact on its audience. Visitors should look for the inclusion of Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. An adjoining museum contains relics that commemorate the Confederate cause.

800 Cherokee Avenue Southeast, Grant Park
Tel: (404) 658 7625.
Website: www.atlantacyclorama.org
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 0900-1630, Sun 1230-1530.
Admission charge.

Atlanta History Center
Surrounded by 13 hectares (33 acres) of signposted trails and gardens, this complex of Atlanta's past focuses on the human tragedy of the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. Exhibits include the artistry of Southern needlework and handicrafts plus Bobby Jones, the famous 1920s golfer, memorabilia. A 1996 Atlanta Olympics exhibition opened in July 2006. Swan House, the elegant 1928 classical-style mansion named for the swan motif recurring throughout the interior, and the Tullie Smith Farm, an entire farm complex built in the 1840s moved intact from rural Georgia, are also part of the centre.

130 West Paces Ferry Road Northwest, Buckhead
Tel: (404) 814 4000.
Website: www.atlantahistorycenter.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1730, Sun 1200-1730.
Admission charge.

Centennial Olympic Park
Built for the 1996 Olympics, this popular gathering place features year-round entertainment. With sculptures, the much-photographed Fountain of Rings and meandering paths, the 7-hectare (21-acre) park is a pleasant place to relax.

Marietta Street at International Boulevard
Tel: (404) 222 7275/PARK.
Website: www.centennialpark.com
Opening hours: Daily 0700-2300.
Free admission.

CNN Center
Get a behind-the-scenes look at CNN and Headline News on a 55-minute CNN tour. The tour offers a fascinating glimpse of how newscasts are put together, the role of a news anchor, and visitors get to see the real newsrooms. For an extra charge, visitors can don a newscaster's jacket and tape a ‘special news bulletin.' The centre itself houses a mall with a food court, bank, post office and speciality shops such as the Atlanta Braves (baseball team) store and the Turner Broadcasting store. It also has the world's longest freestanding escalator which rises 49m (160ft), or approximately eight storeys.

1 CNN Drive
Tel: (404) 827 2300 or 1 877 426 6868/4CNN TOUR.
Website: www.cnn.com/tour
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (tour every 10 minutes).
Admission charge.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Enter into the dramatic 26m- (86ft-) high Great Hall skylight and be surrounded by a spectacular wall of windows, a fossil-embedded limestone floor and a giant dinosaur. With fossils, plants, dinos and animals, the winding Walk through Time exhibit depicts the prehistory and history of Georgia up to 1838. The development of handicrafts is illustrated with ethnic weaving, pottery and jewellery from Asia. The facility also has an IMAX theatre.

767 Clifton Road Northeast
Tel: (404) 929 6300.
Website: www.fernbankmuseum.org
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1200-1700.
Admission charge.

Fernbank Science Center
With one of the country's largest planetariums, an original Apollo capsule, space memorabilia, and moon rocks, this is paradise for those who look to the stars. On a clear night, the astronomer on duty guides visitors on a tour of the galaxy through the observatory's telescope. Lockheed Martin Aviation Camps are held annually in June for aspiring aviators.

156 Heaton Park Drive Northeast
Tel: (678) 874 7102.
Website: www.fernbank.edu
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 1200-1700, Thurs-Fri 1200-2200, Sat 1000-1700, Sun closed; summer hours: Mon-Wed 0830-1700, Thurs-Fri 0830-2200; Sat 1000-1700; sun closed.
Free admission; charge for planetarium shows.

Governor's Mansion
Early 19th-century paintings, porcelain and Federal-period furniture grace the 30-room Greek Revival-styled Governor's home. You might think you are in a Mississippi plantation home rather than in Georgia at an antebellum mansion. The Mansion is located 1.5km (1 mile) east of the Atlanta History Center.

391 West Paces Ferry Road Northwest
Tel: (404) 261 1776.
Website: http://mansion.georgia.gov
Opening hours: Tues-Thurs 1000 and 1130 (tours).
Free admission.

High Museum of Art
Located at the Woodruff Arts Center, this beautiful white, award-winning building, designed by Richard Meier, features modern, contemporary and decorative art mostly by American artists. A relatively new facility, designed by Renzo Piano, has doubled the size of the museum. Changing exhibits may showcase treasures from King Tut's tomb, China's Terracotta Army, collections from Paris' Louvre, or other wonders of the world.

Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street Northeast
Tel: (404) 733 4444/HIGH (Woodruff) or (404) 733 4400.
Website: www.high.org
Opening hours: Tues-Wed, Fri-Sat 1000-1700, Thurs 1000-2000, Sun 1200-1700.
Admission charge.

Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta
Two- to eight-year-olds will think this is hands-on heaven. The museum has fun things to explore like an obstacle course of simple machines, a creativity section where kids can dance, climb up to a treehouse, be on TV or mould waxed sand or ‘fish.' There is even a small grocery store and kitchen.

275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive
Tel: (404) 659 5437/KIDS.
Website: www.imagineit-cma.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1600, Sat-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission charge.

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
This presidential library and museum examines the early life, political career and accomplishments of President Jimmy Carter. Presidents that preceded Carter are also honoured. In a replica of the Oval Office, a Carter recording reviews his White House years (1977 to 1981). Significant topics like the Middle East Peace (Camp David Accords), the Panama Canal, the nuclear threat and the Iran hostages are examined more closely in another section of the museum. On permanent display are Carter's Nobel Peace Prize, photographs, memorabilia and gifts of state. Lovely gardens and a great view of Atlanta's skyline surround the facility. President Carter himself occasionally visits the museum with visiting heads of state.

441 Freedom Parkway
Tel: (404) 865 7100.
Website: www.jimmycarterlibrary.org
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1645, Sun 1200-1645.
Admission charge.

Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
Margaret Mitchell and her husband, John Marsh, shared Apartment 1 at this corner property on Peachtree Street. It was in this turn-of-the-century building that she wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gone with the Wind. Through the years, the structure suffered from vandalism, fire and neglect. It is now open to the public and restored to look like it did when Ms Mitchell occupied it. Personal memorabilia, pictures and even her typewriter are on display. Across the street, the Gone With The Wind Museum displays posters, a life-size portrait of Scarlett O'Hara, costumes and the original front door of Tara. A must for GWTW fans.

990 Peachtree Street
Tel: (404) 249 7015.
Website: www.gwtw.org
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1700.
Admission charge.

Martin Luther King Jr Historic District
The 13-hectare (33-acre) Historic District in Sweet Auburn is a potent reminder of Atlanta's tumultuous past. Most moving is the recording of King's ‘I have a Dream' speech which can be heard at the Visitor Center. The National Park Service maintains his birthplace home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he succeeded his father and grandfather as pastor in 1960, and Fire Station No. 6, the first fire station in Atlanta to be integrated. The nearby Martin Luther King Jr Center for Nonviolent Social Change pays tribute to King's Nobel Prize-winning work for equality via civil disobedience and non-violent marches.

450 Auburn Avenue (Visitor Center)
Tel: (404) 331 5190.
Website: www.nps.gov/malu
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (winter); 0900-1800 (summer).
Free admission.

The museums in the 1400 Spring Street area: the Center for Puppetry Arts, the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum and the National Museum of Patriotism are across from one another. Each is unique and worth a visit.

Center For Puppetry Arts
This centre houses puppets from all over the world as well as puppet-making workshops. In the theatre are puppet performances for both children and adults.

1404 Spring Street
Tel: (404) 873 3089 or 3391.
Website: www.puppet.org
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 0900-1500, Sat 0900-1700, Sun 1100-1700 (museum). Check performance and workshop schedule times in advance.
Admission charge.

William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum
Focusing on the Holocaust and Atlanta Jewish Heritage, exhibits include TV monitors with Holocaust survivor stories. Issues that have affected Atlanta Jews like Civil Rights and a temple bombing are also highlighted.

1440 Spring Street Northwest (at 18th Street)
Tel: (678) 222 3700.
Website: www.thebreman.org
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1700, Fri 1000-1500, Sun 1300-1700.
Admission charge.

The National Museum of Patriotism
This venue dwells on aspects of American patriotism. Exhibits include American nationalistic symbols and a sweetheart jewellery collection of patriotic gifts. There is a section on tributes to the armed forces. Visitors are invited to send a free video to a serviceman.

275 Baker Street
Tel: (404) 875 0691.
Website: www.museumofpatriotism.org
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission charge.

NEW World of Coca-Cola
Unless you are a Coca-holic, this newly opened, two-storey Coke sales pitch is a bit much. Visitors are greeted by an 8.3m (27ft) frosted model of a Coke bottle. Go inside and find Coca-Cola everything - artefacts, a bottling factory, 4D theatre, pop culture gallery, ads and of course, the Coca-Cola souvenir shop, and the opportunity to sample 60 different Coke products from around the world. It is ultra tacky - but then Coca-Cola is an integral part of Atlanta and its financial success.

121 Baker Street
Tel: (404) 676 5151 or 1 800 676 2653/COKE.
Website: www.woccatlanta.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700; Jun-Aug 0800-1800.
Admission charge.

Zoo Atlanta
Zoo Atlanta is one of the oldest zoos in the USA. A key attraction is the giant pandas from Chengdu, in the Republic of China. The pair gave birth to their second offspring in August 2008. The zoo keeps over 250 animal species, including gorillas, orang-utans, tigers, lions, giraffes, elephants and so on, in their natural habitats.
                                                                                  
Grant Park, 800 Cherokee Avenue Southeast
Tel: (404) 624 5600.
Website: www.zooatlanta.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1730, Sat-Sun 0930-1830.
Admission charge.