Atlanta native and former "Top Chef" contestant Kevin Gillespie works in the open kitchen at his latest restaurant, Gunshow. Sampling Atlanta's many enticing eateries is a must for visitors.
Angie Mosier/Courtesy Gunshow
The music is excellent, too —
Hip-hop duo Outkast is among the many influential acts who have emerged from Atlanta.
Braastad, Audun/AFP/Getty Images
Neighborhoods make the city —
Atlanta's most interesting neighborhoods feature pockets of shops and restaurants tucked among residential areas. Decatur, pictured, is a small town that bumps into Atlanta to the east. Decatur falls inside "the Perimeter," the massive highway that encircles Atlanta.
decaturga.com
The history is groundbreaking —
The new National Center for Civil and Human Rights offers a comprehensive and sometimes intense view of the movement's darkest moments and greatest achievements.
Courtesy Center for Civil and Human Rights
The arts reach beyond big-city museums —
In addition to its higher-profile museums and attractions, Atlanta boasts a collection of intriguing smaller arts and cultural institutions. The Wren's Nest, the restored West End home of famed Atlanta writer Joel Chandler Harris, is a house museum that hosts regular storytelling events. Harris wrote the beloved and controversial Uncle Remus tales.
wrensnest.org
And there are places to visit on foot —
The Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail connects Piedmont Park in the center of the city with the vibrant Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods on the east side.