Marvel at the smorgasbord of architectural styles displayed across Atlanta’s sparkling skyline.
Atlanta has long been a commercial and transportation hub of the American Southeast. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world’s busiest. If you’re a frequent flier or work for one of the dozen or so Fortune 500 companies based in the city, you’ve likely passed through. But Atlanta is likewise a hub of innovation, the arts, and progressive ideas. It’s the home of changemakers who’ve left an indelible mark on American life and culture—from Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines, to some of the greatest hip-hop artists of the 21st century, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As the third-fastest-growing metropolitan region in the United States welcomes an influx of investment and expansion in dining, shopping, and nightlife, Georgia’s capital is truly a world capital.
And Kimpton is getting in on the action by adding a 214-room hotel. Just 10 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from the city center by car or public transportation, the Kimpton Overland Hotel is the perfect spot for any visit, whether you’re making the most of a layover, closing deals in the capital or getting a taste of contemporary southern living.
Home to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, picnic grounds and summer festivals, Piedmont Park is the place for lazy days filled with southern charm. Image Credit: @kmoore218 via Twenty20.
Living Large on a Layover
Whether you have a few days or a few hours in ATL, there’s plenty to do near the airport. The Kimpton Overland Hotel is close to the Porsche Experience Center at the company’s 27-acre North American headquarters, where you can experience first-hand the exhilaration and unparalleled power of driving one of their luxury sports cars. Need more thrills? The nearby Delta Flight Museum at the airline’s headquarters features the only Boeing 737 full-motion flight simulator open to the public in the country, as well as hangars of historic aircraft.
The Center of Civil Rights
The birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played a vital role in the civil rights movement as a hub for activists—including Dr. King himself. The historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood is home to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, where you can learn about Dr. King’s legacy at his childhood home, his burial place, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he served as co-pastor. In Downtown Atlanta, The Center for Civil and Human Rights traces the history and impact of the American civil rights movement on other movements inspiring change around the world.
Built in 1895, this two-story Queen Anne style house at 501 Auburn Avenue is where Dr. King was born and lived the first twelve years of his life. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
American Beauty
With its iconic skyline and vibrant neighborhoods, it’s no wonder filmmakers and television producers are increasingly choosing picturesque Atlanta. (The city recently earned a new nickname—“Hollywood of the South”—due to the exploding film industry; Black Panther, Selma, Stranger Things, and The Walking Dead are just a few of the hits recently filmed here).
With over 3,000 acres of parkland and new projects like The Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile loop of connected urban trails and green spaces, Atlanta is an ideal destination for enjoying the beauty of the American South while still getting all the dining, nightlife and amenities of a major metropolis. Within driving distance are the 3,200-acre Stone Mountain Park (a hub for hiking, water sports, and golf), the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Chattahoochee River.
Once a railway corridor around the city’s core, the Atlanta BeltLine multi-use trail now showcases urban revitalization at its best. Bike the completed Eastside trail and keep an eye out for temporary art exhibitions. Image Credit: The Sintoses.
Cutting-Edge Culture
Vibrant site-specific installations (like this Sol LeWitt work) and a stunning, four-story glass atrium are but two reasons to visit the High Museum of Art. Image Credit: Kristen Brown, courtesy of the High Museum of Art.
Atlanta has long been an epicenter for arts and culture, inspiring musicians, writers, artists and filmmakers. Find your own rhythm as you explore neighborhoods, landmarks and nightclubs made famous by Ludacris, T.I., Outkast, and Childish Gambino—just a few of the Atlanta-born hip-hop stars who’ve commemorated their hometown on their tracks. A book lover? Think about your own novel aspirations at Margaret Mitchell’s apartment in Midtown, where she wrote Gone with the Wind. The High Museum of Art has an impressive collection of more than 15,000 works with a focus on 19th– and 20th-century American artists, including many African American and Southern artists, and you can discover street art around nearly every corner.
Book a guided tour of the Margaret Mitchell house for the full story on why this famous author was considered scandalous by her contemporaries. Courtesy of the Atlanta History Center.
—Samantha Sault
