About Atlanta

Not all of your time at Spelman will be spent studying, and the College's prime location makes Atlanta your playground, with a wide range of venues and activities from which to choose. Spelman students enjoy touring the galleries at the High Museum of Art, shopping at the malls around Atlanta, catching a baseball game at Turner Field, attending concerts and shows at the Fox Theatre, playing with the animals at the Atlanta Zoo, and absorbing history and culture in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn district. There are also lots of great places to eat: a few favorites of Spelman students include the Shark Bar, Three Dollar Café, and Gladys Knight and Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles.

Take a minute to discover all the popular attractions you can visit when you arrive in Atlanta.

APEX Museum

Located in the Sweet Auburn area of downtown Atlanta, the APEX (African-American Panoramic Experience) Museum serves as a gateway to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic District. The small but growing museum, housed in a beautifully restored 1910 building, chronicles the history of Sweet Auburn and offers changing exhibits on African Americans.

Auburn Avenue Research Library

The Auburn Avenue Research Library is an amazing $10 million facility dedicated to African-American research. Be sure to check out the free lecture series, exhibits, and cultural events.

Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is home to one of the oldest Black congregations in the United States. The original church, built in the 1890s, was destroyed by fire in 1920. Today's building, constructed in 1924, has recently undergone a $1.8 million renovation.

Fox Theatre

The Fabulous Fox has had many close encounters during its lifetime. It originated as a mosque and movie house in the 1920s, but fell into financial difficulty during the Great Depression, and thrived again until the early 70s, when it struggled and was threatened by destruction until Atlanta Landmarks took over in 1976. Today, it is a majestic performance and special event venue, as well as a movie house in the summer.

Hammonds House

Hammonds House Galleries and Resource Center of African American Art is Georgia's only independent fine art museum dedicated to presenting art by peoples of African descent. The museum houses an extraordinary collection of Haitian and African tribal art and serves as a resource center for Black artists worldwide.

The High Museum of Art

The High features a permanent gallery that you can visit anytime, as well as acclaimed feature exhibits such as Norman Rockwell, Picasso, and Pop Art. You can tour at your leisure or become a member.

Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change continues King's work, holding workshops on famine and illiteracy, providing day care for needy families, and teaching nonviolent leadership skills. The Exhibition Hall houses King's Bible and clerical robe, the Grammy Award he won for his "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam" speech, and a replica of the Nobel Peace Prize he won in 1964. The key to his Memphis motel room where he was assassinated in April 4, 1968, is also on display here. One of the Center's most moving sites is King's white marble crypt, which rests on a five-tiered reflecting pool in Freedom Plaza. The tomb is inscribed with his words: "Free at Last. Free at Last. Thank God Almighty I'm Free at Last." An eternal flame, symbolizing the continuing efforts to realize King's dream, burns nearby.

Shrine of the Black Madonna Bookstore and Cultural Center

The mission of the Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church (PAOCC) is to transform the spiritual emptiness, economic powerlessness and social disorganization that the church believes has plagued the Black community. The bookstore and cultural center is an excellent place to view African-American art exhibits, attend book signings by Black authors, participate in discussion groups and Bible studies, and listen to African storytelling.

Six Flags Over Georgia

Located just a few moments away from the Spelman College campus, Six Flags offers hours of breathtaking fun. You can ride any of the eight roller coasters, catch a show at one of the performance venues, play games for prizes, or enjoy a meal in the shade.

Sports venues

With so many winning sports teams in Atlanta, it's hard to choose, but you'll always find a game worth watching! The Atlanta Braves play at Turner Field, while the Falcons inhabit the 80,000-seat Georgia Dome, and the Thrashers hockey team and Hawks baseball team play in the newly built Phillips Arena.

Sweet Auburn district

A walk down Auburn Avenue is one of the best history lessons Atlanta has to offer. The opportunities available in this Black residential and business district, even in the face of Atlanta's segregation laws, inspired political leader John Wesley Dobbs to nickname the area "Sweet Auburn." Years later former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson says his grandfather called the area "sweet" because it held the keys to Blacks' freedom --including the three Bs -- "bucks, ballots and books." The historic area, established in 1980, includes Martin Luther King Jr.'s boyhood home and Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached. Other Auburn Avenue attractions include the King Center, the APEX Museum, the National Park Service Visitor Center, and the Atlanta Life Building, which until 1980 was the headquarters of the country's largest black-owned stockholder life insurance company. You can also see the historic offices of the Atlanta Daily World, the first Black daily paper worldwide.

Underground Atlanta

Underground Atlanta is a favorite spot with Spelman students. Underground is known for its specialty shops, eateries, and special events such as the Midday Jazz Excursion and the annual Open Air Market.

Zoo Atlanta

The advent of the pandas at Zoo Atlanta has made it more popular than ever for a day trip. You can wander through the various exhibits and learn about all kinds of animals, from elephants to emus, otters to ostriches.