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During your Atlanta vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Founded in 1886, Ebenezer was a spiritual center of the civil rights movement from 1960 to 1968, during which time Martin Luther King, Jr., served as co-pastor. King's grandfather, the Rev. A. D. Williams, dedicated the church to "the advancement of black people and every righteous and social movement." His son-in-law and successor, Martin Luther King, Sr., worked for voting rights and other aspects of black civil and social advancement, following Williams's activist example. Later, Martin Luther King, Jr., would join his ancestors in pursuing justice for African Americans.The congregation has built a new sanctuary directly across the street, but the older building, where Martin Luther King, Jr., preached, continues to be open to the public. Short but informative tours of the sanctuary, conducted by members of the Ebenezer congregation, are given Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, Saturday 9am to 2pm, and Sunday 2 to 4pm. One of the best things to do is attend a Sunday morning worship service in the new sanctuary. The public is welcome -- and you'll realize just how welcome when the members of the congregation leave their seats at the beginning of the service to shake the hands of as many visitors as possible. It's a living testimonial to all that the church's most famous son stood for. Sunday services are at 7:45am and 10:45am. The sanctuary is usually packed, so it's a good idea to arrive well ahead of time. Groups of 6 or more should call the church office at tel. 404/688-7263 to make reservations. An ecumenical service also takes place here every year during King week (January 9-15).
High Museum of Art
Designed by architect Richard Meier, this facility -- part of the Woodruff Arts Center complex -- is itself a work of art. A dazzling white porcelain-tiled building with an equally pristine white interior, the museum houses four floors of galleries connected by semicircular pedestrian ramps girding a spacious, sun-filled, four-story atrium. A $130 million three-building expansion is scheduled for completion in 2005; the new additions will include additional gallery space for the museum's permanent collection, enlarged special exhibit space, a coffee bar, and a new retail shop.The permanent collection here includes more than 10,000 pieces, among them a significant group of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings. Hudson River School artists such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church are featured, as are Thomas Sully, John Singer Sargent, and William Harnett. The Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection of American Decorative Arts comprehensively documents trends in decorative arts from 1825 to 1917. The Samuel H. Kress Foundation collection includes Italian paintings and sculpture from the 14th through the 18th centuries. The Uhry Print Collection contains important works by French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, German Expressionists, and 20th-century American artists. Also notable are collections of sub-Saharan African art, a folk art collection, and works by noted 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographers.In addition to the permanent collection, which is shown on a rotating basis, the museum hosts a number of major traveling exhibitions each year, complemented by films, lectures, workshops, gallery talks, concerts, and other cultural events. Ask at the desk about events during your stay. Free guided gallery tours of the High's permanent collection are offered every Friday and Saturday at 2pm; free guided family tours are given every Sunday at 2pm.The museum has a wonderful gift shop with an impressive stock of art books, prints, and interesting art-related objects. There's an excellent cafe run by Alon's, which has two other locations in town. It's a delightful space, accented with the same colors as the Calder mobile that is visible just outside the big glass windows. The cafe serves up sandwiches, soups, pastries, and desserts, plus fresh juices, teas, and specialty coffees. It's open Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday noon to 5pm. You don't have to enter the museum to get to the cafe.As this book was going to press, it was announced that the photography and folk art collections of the High Museum's downtown branch will be moving to this branch. Stay tuned for details.
Birth Home of Martin Luther King, Jr
Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in this two-story Queen Anne-style house on January 15, 1929, the oldest son of a Baptist minister and an elementary school music teacher. His childhood was a normal one. He preferred playing baseball to piano lessons, liked to play board games, and got a kick out of tearing the heads off his older sister's dolls (nonviolence came later). To quote his sister, Christine King Farris, "My brother was no saint ordained at birth, instead he was an average and ordinary man, called by . . . God . . . to perform extraordinary deeds."King lived here through the age of 12, then moved with his family to a house a few blocks away. A visit provides many insights into the formative influences on one of the greatest leaders of our time. The Rev. A. D. Williams, King's maternal grandfather and pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, bought the house in 1909. Reverend Williams was active not only in the church, but also in the community and in early manifestations of the civil rights movement. He was a charter member of Atlanta's NAACP and led a series of black registration and voting drives as far back as 1917. He was instrumental in getting black officers onto the Atlanta police force. Martin Luther King, Sr., moved in on Thanksgiving Day, 1926, when he married Williams's daughter Alberta. When Reverend Williams died in 1931, King became head of the household and took over Williams's pulpit at Ebenezer Church.The King family retained ownership of the house at 501 Auburn even after they moved away. King's younger brother, Alfred Daniel, lived here with his family from 1954 to 1963. In 1971, King's mother deeded the home to The King Center. It has since been restored to its appearance during the years of King's boyhood. The furnishings are all originals or period reproductions, and some personal items belonging to the family are on display. Christine was actively involved in the restoration, providing a wealth of detail about the former appearance of the house, as well as anecdotal material about life in the King family.Tours of the house, conducted by National Park rangers, begin in the downstairs parlor, where you'll see family photographs showing Martin Luther as a child. The parlor was used for choir practice, for the dreaded piano lessons, and as a rec room where the family gathered around the radio to listen to shows like "The Shadow." In the dining room, world events were regularly discussed over meals, and every Sunday, before dinner, each child was required to recite a newly learned Bible verse from memory. You'll also see the coal cellar (stoking coal was one of King's childhood chores); the children's play area; the upstairs bedroom of King's parents in which Christine, King, and Alfred Daniel were born; Reverend Williams's den, where the family gathered for nightly Bible study; the bedroom King shared with his brother ("always in disarray," says Christine); and Christine's bedroom.Note: In summer, especially, tickets often run out early; for your best chance at touring the home, arrive at 9am.
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