Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum
Though it sounds like something out of Disney World, the Atlanta Cyclorama was created in the 1880s, and the concept -- a huge, 360-degree cylindrical painting viewed from a rotating platform -- dates back a century earlier. Cycloramas were the rage of 18th- and 19th-century Europe, Russia, Japan, and later, the United States, depicting subject matter ranging from the splendors of Pompeii to Napoleonic battles. Enhanced by multimedia effects and faux terrain extending 30 feet from the painting into the foreground, they were the forerunners of newsreels, travelogues, and TV war coverage.The one you'll see here -- a 42-foot-high cylindrical oil painting, 358 feet in circumference (on about 16,000 sq. ft. of canvas) -- depicts the events of the Battle of Atlanta, on July 22 1864, in meticulous detail. It took 11 Eastern European artists, working in the United States in the studio of William Wehner, 22 months to complete the project.For 21st-century tourists, the concept and story of the Cyclorama are as interesting as the action depicted, and the restoration is incredibly impressive. Though painted on fine Belgian linen in the painstaking style of the 19th-century art academies, the work suffered in moves from city to city, and later (when motion-picture epics made cycloramas passé) from neglect. Well-intentioned but incompetent attempts at restoration caused further damage. In the 1970s, a severe storm waterlogged the painting, causing seemingly irreversible damage. But Mayor Maynard Jackson recognized the historic and artistic importance of the Cyclorama; under his auspices, $11 million was raised for its restoration. It took 2 1/2 years for renowned conservator Gustav Berger and his crew to repair the damaged work, a process that included mending more than 700 rips in the canvas. The fascinating story of the Cyclorama's development and restoration is related in a video near the auditorium entrance.Cyclorama's central theme is Gen. John B. Hood's desperate attempt to halt Sherman's inexorable advance into the city. Comprehensively narrated, and complete with music and sound effects, including galloping horses and cannon fire, it vividly depicts the troop movements and battles on the day that the Confederates lost 8,000 men and the Yankees lost 3,722. A figure highlighted far beyond his historic importance is Gen. John A. Logan of the Federal Army of Tennessee (who commissioned the painting at a cost of $42,000 as a campaign move in his bid for the vice presidency). He's shown gloriously galloping into the fray, bravely exposing himself and his men to enemy fire. The work was originally called Logan's Great Battle. A 14-minute film about the Battle of Atlanta precedes the Cyclorama viewing. The total program lasts about 35 minutes.The building housing the Cyclorama also contains a museum of related artifacts, the most important being the steam locomotive Texas from the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase. Other exhibits include displays of Civil War arms and artillery, Civil War-themed paintings, portraits of Confederate and Union leaders, "life in camp" artifacts and photographs, and uniforms. You'll need about an hour and a half to see the museum in full if you visit both floors.Note: No video cameras are allowed inside the Cyclorama auditorium.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
Under the auspices of the National Park Service, this area of about 2 blocks around Auburn Avenue was established to preserve the birthplace and boyhood surroundings of the nation's foremost civil rights leader. Designated a National Historic Site, these blocks include King's boyhood home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King's father and grandfather were ministers and King served as a co-pastor. Free tours of King's birth home start at Fire Station No. 6, which was recently restored by the NPS; tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the National Parks Service Visitor Center, 450 Auburn Ave.Other Auburn Avenue attractions, not under NPS auspices, include The King Center, where King is buried (see the previous listing), and the APEX Museum. Several more surrounding blocks have been designated as a preservation district. This area is known as Sweet Auburn. John Wesley Dobbs, maternal grandfather of former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, is the person who first called it such, after Oliver Goldsmith's The Deserted Village, the first line of which reads, "Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plains." Mayor Jackson says his grandfather called the area "sweet" because the keys to black liberation existed here in the form of "the three b's -- bucks, ballots, and books."There is a visitor center at 450 Auburn Ave., across from the King Center. It provides a complete orientation to area attractions and includes a theater for audiovisual and interpretive programs, interactive exhibits, and a bookstore. The visitor center is fronted by a beautifully landscaped plaza with a reflecting pool, King's crypt (which his wife had returned to the site several years ago), and an outdoor amphitheater for National Park Service programs.

Zoo Atlanta
This delightful 40-acre zoo dates from 1889, when George W. Hall (aka "Popcorn George") brought his traveling circus to town. Employee claims against Hall for back wages forced him to relinquish his menagerie, and the animal entourage was purchased by a prominent Atlanta businessman who donated the collection to the city as the basis for a zoological garden in Grant Park. It grew considerably over the years and was a popular local attraction, but had fallen into disrepair by the mid-1980s. Director Terry Maple was brought in to rescue the zoo and oversee a still-ongoing multimillion-dollar renovation.The turnaround has been dramatic. Today, Zoo Atlanta is one of the finest zoos in the country, with animals housed in large open enclosures that simulate their natural habitats. The zoo participates in breeding programs, many of them focusing on endangered species, and is home to many endangered animals, including Sumatran orangutans, 19 western lowland gorillas, black rhinos, 3 African elephants, 2 Komodo monitors, and big-mouthed African dwarf crocodiles.Currently the exhibit creating the biggest stir is the Asian Forest, home to Lun Lun and Yang Yang, two giant pandas. The two Chinese natives are a huge hit with adults and children alike. Although the pandas' rowdiest period is in the afternoon, the two put on quite a show most of the day: munching bamboo, tussling with each other, playing on their log swing, or climbing on the swinging ladder. When Lun Lun has had enough of Yang Yang's roughhousing, she heads for the water. In the summer, the two can be especially entertaining; if it's really sweltering, zoo officials give each of them a huge block of ice to help them cool off. Yang Yang likes to hug his until it melts. Unfortunately, as this guide went to print, reproductive efforts between the two have been unsuccessful. But hey, who can work under this kind of pressure?Your first stop will probably be Flamingo Plaza. Farther on, Mzima Springs and Masai Mara house elephants, rhinos, lions, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and other African animals and birds. The landscape in this section resembles the plains of East Africa, with honey locust trees and yuccas, and the lion enclosure replicates an East African kopje (rocky outcropping). Frequent animal demonstrations, African storytelling, and educational programs take place under the Elder's Tree in Masai Mara. The newest addition here is a baby waterbuck, daughter of Kokopelli (who was aptly named for the ancient fertility god).The lushly landscaped Ford African Rain Forest -- one of the most popular sections -- centers on four vast gorilla habitats separated by moats. Studies on gorilla behavior take place here, and there are usually quite a few adorable babies (they're hard to spot sometimes, so be sure to ask if there are any to be seen). The zoo's longtime mascot, Willie B. (named after former Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield), died in 2000, but his daughters Kudzoo and Olympia live in the forest and usually put on a pretty good show. The best time to visit is around 2pm, when the gorillas are fed. Also in this section is a walk-through aviary of West African birds, an exhibit of small African primates, and the Gorillas of Cameroon Museum. Landscaping includes burned-out areas of forest and deadfall trees -- gorillas do not live in manicured gardens.In the Ketambe section, several families of high-climbing orangutans show off their skills among the trees and bamboo clusters of an Indonesian tropical rainforest. If you're lucky enough to be there at feeding time -- around 2:30pm -- you might see them swinging on ropes from tree to tree. In the Sumatran Tiger Forest, rare Sumatran tigers prowl a lush forest, sometimes dipping into a stream or waterfall. Nearby is a superb Reptile House -- the zoo is home to one of the finest reptile collections in the country -- and a special exhibit area, often used to house visiting animals.A zoo train travels through the Children's Zoo area. Here, you'll find a playground and petting zoo where kids can get friendly with llamas, sheep, pot-bellied pigs, goats, and more. There are aviaries here, too. Kids (and adults) will love the entertaining and informative free animal shows at the zoo; shows are held in the Wildlife Theater during summer, and African elephant demonstrations are given daily year-round.There are snack bars (including a McDonald's) throughout the zoo. Or you can picnic in tree-shaded areas in Grant Park. The Zoo Atlanta Trading Company features zoo memorabilia and gifts.Some other new zoo news: First, the Australian-themed Outback Station in the Orkin Children's Zoo recently introduced two new species -- red kangaroos and kookaburras. Secondly, Turner Broadcasting made a $5 million donation in 2004. The single largest gift in Zoo Atlanta history, the money will allow the zoo to enhance the public offerings and educational programs in its Conservation Action Resource Center.

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