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.

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.

The APEX (African-American Panoramic Experience) Museum
This museum chronicles the history of Sweet Auburn, once Atlanta's foremost black residential and business district, and serves as a national African-American museum and cultural center. The museum's Trolley Car Theater, a replica of a turn-of-the-century tram that ran on Auburn Avenue, presents a 12-minute multimedia presentation, Sweet Auburn: Street of Pride, that acquaints visitors with the area's history. Sweet Auburn history also comes to life in tableaux such as a replica of an Auburn Avenue barbershop and a re-creation of the 1920s-era Yates & Milton's Drugstore (Atlanta's first black pharmacy), featuring some original furnishings. There are interactive displays for children. The APEX recently added a tribute to the late Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., Atlanta's first black mayor. Inquire about special events and workshops taking place during your visit to Atlanta.Across the street from the APEX Museum, at 100 Auburn Ave., is Herndon Plaza, where you can see a permanent exhibit on the Herndon family (former slave Alonzo F. Herndon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company), and changing shows featuring the works of African-American artists.

Courtyard by Marriott Buckhead
The hotel designed by business travelers, Courtyard by Marriott surrounds you with all the comforts that make business and pleasure travel easy. Get ready for the day ahead in one of our guest rooms featuring cable television with two premium movie channels, comfortable sitting area, free wired high speed Internet access, hairdryer, in-room coffee and tea service, iron and board, pay movies, spacious well-lit work desk with ergonomic chair, two dataport telephones with speaker and voicemail ...

Courtyard by Marriott Cumberland Center
The hotel designed by business travelers, Courtyard surrounds you with all the comforts that make business and pleasure travel easy. Relax and get ready for the day ahead in one of our guest rooms featuring free high speed Internet access, in-room coffee, large well-lit work desk with ergonomic chair, small refrigerator, two dataport telephones with private voicemail and a complimentary weekday newspaper. Start your morning with a reasonably priced healthy breakfast buffet. When you need to ...

ExtendedStayDeluxe ATL-Pmeter
ExtendedStayDeluxe ...