Atlanta is home to a range of cultural and historic sights. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site (nps.gov/malu) includes the Civil Rights leader's birthplace on Auburn Avenue and his tomb at the King Center. Visitors interested in gardening can tour the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (atlantabotanicalgarden.org) in Piedmont Park, while media enthusiasts can visit the CNN Center (cnn.com), the news channel's world headquarters. In downtown Atlanta and the Georgia Aquarium (georgiaaquarium.org), the World of Coca-Cola (worldofcoca-cola.com) are within steps of each other.
Historic Savannah (savannahvisit.com), Georgia's oldest city, was founded in 1733. The city features 22 squares with fountains, historic monuments and towering oaks as their centerpieces. The city was selected by "Forbes" as one of America's prettiest town's in 2010. Historic sites include the Herb House, the oldest building in Georgia built in 1734, and the Old Pink House, built in 1789 and the site of state's first bank. Several beaches on the barrier islands of the Golden Isles of Georgia (comecoastawhile.com), including Saint Simons and Tybee islands, are a short drive from the city.
Founded in 1736, the Olde Town Historic District in Augusta (augustaga.org) includes numerous 19th- and early 20th-century homes. The Augusta National Golf Club, rated as the greatest golf course in the United States by "Golf Digest" in 2010, is home to the prestigious Masters Golf Tournament (masters.com). City attractions include exhibitions at the Augusta Richmond County Museum (augustamuseum.org), which showcases 12,000 years of the area's history. Fishing is popular on the nearby Savannah River, and the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area (augustacanal.com) offers visitors boating and hiking opportunities.
Macon (maconga.org) is in the geographic heart of Georgia. Established in 1806, the remnants of the frontier army and trading post of Fort Hawkins still stand. Macon is the state's music capital and home to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (georgiamusic.org), which features winding streets and themed venues housing instruments and artifacts, including a gospel chapel and vintage record store. The city is also home to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (gshf.org) and the Ocmulgee National Monument (nps.gov/ocmu), site of a reconstructed Native American earth-lodge and temple mound.
