Book a flight to Atlanta online. As of October, 2008, a round-trip flight from Newark, NJ to Atlanta is in the range of $250 to $300 dollars for a booking three weekends in advance. From Los Angeles, a flight will cost between $350 to $425 dollars.
Find the best lodging your budget can handle. If you like luxury, try the downtown Hyatt in Atlanta. If you want to taste a bit of history, check out the Georgian Terrace, where Clark Gable once stayed. Built in the early 1900s, this hotel on Peachtree Street is a National Registry of Historic Places site and sits opposite the historic Fox Theatre. For sports enthusiasts, the Centenniel Olympic Park is a great choice and is only a mile away. You can also find many budget options, rated by other travelers, at online sites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Hotwire.
Eat your way through the weekend and don't feel guilty. If you have any Southern blood at all, you'll weep when you see the buffets in Atlanta - everything from black-eyed peas, corned bread, fried okra and peach cobbler to goblets of sweet tea. Check out Miss Pitty Pat's Porch for a buffet that will leave you stuffed but plum happy. Check out the glass, chrome and yellow, uber-modern South City Kitchen for some delicious buttermilk fried chicken served over garlic mashed potatoes with asparagus.
Wander through the historic district, especially up Peachtree Street and its turn-of-the-last-century houses. The Margaret Mitchell House and its Gone With the Wind Museum is on Peachtree, about six or seven blocks up from the Georgian Terrace Hotel. The Margaret Mitchell House also touts black and white photographs of Dr. King in a special exhibit on the first floor.To see Dr. King's birthplace, visit 450 Auburn Avenue, NE, which features exhibits on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement.
Relax and let the spirit move you. Atlanta is such a sleepy, romantic city and yet thumping with a youthful energy. What appeals to one person may not to another. The Buckhead crowd that enjoys dancing till dawn may not appreciate Stone Mountain, for example. For more travel tips on Atlanta, consult with your hotel desk clerk. At the Georgian Terrace, in particular, staff is incredibly cordial and more than willing to offer tips and brochures. You can catch a taxi from the front to anywhere you want to go.
