National Center for Civil and Human Rights

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights opened in 2014 on Pemberton Place, beside the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, and it is the museum that connects Atlanta's civil rights history to the world. It is not large — most visitors need about two hours — but it is powerfully designed, and it uses the city's role as the movement's headquarters to tell a national story. The main civil rights gallery takes you from the Jim Crow South through the Montgomery bus boycott, the Freedom Rides, the Birmingham campaign and the March on Washington, using film, photographs, artifacts and sound. Its most famous element is the lunch counter simulation: you sit on a stool, put on headphones, place your hands on the counter and close your eyes, and for a minute and a half you hear what the young sit-in protesters heard — threats, insults, the stool kicked beneath you. Many visitors find it overwhelming, and it is optional. Another gallery displays a rotating selection of Dr. King's personal papers and belongings from the Morehouse College collection, and the upper floor turns to human rights around the world, from historic genocides to modern campaigns for the rights of women, LGBTQ people, migrants and others. It is a serious, emotional visit, best paired with something lighter afterward. The center is closed on Mondays and opens later on Sundays, the lunch counter experience can have a queue, and the upper-floor global galleries feel less cohesive than the civil rights section. But it is the right place to understand why Atlanta matters.

The center was championed by civil rights veterans including Andrew Young and Congressman John Lewis, along with Atlanta civic and business leaders, and built on land donated by Coca-Cola. Its location next to two of the city's big family attractions was deliberate: it puts the story of the movement in front of visitors who might not otherwise seek it out. The building itself, with its interlocking curved walls, was designed to evoke arms joined together. Inside, the exhibits were created with input from the playwright and director George C. Wolfe, which helps explain why they feel so theatrical and immersive compared with a traditional history museum.

To visit well, book a ticket ahead, give yourself at least two hours and go in the order the galleries are laid out, starting with the civil rights floor. If you want to try the lunch counter, do it early before a line builds; it is short but intense, and you can step away at any time. Allow time in the gallery of King papers, which changes periodically and often includes handwritten drafts of sermons and speeches. The human rights floor works best if you choose a few stories to focus on rather than trying to read everything. Children of about ten and older generally get the most out of the visit; younger children may find some images distressing, and parents should preview the lunch counter before letting kids try it.

The center sits on Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard at the north side of Pemberton Place, a short walk from Centennial Olympic Park and the downtown hotels, and is included in the Atlanta CityPASS. Combine it with the MLK National Historical Park on Auburn Avenue for a full civil rights day — the center first for context, then the birth home and Ebenezer in the afternoon, or the reverse. For lighter relief afterward, the aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola are steps away, and Centennial Olympic Park is across the street.