See the Sights of Atlanta and Discover the Secrets of the Old South

To start finding out about Atlanta, the best place to go is the Atlanta History Center. This fascinating complex is housed in several elegant buildings set within 33 acres of sumptuous parkland. There's a mansion housing the main exhibits, an extensive archive library, and a plantation house complete with old slave quarters where you can see something of what life was like before the Civil War. Tours are available to help you make the most of your visit, or you can wander around on your own—it's worth spending a whole day there. There's a great restaurant on site, and a well-stocked gift shop.

To make access to the History Center and several other major attractions much cheaper, consider picking up an Atlanta CityPass. These cost less than $90 and are even cheaper if you book online, with concessions available for under twelves (under threes usually get in free anyway). They don't have a time limit, but they can only be used once at each location. Your CityPass will also get you discounts in some shops and restaurants—look out for the sign.

Other locations covered by the CityPass include the Georgia Aquarium, which is the largest indoor aquarium in the world and gives you the chance to stand right next to a whale or a great white shark. There are petting pools and lots of spectacular things to see, and kids will love it. Then there's the Atlanta Botanical Garden, which has lots of fascinating outdoor exhibits and usually has events going on—this is also very child-friendly, with play areas where they can let off steam. And there's CNN Atlanta, where you can take a studio tour and find out how the news is made, perhaps even bumping into some of your favorite personalities.

Finally, no visit to Atlanta is complete without a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. There you can visit the church where the great activist preached and which is now a museum with resources to help you learn about his life.