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Atlanta Map: The King CenterThe King Center Frommer's Highly Recommended

Hours Daily 9am-5pm
Address 449 Auburn Ave
Location Between Boulevard and Jackson Sts
Transportation From I-75/85 south, exit at Freedom Pkwy./Carter Center. Turn right at first stoplight onto Boulevard. Follow signs to Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site. MARTA: King Memorial station is about 8 blocks away, or take bus no. 3 east from the Five Points Station
Phone 404/526-8900
Web site www.thekingcenter.org
Prices Free admission
Season Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day

Frommer's Review

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to nonviolent social change lives on at this memorial, museum, and educational center. A nongovernmental member of the United Nations, the center works with government agencies and the private sector to reduce violence within individual communities and among nations.

The tour of the center, which is self-guided, begins in Freedom Hall, where memorabilia of King and the civil rights movement are displayed. Here, you can see King's Bible and clerical robe, a handwritten sermon, a photographic essay about his life and work, and, on a grim note, the suit he was wearing when a deranged woman stabbed him in New York City. Also on display is the key to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where he was assassinated. In an alcove off the main exhibit area is a video about King's life and works. Additional exhibits include a room honoring Rosa Parks (whose refusal to give up her seat on a city bus led to the Montgomery bus boycott), and another honoring Gandhi.

The center's library and archives house the world's largest collection of books and other materials documenting the civil rights movement, including Dr. King's personal papers and a rare 87-volume edition of The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, a gift from the government of India. The library is open by appointment only for scholarly research.

In addition to serving as a museum and hub of social-justice activity, the center is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s final resting place, a living memorial to this inspiring leader that is visited by tens of thousands each year. Dr. King's white-marble crypt rests outside in the Freedom Plaza, surrounded by a beautiful five-tiered Reflecting Pool, a symbol of the life-giving nature of water. The tomb is inscribed with his words: "Free at Last. Free at Last. Thank God Almighty I'm Free at Last." An eternal flame burns in a small circular pavilion directly in front of the crypt. The Freedom Walkway, a vaulted colonnade paralleling the pool, will eventually be painted with murals depicting the civil rights struggle. Located at the end of Freedom Walkway is the Chapel of All Faiths, symbolizing the ecumenical nature of Dr. King's work and the universality of the basic tenets of the world's great religions.

A store on the premises offers King memorabilia and a wide selection of books and cassettes. Ranger talks focusing on the community and the civil rights movement take place frequently on Freedom Plaza.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


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Frommer's Atlanta, 10th Edition Frommer's Atlanta, 10th Edition

Author: Karen K. Snyder
Pub Date: April 16, 2007
Price: $16.99

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Home > Destinations > North America > USA > Georgia > Atlanta > Attractions > The King Center