Martin Luther King Jr.'s Auburn St. childhood home (Photo credit: Kevin C. Rose) RELATED LINKS Return to Atlanta City Guide

Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born and raised in an Atlanta neighborhood known as Sweet Auburn, once the city's most prosperous African-American commercial district. Today the area has been designated a National Historic District, and it is surely one of the most humbling and thought-provoking sites in the entire U.S. National Park system. Visitors can tour the house where King was born, see the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he worshipped and preached, and pause to reflect at his grave site — a white marble crypt on the grounds of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (www.thekingcenter.org).

Head first for the National Park Service Visitor Center (www.nps.gov/malu) at 450 Auburn Ave. NE, where exhibits and video presentations trace major milestones in King's life. This is also where you can sign up for a free tour of the King birth home nearby. The ranger-led tours are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so be prepared for long waits on busy weekends and holidays. The Ebenezer Baptist Church at 407 Auburn Ave. NE remains an active congregation, but is open to tourists except during Sunday morning services, funerals and other church events. In addition to the grave site, the Center for Nonviolent Social Change across the street from the visitor center houses more exhibits and artifacts from King's life. Admission to all facilities is free.

If you have time, take a walk down Auburn Avenue to the APEX Museum (www.apexmuseum.org), which houses various exhibits about African-American culture and the history of Sweet Auburn.