Day 46: Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, GA

We made it to Atlanta from Fort Benning in a few quick hours of driving and we headed straight to the hostel where we’d be staying to check in.  Unfortunately the hostel office was closed all afternoon, so we decided to just go check out Atlanta and then to check into the hostel later.  

Reflecting pool at MLK Jr. National Park

Final resting place of MLK

We drove just a few blocks from our hostel to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Park in downtown Atlanta.  There was a very cool and informative museum that had tons of information and artifacts from MLK’s life and the civil rights movement in general.  The grounds also had a large reflecting pool that reminded us (purposefully, we assumed) of the reflecting pool in Washington D.C. and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  In the middle of the pool there were 2 sarcophagi holding the bodies of both Martin and Coretta King, with an eternal flame dedicated to their memory right behind.  The entire display was very informative and very inspiring.

MLK's birthplace

After the museum area we walked a few blocks away to take a tour of the home where MLK was born.  The house was nice, and we got a very unique tour with a park ranger who was actually blind.  It was very interesting to hear the stories of MLK’s childhood, especially from our slightly-too-lively tour guide (he was way over the top with his personal interpretations of MLKs childhood).  It was a very cool experience.  

John Oates...or is it

After the MLK National Park we headed to the hostel, checked in, and got settled for the evening.  Taking advantage of the internet at the hostel we find a good place to eat and have a few drinks that night called Highlander’s.  It was just a few blocks away in midtown Atlanta, and we got there in time to discover that it was Bingo night and they’d be giving away prizes all night.  Needless to say, we decided to stay a little longer than we’d planned to play Bingo, and we won 3 times between the two of us.  After Bingo ended we headed back to the hostel to rest up because we were trying to leave early so we could have plenty of time to sight see the next day on the way to Nashville.