Some Atlanta streets are about where you’re going. Auburn Avenue is about where we’ve been.
For a stretch of the 20th century, this mile of brick storefronts and church steeples east of downtown was one of the most important Black business and cultural districts in America. Civic leader John Wesley Dobbs gave it the name that stuck: Sweet Auburn. In 1956, Fortune magazine called it “the richest Negro street in the world.”
It’s also the street where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, raised, baptized, and laid to rest. You can walk all of it in an afternoon. You’ll want longer.
Start at the Birth Home
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park anchors the east end of the avenue. Rangers lead free presentations at the Queen Anne-style house where Dr. King was born in 1929. Groups are small, capped at 15 people, and spots go first come, first served, so get there early.
The park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. While the main visitor center is renovated, start at the temporary location in Historic Fire Station No. 6 on Boulevard.
Ebenezer Baptist Church
A few steps away stands Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where three generations of the King family served as pastors. Rangers give daily talks in the historic sanctuary. Sit in the pews, look up at the pulpit, and the history gets very close.
The King Center
Across the street, the King Center holds the reflecting pool and the tombs of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, plus exhibits on the nonviolent movement they led. It’s a place to slow down.
Black Wall Street, Atlanta Style
Walk west and you’re walking through the old business district. Sweet Auburn was home to Atlanta Life Insurance Company, founded by Alonzo Herndon in 1905, along with Citizens Trust Bank, which lent to Black homeowners and businesses when other banks wouldn’t. The Atlanta Daily World printed here too, the first successful Black-owned daily newspaper in the country.
The construction of the Downtown Connector sliced the avenue in two and hurt the district badly. You’ll pass right under it. Standing there tells you more than any plaque.
Museums Worth Your Time
- The APEX Museum on Auburn Avenue tells African American history with a focus on Atlanta and Sweet Auburn.
- The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History holds a deep archive and hosts exhibits and talks open to the public.
Eat at the Curb Market
Finish at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market on Edgewood Avenue, a public market that has fed this part of town for about a century. Produce stands, butchers, and a lineup of food stalls under one roof. Come hungry.
Tips for Your Visit
- Wear walking shoes. The core sites sit within easy walking distance of each other.
- Ride the Atlanta Streetcar. It loops through Sweet Auburn and downtown.
- Go on a weekday morning for the best shot at a Birth Home spot.
- Check before you go. Hours and tours can change, especially around holidays.
Sweet Auburn isn’t a museum piece. People still live, worship, and do business here. Visit with respect, spend some money at local spots, and carry a little of the street home with you.
