Martin Luther King Jr Center

Wow, I sat in the spot on the pew where Coretta Scott King sat on at MLKJ’s funeral!!! I loved the whole tour and I highly recommend this museum/​church/​birth house to everyone to visit. Martin Luther King Jr’s spirit is still in the church.

If you come to Atlanta and don’t visit this historic center, shame on you. So much history in one place. I thank those people who keep this place running for all people to enjoy and learn about Dr. King. I encourage everyone to come on MLK day because there’s so many people and activities. Come and listen to his sermon at the church and be uplifted.

I’ve been here many, many, many times in my life!!! Every time I come here I always learn something new and fascinating!!! I can remember being a small child and taking in everything this place has to offer. I can remember being a young adult and also taking in all this place has to offer. It’s safe to say that everyone in the U.S., even the world, should visit this place at least once to gain more knowledge about this extraordinary man’s life. You can see many of his worldly possessions on display, even the church he was installed in. I guarantee you that you will be amazed at all of the things there are to see here. There is also a bookstore where you can buy souvenirs and Dr. King’s writings. There is something special about this place and anyone that wants to witness its greatness!!!

One of the best visits we made in Atlanta and it was free!!! Previous reviews said to arrive early to get tickets to the birth home and while we got there around 9:30−10 and very few cars were in the parking lot (also free) we snagged two o’clock tour tickets. And when we came back at 1:30 to pick up our tickets (you must be punctual or they give them away) the rest of the tickets for the day were already gone. The tour is free you just have to get signed up for tickets! So we watched one of the short films at the visitor center and walked through the exhibit there on MLK Jr. We then went over to the Ebenezer Baptist Church to see where Dr. King preached along with his father and grandfather. We then went to the memorial where we got a great lunch recommendation from one of the employees (Sweet Auburn Market) and she told us about a streetcar that would take us there (also free until the end of the year!). After lunch we walked by the firehouse where Dr. King played and then toured his birth home. The guide was excellent and we learned lots of tidbits along the way. Took our 17 year old exchange student, 8 year old daughter, and 6 year old son and all enjoyed. The tour is not stroller friendly so make sure you have a carrier if small children (Daddy took ours back to nap in the car!). Also if working on the junior ranger badge, make sure you hold onto your book and pencil from the Visitor Center because they do not have more pencils available at the different stops. For us this was an all day experience and very moving! We watched Selma the night before so the kids also had some recent knowledge of what all Dr. King fought for.

This is a good place to visit, as it is indeed historical and it is definitely suggested. The visitor’s center does have sort of an 80’s vibe, and the other building with the displays and gift shop, adjacent to the burial site, was planned in the 70’s so it has a nice retro feel.

Of all the national Parks I visited, MLK Center was the most moving one.
I took a street car to get to the MLK Historic Site.
Too bad I couldn’t visit inside of his home, cause I didn’t have enough time.
The whole area seemed alive with his voice.
The footage, microphones, photos, statues and the wagon .
everything was unforgettable. A must visit when you are in Atlanta.
You will have an amazing experience just being there.

We really enjoyed the MLK memorial. I wished I read the reviews before we went. We didn’t realize there was more to see other then the observatory.

An ATL must see! What a magnificent preservation of our history. It’s a beautiful observatory that captures awesome photographed moments, scriptures, sculptures, speeches and the side by side memorials of Dr. King and Mrs. King seated in the center of a well kept basin.
Please visit and take a tour of this National Park, you will be glad you did.
Thank me later,
~Christy

This is a great place. The museums are a bit thin on content, but are nice. The National Park section is very professional but doesn’t have many artifacts. The tomb is impressive and sobering. The Church is incredible and beautiful. You should go and think about this ongoing period of our history.

Amazing experience. It was great to read up on history and visit the places Martin Luther King, Jr. once stood.

Atlanta’s most famous citizen is memorialized here, and the National Parks Service does its thing. MLK’s home, neighborhood, and church are preserved the same way as Gettysburg — metaphorically dipped in bronze, providing for all a backdrop and context to King’s world.
The exhibits that celebrate King do a great amount of justice to his contribution to civil rights. They show his struggles and detail his formative experiences. They pay tribute to other leaders of the movement. And they properly pay tribute to King himself while still portraying him as more human than god, and making it clear that he was one voice of many in a turbulent period.
Still, it’s hard not to think that our National Parks Service is better at preserving our natural landmarks than it is at creating contemporary and relevant museum exhibits. King’s ultimate cause was bigger than separate-​but-​equal, and the exhibits here do a much better job of highlighting the battles for justice in the 1960s than they do connecting those battles to the race relations issues that plague our society today. Perhaps that is why it seemed to me on my visit that most of its clientele were people who were alive when King was alive. Sure, it takes time for young people to gain an appreciation for history. But part of the objective of teaching history is to make the past more germane to modern life.
Visitors to Atlanta would still be well served by coming here, but a visit here is definitely enhanced by a visit to the downtown Center for Civil and Human Rights, which takes a much broader look at both the 1960s civil rights movement and human rights in general, and — better still — a stop or two in the city’s vibrant African American communities.

Loved my experience here and it was FREEEEEEE (the best things in life are, aren’t they?)
I was very inspired during this journey but it’s such an understated center for such an important man! I hope they develop it more and celebrate his legacy. I learned a lot about his childhood — he was actually very well-​off and very educated from a young age.
Do give this a visit. It’s an Atlanta gem!

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
«Historical, Nostalgic, A must!»
When in Atlanta do not pass up this site. Not only will you learn or refresh yourself about the Civil Rights Movement but you will see a small depiction of during that time and there is a certain aura about it!

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
«Historical, Nostalgic, A must!»
When in Atlanta do not pass up this site. Not only will you learn or refresh yourself about the Civil Rights Movement but you will see a small depiction of life during that time and there is a certain aura about it!

Our Atlanta vacation included stops at the adjacent Ebenezer Baptist Church and the downtown Center For Civil & Human Rights, each reviewed separately, and each visited before arriving at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. These prior stops establish a context for which, and without an ounce of disrespect intended, the MLK Center’s static displays and dioramas are placed in a difficult-​to-​assess position. The sheer emotional power of the CCHR is awesome and overpowering, while the Ebenezer Baptist Church is a deeply spiritual and perpetual experience. Finding a «middle ground» between the two would be extremely difficult.
By no means is the MLK Center anything less than a fitting and interesting tribute to the man and his times, and certainly, no disappointment in making this stop was registered. Yet, I agree completely with the eloquent and well-​written review of my friend and fellow Unilocaler Richard R.; this is a site which has the clear potential to be so much more impactful a tribute to a man whose impact upon humanity was (and remains) crystal clear and undeniable.

Visiting the MLK Center is an absolute must for anyone visiting or living in Atlanta. The MLK Center is an integral part of Atlanta’s history and is a true landmark in the city. There is free parking available but you have to look for it. The MLK Center also has access to an Atlanta Streetcar station for those that do not want to drive. The tombs of MLK and Coretta Scott King are located on site as well as the eternal flame. The birth home of MLK is available via reservation and has 14 rooms. The MLK Center is important for the remembrance of American’s dark and distant days during the civil rights movement and is worth a regular visit.

Had an opportunity to visit on a beautiful Sunday morning. Very inspirational and informative. The area where MLK is interred … I wish they would keep it a little cleaner. I just expected it to be spotless, and it was dusty and laden with cobwebs.

There are really four separate MLK related venues all within two blocks in the old neighborhood know as Sweet Auburn.
Sadly, the neighborhood looks a bit shabby and downtrodden, but an effort has been made to dress it up with lots of lovely spring plantings (it was Daffodil Days when we were there).
1. The Martin Luther King Center for Non-​violence was very informative. There is a wonderful statue of Gandhi out front (one of MLK’s role models). I was confused that the National Park movie showing inside was about Selma, which I already knew about having seen the Hollywood movie. Would have preferred something more about MLK’s early life and Sweet Auburn. However, I was amazed by the wealth of information on Civil Rights movement, which in my opinion is a great achievement.
2. The grave of MLK and Coretta Scott King was very moving. It is beautifully designed with flowing water and a walkway tracing the history of the civil rights movement.
3. MLK’s childhood home has 14 rooms! He lived with aunts and uncles, cousins, parents and siblings, a large extended family raising the children together. The evenings were spent in study, prayer, and sermon writing. The free tours book up fast so get your tickets before doing anything else.
4. Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK and his father Martin, Sr. preached also offers tours. Our guide was very informative, but stand in silence in the sanctuary and close your eyes and let your spirit guide you.
Be sure to walk around the block to Edgewood Street. In MLK’s day this was a thriving neighborhood shopping street. Most of the buildings are empty but one was a small department store and one a hardware store. Some effort is being made to revitalize the area.
On the corner of Edgewood and Boulevard is Edgewood Corner Tavern. In California we’d call it a gastro-​pub. The décor is shabby-​chic and the food was great. I had slider and a side of fried green tomatoes along with a fantastic local micro brew. My cousin had a pimento cheese slider.
Sweet Auburn is a neighborhood with some great old buildings just waiting for the right investors. I also recommend visiting the Freedom Hall where you can see the eternal flame and the reflecting pond.

Got to visit this essential space right before I left Atlanta and so glad I did. From the eternal flame to the rooms and personal items in them for MLK Jr. & Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks, to just the overall vibe of the place, it was just perfect for me. My favorite part however, especially on the sunny yet dewy morning I went, was the audio recordings playing in the expansive courtyard on the main museum side. So perfect. I also enjoyed getting to see the exterior of the old Ebenezer Baptist Church were so many Civil Rights Movements meetings and decisions were made. Yes, some of the buildings are a bit dated, but that they exist is what I appreciate. You cannot visit Atlanta and not go here, even if just for 15 minutes (though it should be more)!

I can not reiterate this enough for friends and family, you MUST visit at least once in your ventures to Atlanta! It’s a wonderful eye opening exhibit/​experience. I learned a lot more than I initially thought I would.
My friend and I did a guided tour. By then end I was so drawn in, I ended up buying MLK Jrs biography in the souvenir shop. I love history, and stories of equality. It is an inspiring place. The graffiti/​murals around are also just as beautiful. This would be a great way to spend a cloudy afternoon in Atlanta with a group, or even just alone! I’m a museum/​exhibit nerd and this is easily one of my favorites in Atlanta. The staff is also very helpful.

If you’re visiting Atlanta, the MLK Center is absolutely a must-​visit.
Through multimedia exhibits and memorabilia galleries, the King Center gives an exceptional account of MLK’s life, racial inequality in the Jim Crow South, and the Civil Rights movement. For history buffs, there’s a lot of fascinating information presented, and more casual visitors will be moved by the gravitas and emotion of the museum. It’s a lot to take in, and you’ll want to leave ample time in your visit to pause, reflect, and process your emotions.
If there’s anything that really makes this place, it’s the people. The staff and volunteers are all so admirably passionate about MLK and his work. I encourage you to take the time to talk with them, as they’re incredibly knowledgable and show such a personal investment in what the site means to them. We must have talked to one of the volunteers at the museum for the better part of an hour, no kidding.
My critique of this site is that it seems badly in need of a renovation and redesign. Many of the buildings appear somewhat dated and dusty, which is disheartening for a public figure that deserves the finest tribute. Also, some of the design choices are questionable, like the voice-​over MLK quotes on speaker at the memorial site … seriously?
Go for the people, appreciate the exhibits, and try not to be too bothered by the wear-​and-​tear … but write to your Congress representatives about it.

This is such an incredibly important place to visit!
We showed up at 8:50AM and there was already a couple of people waiting for the center to open at 9. They didn’t actually open until 9:10, and we were forced to wait outside an extra ten minutes. The two National Park Service workers that were running the site that day were in no rush.
Luckily, I read on Unilocal that birth home tours fill up early (only 15 people are allowed on a tour at one time). We got our free tickets as soon as the doors open. We got into the tour that started at 10. By the time our tour started at 10, they announced that all tours had already been booked until 3pm! The tour isn’t anything too special though. You do get a feel for what life was like in the 1930s, but our tour guide simply pointed out objects in each of the rooms of the house with a few stories about MLK Jr. here and there. Only 20% of the furniture is original.
The whole street where the MLK Jr.‘s birth home is located is controlled by the National Park Service. Currently, there are a couple of buildings that are part of the historic site all within walking distance of one another. Since you will be walking from building to building, I will say that the site isn’t in the best area. There was a man asking for money right outside the gift shop next to the birth home, and he eventually made his way inside the actual gift shop.
In total, there are five places to visit: the burial site, firehouse, birth house, church where MLK Jr. preached, and the main center with 3 small galleries. The main center also features 3 different films that rotate every thirty minutes. The one we watched showed the history of the civil rights movement and MLK Jr.‘s part in it. It was a really good watch. I wish we could have finished it, but we had to leave early to go on the birth home tour.
We ended up leaving the site after two hours because we were on a tight schedule, but you could easily spend another hour here if you would like to go through everything. I wish we had stayed longer.
Because everything is free, the historic site and its exhibits are clearly quite old. As some other reviewers have said, it just doesn’t seem to give justice to the man that Martin Luther King Jr. was. But it’s still a great place to visit! I learned so much about MLK Jr. here. He was such an incredibly powerful and inspiring man, and just by association so is this site!