National Center for Civil and Human Rights

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta is a powerful, immersive museum connecting the American civil-rights movement with the broader global struggle for human rights. Its most affecting experience is the lunch-counter simulation: you sit at a recreated 1960s segregated lunch counter, put on headphones, and endure a few minutes of the verbal and physical abuse that peaceful protesters faced during sit-ins, visceral, unforgettable, and humbling. Other galleries cover Martin Luther King Jr. (with some of his personal papers), the movement's key moments, and contemporary human-rights causes worldwide.

It's emotional and thought-provoking rather than a casual visit, and beautifully designed. Located in downtown Atlanta beside the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, it adds essential depth to the city's civil-rights heritage, complementing the MLK National Historical Park across town.

Don't miss

• The immersive segregated lunch-counter simulation
• Martin Luther King Jr. galleries and personal papers
• Key moments of the US civil-rights movement
• Connections to global human-rights causes
• Powerful, emotive exhibition design

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Cheapest way inMontgomery Civil Rights Walk of Freedom Self Guided (GPS) Walking Tour4.5★ · 108 travelers~1 hoursFree cancellationFrom$8 per personSee dates →Most bookedAtlanta's Black History and Civil Rights Tour4.9★ · 1,422 travelers~4 hoursFree cancellationFrom$74 per personSee dates →Private & flexiblePrivate Atlanta History Tour From Civil War to Civil Rights4.9★ · 50 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$175 per personSee dates →

Good for

How travelers rate it

Know before you go

• The lunch-counter simulation is intense, moving and not for very young children.
• Allow unhurried time; the content is emotionally weighty.
• It's beside the aquarium and Coca-Cola, easy to combine, but give it its own space.
• It complements the MLK National Historical Park across the city.

A bit of history

Opened in 2014 in downtown Atlanta, the birthplace and home of Martin Luther King Jr., the Center was created to honour the civil-rights movement and link it to ongoing global human-rights struggles, drawing in part on King's personal collection held by Morehouse College.