How to Spend 8 Hours in Atlanta: Georgia Aquarium and Civil Rights Center
Updated October 3, 2026
Eight hours lets you take on the two big museums of Pemberton Place without rushing. Watch whale sharks glide past the big window at the Georgia Aquarium, spend an afternoon at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, then ride to Marietta Street for soul food.
The aquarium and the civil rights center face each other across Pemberton Place, a short walk from the downtown hotels. One is a day of sharks, belugas and sea lions, and the other is a sobering look at civil and human rights in the city Dr. King called home. Both are worth the time, so this plan gives each a long slot. For dinner, take a short ride northwest to Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar on Marietta Street, a sit-down soul food restaurant that opens every day.
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The 8 hour plan, stop by stop
Stops and travel: 5 hr 32 min to 7 hr 2 min of 8 hours
This nonprofit aquarium holds more than 11 million gallons of water, and its Ocean Voyager gallery is home to whale sharks, the biggest fish in the sea. Other galleries feature beluga whales, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions and African penguins. It opens every day of the year. Dated tickets come with an arrival time, and you should enter within an hour of it, so book a slot early in the day.
Tip: As of October 2026, dated tickets start at $54.99 and an Anytime ticket costs $69.99. Dolphin and sea lion presentations are included, but space is limited and free reservations open only on the day of your visit, so book in the app as soon as you arrive.
- Time here
- 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr 20 min
- Website
- georgiaaquarium.org
NaviTime to head out from Georgia Aquarium for National Center for Civil and Human Rights. It's a 4 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
This museum across Pemberton Place links the American civil rights movement with human rights struggles around the world today. The gallery American Civil Rights: Rolls Down Like Water covers the movement in the United States, and a lunch counter sit-in experience puts you in the seat of a protester. A separate gallery looks at human rights everywhere today. It is closed on Mondays, and the last entry comes an hour before closing. Backpacks are allowed, but there is no bag storage.
Tip: As of October 2026, adult tickets are $26 when booked for a set time, or $28 for an Anytime ticket. The center's website has an audio preview of the lunch counter sit-in, so you can hear what the simulation is like before you take a seat.
- Time here
- 1 hr 30 min to 1 hr 50 min
- Website
- civilandhumanrights.org
NaviTime to head out from National Center for Civil and Human Rights for Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar, Marietta Street. It's a 28 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
Virgil's started in College Park and now has three Georgia locations, and this one sits on Marietta Street in West Midtown, near Georgia Tech. It calls itself a love letter to Gullah Geechee culture, and its motto, 'Yes, we eat a lot of rice,' shows up as crab rice and the jasmine rice under the smothered pork chops. Dishes are spelled the way they sound, like Skrimp N' Grits Wit' Crab and the Aftuh' Church Plate of wings, macaroni and cheese, greens and sweet potato. It opens every day from late morning until late at night.
Tip: Reserve through the Yelp link on the restaurant's site before you leave Pemberton Place. Virgil's says you may walk into a day party, with loud music, a full bar and tables filling fast, so it suits a lively dinner more than a quiet one.
- Time here
- 1 hr to 1 hr 20 min
- Website
- virgilsgullahkitchen.com
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