A Walking Tour of Sweet Auburn--You never really understand a city unless you walk around it a bit. Atlanta's climate makes walking tours an option just about year-round.

Sweet Auburn includes the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, which comprises about 2 blocks along Auburn Avenue, and the surrounding preservation district, about 10 more blocks. A neighborhood that nurtured scores of 20th-century black businesspeople and professionals, it contains the birthplace, church, and gravesite of Martin Luther King, Jr. The area was a vibrant commercial and entertainment district for black Atlantans from the late 1800s until the 1930s, when it went into a steep decline.

In the 1980s, the area where Martin Luther King, Jr., was born and raised was declared a National Historic Site, and now, under the auspices of the National Park Service, portions of Auburn Avenue are in an ongoing process of restoration. Although parts of the area are still in sad disrepair, new landscaping has beautified some of the street, and several homes on the "Birth Home" block have been restored to their 1920s appearance. (For more information about the National Historic Site, contact the National Park Service at tel. 404/331-6922 or visit the website at www.nps.gov.malu.) This walking tour provides insight into black history, the civil rights movement, and black urban culture in the South. If you're traveling with children, it's a wonderful opportunity to teach them about a great American.

Begin your stroll at:

1. Howell and Irwin Streets--Walk south along Howell Street, where renovated historic homes and recently built housing, designed to harmonize with the architecture of the neighborhood, provide testimony to the area's continuing renaissance. Note no. 102 Howell, built between 1890 and 1895, which was the home of Alexander Hamilton, Jr., Atlanta's leading turn-of-the-century black contractor. Its architectural details include Corinthian columns and a Palladian window.

Turn right on Auburn Avenue, and as you proceed, look for interpretive markers indicating historic homes (mostly Victorian and Queen Anne) and other points of interest en route to:

2. Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change--This institution is located at 449 Auburn Ave. (tel. 404/524-1956; www.thekingcenter.com). The organization here continues the work to which King was dedicated--reducing violence within individual communities and among nations. Freedom Plaza, on the premises, is his final resting place. The center is open every day from 9am to 5pm. Here, you can take a self-guided tour of exhibits on King's life and the Civil Rights Movement. Admission is free.

Now double back a few blocks east to:

3. The Birth Home of Martin Luther King, Jr.--Free half-hour guided tours are given on a continual basis from 9am to 5pm at King's birthplace, located at 501 Auburn Ave. On weekends, especially, arrive early, since demand for tickets often exceeds supply. Tickets are obtained at the National Parks Service Visitor Center, 450 Auburn Ave.

Walk back toward stop 2, noting the turn-of-the-century homes in the area such as:

4. The Double "Shotgun" Row Houses--Standing at 472-488 Auburn Ave., these two-family dwellings with separate hip roofs were built in 1905 to house workers for the Empire Textile Company. They were called "shotgun" because rooms were lined up in a row, and one could fire a shotgun straight through the whole house.

Continue west on Auburn Ave. At the corner of Auburn and Boulevard is:

5. Fire Station no. 6--This is one of Atlanta's eight original firehouses, completed in 1894. The two-story Romanesque-revival building was situated to protect the eastern section of the city. The station houses a museum, open daily from 9am to 5pm, where exhibits include restored fire engines and vintage fire-fighting paraphernalia. Admission is free. Note the Italianate arched windows on the second story.

Continuing west on Auburn Ave., a notable stop on your tour is:

6. Ebenezer Baptist Church--Situated at 407 Auburn Ave. (tel. 404/688-7263), this church, founded in 1886, is where Martin Luther King, Jr., served as co-pastor from 1960 to 1968. The church is open Monday through Saturday 9am to 5pm. Here, you can listen to a taped message on the history of the church and enter the sanctuary and watch a videotape. The church has built a new sanctuary across the street, but the original building remains as a historic site under the auspices of the State Department of Parks & Recreation.

One block west at 365 Auburn Ave. is the:

7. Wheat Street Baptist Church--This church has served a congregation since the late 1800s. Auburn Avenue was originally called Wheat Street in honor of Augustus W. Wheat, one of Atlanta's early merchants. The name was changed in 1893.

Farther west, on Auburn between Hilliard and Fort streets, is:

8. The Prince Hall Masonic Building--This was an influential black lodge led for several decades by John Wesley Dobbs. Today, it houses the national headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

On the other side of the expressway, at 228-250 Auburn Ave., note:

9. The Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium--This is another black fraternal lodge, which originated in Atlanta in 1870. Completed in 1914, the building later became headquarters for an insurance company.

Across the street, at 231-245 Auburn Ave., is:

10. The Herndon Building--This building is named for Alonzo Herndon, an ex-slave who went on to found the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. It was erected in 1924. By 1930, the Auburn business district supported 121 black-owned businesses and 39 black professionals.

Make a left on Butler Street and you'll see:

11. The Butler Street YMCA--Built in the early 1900s, this was a popular meeting place of civil rights leaders. Today, it's augmented by a modern YMCA across the street.

Continue south along Butler Street to the:

12. Sweet Auburn Curb Market--The market is located just below Edgewood Avenue. Formerly called the Municipal Market, this historic spot dates to 1924, when Atlanta was still a segregated city. Whites shopped within, but blacks were only permitted to patronize stalls lining the curb. The market's current name reflects that era. Today, it sells groceries and fresh produce--including many regional and ethnic items such as ham hocks and chitlins ("We sell every part of the pig here but the oink," says the owner). Fully cooked ethnic meals are available here, and there is seating so you can dig in right away. Open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 6pm, Friday and Saturday from 8am to 7pm.

Walk back to Auburn Avenue on Butler Street and turn left. To your right, at 220 Auburn Ave., is:

13. The Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church--The church was originally built in the 1890s and then rebuilt in 1924 after a fire. In the 1920s, John Wesley Dobbs called the Bethel "a towering edifice to black freedom."

Farther along, at 186 Auburn Ave., is:

14. The Royal Peacock Club--This music club's walls are painted from floor to ceiling with peacocks. Closed for years, it presented top black entertainers such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Dizzy Gillespie in its heyday.

Take A Break--The Caribbean Restaurant, 180 Auburn Ave., between Piedmont Avenue and Butler Street (tel. 404/658-9829), has a plain but pleasant interior. Walls are hung with posters of Caribbean destinations and musicians, diners are seated on glossy white wooden benches at big picnic-style tables, and reggae and calypso music plays in the background. The low-priced menu lists authentic Caribbean foods such as oxtail stew, curried goat, spicy jerk chicken, red snapper stew, fried plantains (served with blue cheese dressing), and rôti skin (a pancake-like bread). All entrees come with rice and two vegetables. For dessert, try the homemade carrot cake or the red velvet cake. Major credit cards are accepted. Open Monday to Thursday from 11:30am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:30am to 10pm.

At 135 Auburn Ave., the corner of Auburn Avenue and Courtland Street, is:

15. The APEX (African-American Panoramic Experience) Museum--This museum features exhibits on the history of Sweet Auburn and the African-American experience, including a children's gallery with interactive displays. You can call tel. 404/521-2739 to see if there's anything special happening at the museum while you're in town.

Cross the street to:

16. Herndon Plaza--Here, you can see exhibits on the Herndon family.

If you'd like to do further research on the history of Auburn Avenue--or on any aspect of African-American history and culture--continue on to 101 Auburn Ave.:

17. The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History--This is the place to go for answers about African-American history. Operated by the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System, the library's collection includes literature, documents, rare records, and more. A Heritage Center on the premises features special exhibits, workshops, seminars, lectures, and events. Open Monday to Thursday 10am to 8pm, and Friday to Sunday noon to 6pm.