If Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; or New Orleans ever boasts of exuding more Southern charm per square inch, Atlanta might well respond, “Bless their hearts.” The de facto capital of the American South moves with too much muscle and speed to be bothered by such quaint notions, secure in its position as a nexus of civil rights history, capitalist hustle, Black creativity, and (thanks to generous state tax credits) TV and film production. Beyond the traffic-choked highways, Atlanta’s older, more central neighborhoods actually offer abundant charm, thrumming with dining, nightlife and art. A key catalyst has been the Atlanta Beltline, the partly constructed 22-mile walking and biking path that has connected old parts of town in fresh ways, spurring revitalization and giving locals and visitors alike a place to enjoy the city outside their cars.

Friday

3:30 p.m. Walk King’s walk

Atlanta’s spiritual mission is spelled out in the civil rights landmarks along Auburn Avenue, the historic Black business corridor just east of downtown where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up and later preached. Start at the old brick chapel of Ebenezer Baptist Church, which is overseen by the National Park Service (free admission). Find a seat in the pews, close your eyes and listen to recordings of King’s sermons from the 1960s that play on the sound system. Walk a minute east to see the crypts of King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, before continuing past an elegant stretch of Queen Anne-style houses, among them his birth home (currently closed for renovation). End your walk with a fresh-fruit cup (from about $5) from LottaFrutta, Auburn Avenue’s beloved pan-Latin fruteria.

6 p.m. Hit a culinary homer

The Atlanta Braves’ 2013 decision to leave the struggling Summerhill neighborhood, just south of downtown, for a new stadium in the suburbs was met with lusty boos by city dwellers. Since then, however, all kinds of cool things have sprouted along Georgia Avenue, the neighborhood’s main street. Have a pilsner (about $6) and a chat at Halfway Crooks, a quirky and welcoming beer hall. Nosh on jalapeno johnnycakes (part of a $12 bread plate) at Southern National, an upscale import from Mobile, Ala. At Little Bear, an unpretentious but daring small-plates bistro, a sorbet of scuppernong, a beloved Southern grape variety, incorporates hints of coffee, corn and aji dulce, the habanero’s mellower cousin ($8).

11 p.m. Dance till the wee hours

Atlanta’s hip-hop scene has long been tangled up in its strip-club culture, but there are other, less prurient options. On Edgewood Avenue, Harold’s Chicken & Ice Bar, a popular spot for gizzards and giblets, becomes a joyous, bumping dance club on weekend nights, attracting a crowd of 20- to 40-somethings. Usually at the controls Fridays is Chris Marks, who spins records under the moniker CM the DJ. Atlanta hip-hop has evolved to contain multitudes — by turns socially conscious, psychedelic, ruminative, daring and just plain weird. But Marks’ ecstatic sets (no cover) are built for dancing.

Saturday

10 a.m. Do bohemian breakfast

The Carroll Street Cafe is the social hub of Cabbagetown, an old millworkers’ neighborhood east of downtown crowded with small, brightly painted cottages, and home to artists, musicians and eccentric types. Find a table outside set along the impossibly narrow street, and order a mimosa ($11). Afterward, stroll north along Carroll Street, then turn right on what becomes Wylie Street, adorned with some of the city’s most striking public murals. A few blocks on, a left turn takes you through the Krog Street tunnel, where a riot of graffiti serves as a favored backdrop for rap videos and photo shoots.

Noon Wander up the Beltline

The busiest stretch of the Beltline, the Eastside Trail, begins at the Krog tunnel and extends about 2-1/2 miles north to the lovely green slopes of Piedmont Park. The Beltline has been transformative for a city that for decades was organized around the car. And though its success has prompted serious concerns about gentrification, it seems that Atlanta, finally, can see itself, particularly on weekends, when the path is crammed with flirting teenagers, exercise freaks, extrovert roller skaters and buskers. Explore Ponce City Market, a mall and food court set in a reconditioned former Sears distribution center.

4 p.m. Take in folk art

The High Museum of Art’s folk art collection is among the South’s best, featuring works from Howard Finster, the Georgia preacher whose idiosyncratic, funny and dreamlike work has been championed by Athens, Ga., rock band R.E.M., among others. In the last few years, the High has taken special care to feature Black art, reinforcing Atlanta’s reputation as a center of Black expression and ideas. Current shows include a selection of work from the collection of musician couple Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, also known as Swizz Beatz (through Jan. 19) and highlights from the museum’s growing collection of spectacular African American quilts (through Jan. 5).

8 p.m. Hit East Atlanta

A night out in East Atlanta Village, a scruffy cluster of bars, restaurants and shops, will have you falling in love with all kinds of cultures in the same place. Seek out Sao Paulo-style pizza, with its surprising toppings like Brie and pepper jam ($22), at Brasiliana. Order Jack Daniel’s shots ($8) for new tattooed friends in old Motorhead T-shirts at Flatiron Bar. At farm-to-table standout Banshee, a plate of malfatti dumplings ($30) recently on offer featured squash, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and smoky Benton’s bacon. Banshee morphs into a dance club (free admission) around 11 p.m.

Sunday

9:30 a.m. Visit a market

The Grant Park Farmers Market takes place every Sunday in the neighborhood of the same name. The best treats — fresh peaches and tomatoes — are to be found in the summertime, but there are reasons to visit all year long. Pick up a jar of duck liver pate with black-cherry aspic ($12) from the Spotted Trotter, a local butcher, and a baguette from TGM Bread ($3) for an easy picnic. And be sure to tolerate the long lines at the Little Tart, the bakery chain founded by Sarah O’Brien, Atlanta’s perfectionist virtuoso of viennoiserie. Gobble her Parisian-level butter croissant ($4.50) right there; take home a box of vegan blueberry-lemon cornmeal cookies ($2.65 each) for your friends.

Noon Get your garden on

In much of the rural South, the family garden plot never went out of style, and the garden club remains a backbone of small-town civic life. The Atlanta Botanical Garden (adult tickets, $29.95) implicitly honors such traditions and takes them to new heights across 30 walkable acres that include the delicate beauties of the Fuqua Orchid Center, in two dedicated display houses. Exquisite, botanically inspired glass sculptures by artist Dale Chihuly are on permanent display, and the garden often hosts other temporary sculpture exhibits. Note there are no bad-weather refunds. But ducking into a room full of orchids to escape a Georgia thunderstorm might make for the perfect sensuous coda to your trip.

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