war on canvas - View this location on map

when gen. john a. logan was considering a run for vice president in the 1880s, he commissioned a political ad in the form of a giant painting of the battle of atlanta, in which he for a time commanded the army of the tennessee for the union. the work, billed as the worlds largest oil painting, is now housed in grant park, in a circular room not unlike a planetarium, and viewed from a rotating bank of seats (atlanta cyclorama and civil war museum(404-624-1071; www.bcaatlanta.com; adult admission $7). it is accompanied by a taped narration, a good way to get your requisite dose of civil war history. a diorama was added in the 1930s, which sounds like a terrible idea until you see how seamlessly it blends into the painting, or notice a replica of clark gable as a dead yankee. tours begin every hour and half-hour; leave some time to see the exhibit on the great locomotive chase, a slapstick adventure involving hand cars, cut wires and engines traveling in reverse. New York Times
800 cherokee avenue, Atlanta, GA

Kids, Historical, Cultural