The facility's commercial office space was occupied by various units of the former Turner Broadcasting System, now part of Warner Bros.

The main floor featured an indoor ice rink, as well as a small number of restaurants and a Gold Mine video arcade.

For years, the theater offered daily showings of the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, which Ted Turner called "The greatest movie ever made".

On April 4, 2007, Arthur Mann, an employee at the Omni Hotel, shot and severely injured his ex-girlfriend Clara Riddles inside the CNN center.

[8][9] On March 14, 2008, an EF-2[10] tornado passed through downtown Atlanta, damaging the CNN Center and leaving water and dust in the upper floors.

The Omni Hotel, attached to the CNN Center, was evacuated as a precaution, and more than 400 rooms had to be emptied of occupancy for two weeks.

[12] The driver claimed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana.

[13] In 2016, the chief financial officer (CFO) Pascal Desroches of Turner said the company would divest its 50% stake in the center's Omni Hotel in favor of redeveloping its Techwood campus in Atlanta.

[17] On November 21, 2020, a group of right-wing activists organized by the WalkAway campaign gathered in front of the CNN Center.

"[2] The CNN Center also houses an Omni Hotel and features a large atrium food court frequented by local business employees, tourists, attendees at State Farm Arena, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium events, and conference attendees from the nearby Georgia World Congress Center.

Access to the Red and Gold lines may be gained by a ten-fifteen minute walk to Peachtree Center station.