Piedmont Park   

10th St. At Monroe Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-875-7275
www.piedmontpark.org

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Atlanta's entry into the great city park category has a pretty impressive pedigree. Designed by the preeminent landscape architects, the Olmsted Brothers -- of New York's Central Park fame -- in 1912, it was the site of the Piedmont Industrial Exposition of 1887 and the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895. Booker T. Washington made powerful speeches assailing the horrible legacy of slavery in a spot not far from today's soccer fields. The property also was the site of a farm as well as a World War I encampment. For far too long in modern times, huge crowds at festivals and concerts relentlessly and mindlessly trampled the grounds until the place became more than just an unfortunate eyesore. Enter the Piedmont Park Conservancy in recent years, in partnership with the City of Atlanta, raising funds to rehabilitate, enhance and protect the park and you've now got a burgeoning urban oasis, living up more and more to its fabulous potential. These days a visit to Piedmont Park can include biking, blading, running, tennis games, frisbee free-for-alls, swimming and picnics. There's a children's playground designed by Isamu Noguchi as well as softball diamonds and soccer fields. More than one marriage proposal has been offered in the lovely gazebo on Lake Clara Meer. Dog lovers and their canine companions congregate with the like-minded for convivial gatherings at the fenced-in, off-leash 'dog park.' The park is a classic for people watching, especially on weekends and holidays and during festivals when it can feel like a sea of humanity. But there's almost always some tranquil solitary spot to be found somewhere. Oak Hill, running along the 10th Street side of the park, entered the new century with a transformation which included new green Bermuda turf, paths, park benches and the planting of 180 more trees to compliment the historic ones that still flutter in breezes on the hill. It is a favorite spot for picnics with its elevated location in the same spot where once a great Ferris wheel showily and slowly revolved during the 19th century Cotton States Exposition. -- Judith Augustine Tip #1: Learn about the fascinating history of the park with free hour-long Walking Tours offered by the Piedmont Park Conservancy every Saturday at 11:00AM, April through October. Meet your group at the Visitors Center, where you can study some historical displays, just inside the 12th Street entrance to the park. Tip #2: You can combine your visit to the park with a visit to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It sits directly adjacent to the park.