Piedmont Park

Address:Atlanta, Georgia

Piedmont Park has been Atlanta's "Common Ground" since 1904, a central place for recreational activities and family fun. This 189-acre park in the heart Atlanta, Georgia. offers plenty of activities, especially for sports lovers!

Piedmont Park is particularly popular with athletes. The Piedmont Tennis Center features 12 lighted hard courts. Lessons and supplies are available for you there. The Active Oval has two softball fields, two soccer fields, and two beach volleyball courts. The park also has a swimming pool, and there are also several miles of paved paths that are perfect for skateboarding, walking, running, biking, and inline skating. Dogs are welcome, and can enjoy a dog park just for them. We highly recommend bringing a picnic, so that after being active all day, you can sit in the park, relax, and enjoy the view of the midtown skyline.

Piedmont park is very well kept by the Piedmont Park Conservancy Program. The park's community center has a nature center where you can sign up for a bird walk on the first Saturday of every month, a Saturday safari, or a historical Piedmont Park tour on Saturday mornings. On Saturday mornings in May through October, Green Market for Piedmont Park is open in mid-town, selling fresh produce and baked goods, specialty food items and sundries, fine arts and crafts, and cooking demonstrations.

Originally, Piedmont Park was a privately owned farm and residence, which was sold in 1887 to the Gentlemen's Driving Club with the intention of making it into an exclusive club and racing ground. It was later used as land for fairs and expositions by the Piedmont Exposition Company, thereby giving it its name. Piedmont Park is famous for holding the first commercial viewing of a motion picture in the U.S. in 1887. In 1904, Atlanta bought the park and renovated it to hold larger events and festivals, including the Atlanta Pride Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. In the summer, locals flock to the park to lie in the grass and view a series of classic films, called Screen on the Green. Further expansion is planned for the park, and developments are constantly in effect.

Although there are no accommodations in the park, nearby downtown Atlanta is full of places to stay. Some recommended options are Marriot Suites Midtown, Wyndham Midtown Atlanta, Sheraton Colony Square Hotel, and the Four Seasons. Cheaper accommodations are also available in areas surrounding downtown.

The park runs along 10th Street, two miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is open daily from 6 am to 11 pm. It is easily accessible by the public transportation system, MARTA, by getting off at the Midtown or Arts Center stations, and also by bus along routes 27 and 36. The park is also accessible by bike or car, although parking is very limited. Most areas in the park are wheelchair accessible.

Piedmont Park can be a very fun place for people and children of all ages. Although it is enjoyed mostly by local families, tourists may also benefit from a visit there while also touring the rest of Atlanta. It will make you feel just like a local!