Piedmont Park, the city's most popular and centrally located recreation area (with its main entrance on Piedmont Ave. at Fourteenth St.), was once a farm and a Civil War encampment. Its first public usage was by the elite Gentlemen's Driving Club, which bought the property as a site for horseback riding and racing. It soon became a venue for state fairs, culminating with the spectacular Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895. In 1904, the property's 180-plus acres of woodsy meadow and farm acreage were transformed into a city park with a varied terrain of rolling hillsides, verdant lawns, and lush forest around Lake Clara Meer.
Today, Piedmont Park is the setting for many popular regional events such as concerts and music festivals. It contains softball fields, soccer fields, public tennis courts, a public swimming pool, and paths for jogging, skating, and cycling. The Atlanta Botanical Garden is next door.
The park gets a lot of use, and in some spots it can be downright scruffy-looking, but the Piedmont Park Conservancy and the City of Atlanta continue to upgrade the park's landscaping. A visitors center, where you can find information on the park and the surrounding area, is located at the Piedmont Avenue and Twelfth Street entrance. The park is closed to auto traffic, so it's a good spot to let the kids run around, throw a Frisbee, or have a picnic. The people-watching is superb, and the Midtown skyline beyond is magnificent. Don't let the kids miss PlayScape at the Twelfth Street entrance. Created by well-known sculptor Isamu Noguchi, it's a climbable series of brightly colored geometric shapes complete with ladders and slides.
Parking can be impossible, especially during special events, and authorities are quick to tow cars parked illegally. (All the activity in the park is a constant source of irritation to residents in surrounding neighborhoods.) It's easiest to take MARTA to the Arts Center station and walk the few blocks down Fourteenth Street. During special events, it's usually possible to take a shuttle to and from the station.
A great way to see the park and soak up some of its history is on a walking tour sponsored by the Piedmont Park Conservancy. The free tours depart from the visitors center at noon on Saturdays April through October. During the 1 1/2-hour tour, guides will point out many historic areas, including remnants of the 1895 exposition. Call tel. 404/875-8055 for information.
Named for Confederate captain Lemuel P. Grant, who helped build Atlanta's defense line, Grant Park (bordered by Sydney St. and Atlanta Ave., Boulevard and Cherokee aves.) still contains vestiges of his fortifications. Grant donated its 100 acres to the city for a park on this site. Near the intersection of Boulevard and Atlanta avenues, you can see the remaining earthwork slopes of Fort Walker, a commanding artillery bastion with its original gun emplacements. Its cannons and caissons can be seen in the museum area of Atlanta Cyclorama, one of Grant Park's two major attractions. The other is Zoo Atlanta. The park is open daily from 6am to 11pm; it's best to visit during daylight hours.
