10 Best Parks in Atlanta

Piedmont Park is an urban park in downtown Atlanta, located between the Virginia Highlands and Midtown neighborhoods. This municipal park is on the National Register of Historic Places and spans nearly 190 acres.

Piedmont Park offers large open greenspaces, covered picnic facilities, walking trails, and multiple playgrounds for children. Within the park is Lake Clara Meer, with a dock and visitor’s center. Multiple types of sports facilities are available, including a public swimming pool. Piedmont Park’s trails are ADA accessible, and the park offers an accessible children’s playground.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a large botanical garden adjacent to Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta. Created in 1973, the park spans 30 acres of plant collections, formal gardens, and open greenspaces.

Within the Atlanta Botanical Garden, you’ll find themed gardens ranging from a rose garden to a Japanese garden, a kitchen garden, and a children’s garden. A kids' zone features interactive exhibits and play spaces, as well as regular family-friendly events. Greenhouses and indoor exhibits feature tropical plants and animals, as well as an Orchid Center. The park features an annual Garden Lights, Holiday Nights event in the winter months, with thousands of lights illuminating the gardens.

Centennial Olympic Park is a public park in downtown Atlanta, close to the Georgia World Congress Center and the CNN Center. This 22-acre park was originally built for the 1996 Summer Olympics and hosted events, entertainment, and medal ceremonies for the Olympic Games.

Today Centennial Olympic Park contains large greenspaces, picnic areas, walking trails, and art installations. The park's Fountain of Rings is an interactive play fountain with jets of water, lights, and music, offering a refreshing spot to play in the warmer months. The SkyView Ferris Wheel is located in Centennial Olympic Park, with enclosed climate-controlled gondolas providing panoramic views over the city.

Grant Park is the oldest city park in Atlanta, located in the Victorian-era Grant Park neighborhood. The park spans 131 acres and was established in 1883. It is part of the Grant Park Historic District.

Grant Park includes plenty of open greenspaces, walking trails, recreational areas, and children’s playgrounds. Within the park is the popular Atlanta landmark, Zoo Atlanta, home to hundreds of unique creatures and zoological gardens. Other landmarks within Grant Park include the Erskine Memorial Fountain and the Thomas W. Talbot Monument.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park encompasses park space and historic buildings relating to the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This 35-acre space includes the surrounding Historic District.

The Park includes sites like The King Center, museum spaces dedicated to the American Civil Rights Movement, a rose garden, and the crypts of Dr. and Mrs. King. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birth Home is available for limited tours through the National Park Service. Other landmarks within the Historical Park include a tribute pavilion to Mahatma Gandhi, the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, an eternal flame tribute, and additional historic buildings.

Historic Fourth Ward Park is a public park located in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, near Ponce City Market and the BeltLine. The park spans 17 acres, split into two sections, and offers a combination of free and paid parking.

Fourth Ward Park encompasses a large pond and open greenspaces, with walking trails and picnic areas. A children’s playground includes a seasonal splash pad to cool off in, as well as a large public skate park. An outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the pond hosts various seasonal public events in Historic Fourth Ward Park.

Freedom Park is a unique cross-shaped city park in Atlanta, with the park’s center axes at the Carter Center. The park encompasses part of the John Lewis Freedom Parkway and crosses the BeltLine’s Eastside trail.

Freedom Park contains open greenspaces, extensive walking trails, and regular public art exhibitions. There are several permanent art installations in Freedom Park, including tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. and Congressman John Lewis. A year-round farmers market is held at the Carter Center in Freedom Park on Saturday mornings from 8.30 am to noon.

Sweetwater Creek State Park is a state park located about 15 miles west of Atlanta in Douglas County. The large park encompasses over 2,500 acres and is named for Sweetwater Creek, which runs through it.

Extensive walking and hiking trails in Sweetwater Creek State Park include wooded and creekside trails and scenic views over the historic New Manchester Mill ruins. At the park visitor’s center, you can find exhibits on the region’s history, including Native American artifacts, Civil War memorabilia, and textiles from the New Manchester Manufacturing Company. The park also houses playgrounds, picnic areas, fishing docks, and canoe and equipment rentals.

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area preserves a series of sites along the Chattahoochee River, with its headquarters and visitors center located in Sandy Springs. The visitor’s center on Island Ford Parkway offers historical information and exhibits on the region and the Chattahoochee River.

You’ll find extensive walking and hiking trails within the park, including water-side trails following the Chattahoochee River. Trout fishing is popular on the river, with year-round fishing available with an appropriate Georgia Fishing License. In the summer months, tubing on the Chattahoochee is extremely popular, with tube rentals available for floating from Powers Island to Paces Mill.

Oakland Cemetery is a historic cemetery and greenspace in Atlanta, located in the center of the city. This Victorian-style cemetery encompasses 48 acres, with its earliest inceptions dating back to 1850.

Oakland Cemetery contains the interred remains of an estimated 70,000 people, including many notable Atlantans from history. The cemetery can be explored on a self-guided or guided tour, featuring a diverse collection of intricate headstones and statues and ornate Victorian-era mausoleums. Annual events at Oakland Cemetery include art exhibitions, music festivals, picnics, and family-friendly holiday events.