Piedmont Park: Atlanta's favorite back yard
Published: Feb 24, 2009
Centrally located, the 186-acre park attracts visitors year-round, but really struts its magnificence in the spring. That’s when a rainbow of azaleas, forsythia, daffodils, dogwood and cherry bloom in a breathtaking show of floral beauty, shedding enough blossoms to resemble a spring snowstorm of petals.
The park is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts of varying tastes. Rollerbladers, joggers, bicyclists, walkers and moms pushing strollers can walk around the network of paths that weave through the park. Piedmont Park also hosts many events that attract thousands, from Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts and outdoor movie nights to annual festivals.
Picknicking is popular at Piedmont Park, with a plethora of places to pick for perfect paper-plate parties. You can spread out a blanket or rent one of the park’s two covered picnic pavilions by calling the city’s parks department at (404) 817-6757.
Lake Clara Meer, created for the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, is central to the park and routinely stocked with fish including bass, crappie, catfish and bream.
The newest of the park’s two playgrounds, the Mayor’s Grove Playground, offers a network of climbing structures, swings, bouncers and other equipment near the center of the park. Near 12th Street is the Noguchi Playscape, a modernist sculptural facility designed by world-renown artist and sculptor Isamu Noguchi.
The city operates 12 tennis courts at the Piedmont Park Tennis Center. On the western edge of the park, the Active Oval includes a running track, two softball fields, two soccer fields, and two sand volleyball courts. Teams must have a permit for play, except on Fridays, reserved for leisure play. See Active Oval operating rules.
A new Family Aquatic Center is slated to open in May.
Dog lovers of all breeds romp in the Piedmont Dog Park. The fenced area lets owners take off the the leash and let furry canines cavort; there’s a new section for smaller breeds. Dog park rules forbid young puppies, collar-less dogs and unsupervised canines or children.
The park attracts water birds, songbirds, raptors and many other species of birds to Piedmont Park; bird watchers have identified 175 bird species.
Piedmont Park is managed by the Piedmont Park Conservancy, a member- and donor-funded nonprofit, which coordinates historic tours and environmental education programs for students.
Saturday mornings, May through October, the park hosts a Green Market featuring fresh produce. baked goods, crafts and cooking demonstrations. Weddings, receptions and other events may be accommodated at several park historic venues.
- by Diane Loupe, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
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