Centennial Olympic Park:
Published: Mar 1, 2009
Since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park has continued to serve residents and visitors as a greenspace jewel in the heart of the city -- a place where friends and family meet for picnics, playtime and must-come events.
Centennial Olympic Park's 21 acres are now a carefully organized space of grassy slopes, breezy pavilions, towering Olympic monuments and a spacious amphitheater. Just as it was during the Olympics, the park has become a gathering place for many people because of its central location. But the events calendar and amenities don't hurt either.
It wasn't always this way. Prior to its extreme makeover, the area was a dilapidated part of town that didn't see nearly as many soccer moms or free-roaming children. Its amazing transition into the park we see today was brought about specifically with the Summer Games in mind.
To help raise money for the park's completion, 686,000 commemorative paving bricks were sold to businesses, families and individuals. Those engraved names can still be viewed today, though the program is no longer selling new bricks.
The park still hosts live entertainment, concerts, receptions and food vending on occasion, just as it did during the Olympics.
One of its most popular features is the Fountain of Rings, often considered to be the centerpiece of the park. Water displays are choreographed to lights and music and can be viewed (and even played in during the summer) four times a day, 365 days a year.
During the winter, many come to see the Holiday in Lights display and take a spin around the city's only outdoor ice skating rink.
But there is more to do than skating and fountains, family fun days are scheduled once a month from April-September; free concerts are played every Wednesday night from April-September; musicians play music for lunch-goers from noon-1 p.m. every day during April-October; and the mammoth 4th of July Celebration is not to be missed.
The park is located within walking distance of the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, the Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta, the CNN Atlanta Studio Tour, the Georgia Dome and Underground Atlanta. Entrance into the park is free, though some events may carry a cost.
- by Christine Foster, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
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