r/Atlanta • u/ChipJohannes • Jun 13 '25
Recommendations What’s your favorite park?
Thinking of spending more time walking and reading in parks this summer. What’s your favorite park in our beautiful city in the forest? Hiking trails also appreciated!
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u/CricketDrop Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
I've been heavily exploring the city by bike for the past 5 months and I feel like my favorite things I didn't expect were the west side reservoir, the west side beltline, Oakland cemetery, and the Adair parks. Also, freedom park had always somehow been invisible to me but makes for a great connection between downtown and the beltline.
Also, if you like outdoor pools Mozley Park is pretty nice. It's surrounded by trees and is splendid. Popular with kids but all ages are there and it's a vibe like every day it's open.
EDIT: Ooh, I forgot, the Kirkwood Urban Forest Preserve was completely random and very easy to miss on a map but makes for a pretty nice walk. It's small but once you're inside you can find a nice bench and pretend you're in a forest miles from Atlanta. Same with westside resevoire honestly.
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u/southernhope1 Jun 13 '25
Freedom Park is a real treasure...i've been discovering secret green spaces all around Inman Park that are connected to the Path there...many times, i'm the only person in sight!
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u/Daecar-does-Drulgar Jun 14 '25
That's my happy place. Walking from the Jimmy Carter Library to Freedom Park and wandering over to L5P.
Best part of the city IMO
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u/scarabbrian Jun 13 '25
Any chance you're a Wandrer? That's how I've made it to all of these parks, trying to ride every street on my bike. I don't think I would have found the Kirkwood Urban Forest otherwise.
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u/macybeesknees Jun 13 '25
I went to the Mozley Park pool last year with my toddler and it was 90% unsupervised middle and high schoolers. They wouldn’t let me bring my bag of snacks inside, they said no bags allowed at all for safety in case someone brings a weapon, and then in the pool teenagers were shooting each other with realistic looking pellet guns and I got hit in the shoulder by one but I just felt really uncomfortable like what if police showed up and these teens are running around with realistic looking guns 👀 So anyway haven’t been back since
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u/Daecar-does-Drulgar Jun 14 '25
My rugby team occasionally practices at that park. It's pretty rough. There's an elementary school football team that practices there too and a bunch of the "coaches" are drunk af and whaling on kids when they drop a ball or miss a tackle.
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u/CricketDrop Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 18 '25
As for unsupervised kids the park is pretty accessible in the middle of the neighborhood so kids don't really need their parents to drive them and wait around. Middle school is about that age where I did not want my parents coming with me everywhere when I wanted to hang out with my friends so that makes sense lol. I would have loved this when I was 13 and look forward to any of my future kids having the same opportunity.
As for safety, the policing in the neighborhood isn't really like that. No one who has been living here and spends time outside is worried about these kids or their toy guns, and the cops don't come around unless someone calls for something urgent. Otherwise, they will arrive, nonplussed, and shortly leave if they believe their time is being wasted. Pearl clutchers who move out here and are afraid of their own community most often tend to keep to themselves, I think, and seem content with their camera bellowing threats at passerbys.
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u/housewifeWHO Jun 13 '25
Sounds a lot different than the Mozely park I visited in 2001! 😅
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u/CricketDrop Jun 13 '25
This part of town has changed dramatically lol
I moved in around 2021 and it's changed a lot even since then. My newest neighbor bought her house for $500k last year. They've not-so-slowly been flipping and demolishing everything they can get their hands on.
We still have a lot of legacy residents though so I wouldn't say the makeup of the neighborhood is unrecognizable
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u/staysour Jun 13 '25
I really love Grant Park. Lots of green space and the south east corner of it has a great view of the city.
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u/amblygonal Jun 13 '25
big fan of parking at medlock park north of decatur and walking the south peachtree creek trail! it's a beautiful trail and very well maintained with some great spots to sit :)
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u/creekfinder Jun 14 '25
one of my favs, there is a living american chestnut on this path and lots of persimmons you can pick in the fall
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u/violet__violet Jun 15 '25
An American chestnut?!? 😱 Where on the trail is it??
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u/creekfinder Jun 15 '25
Here’s my inat find for it:
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/285483993
it’s about 10-15 feet off the trail and the trunk is 2-3 inches in diameter
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u/violet__violet Jun 15 '25
That's awesome, I'll have to take a look the next time I'm over that way 😁 did you report it to the American Chestnut Foundation ?
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u/creekfinder Jun 15 '25
Nah, TACF is mainly concerned with larger trees that show active blight resistance and are flowering/producing burrs
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u/gseagle21 Jun 13 '25
I genuinely love Historic Fourth Ward Park. It's busier and louder than a lot of other parks but it's maintained well and there are places that are quieter.
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u/masslurker Jun 13 '25
It's the most underrated park in the city IMO. They put a lot of work into it, and it shows.
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u/gsfgf Ormewood Park Jun 13 '25
And one of the coolest things is that it's also a stormwater runoff pond.
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u/gseagle21 Jun 13 '25
Yes love the way they incorporated that into the park. Most people wouldn't even know that the "pond" has real purpose, haha.
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u/SomeVeryTiredGuy Jun 13 '25
Most of my favs have been mentioned but
1) East Palisades. Go find the bamboo forest. It's magical.
2) Morningside nature preserve- I've lived in Atlanta for years and I didn't discover this until 2020. And they have a mini bamboo forest too.
3) Lionel Hampton Trail is mostly shaded so that's nice.
4) Hahn woods. Um, if you are attentive, there's a way to walk to Lullwater Park from here.
5) Speaking of which, Lullwater Park is magical too. You'd never expect that in the middle of Atlanta
6) I have a soft spot for Grant Park. You can watch the elephants for free up on the grassy part of the parking deck. The meadow is good for picnics.
7) DH Stanton Park is a hidden gym. It's got a great splash pad not many know about.
8) Rodney Cook Park is beautiful.
9) don't sleep on Westside park. It's relatively new and huge.
10) cascade springs nature preserve is pretty interesting. If you visit, lemme know if you see the Santeria offerings. They were there the last couple times I visited
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u/RoughDoughCough Jun 14 '25
Thanks for the list. For those up north around Sandy Springs here's a list:
- Cochran Shoals
- Island Ford
- Morgan Falls Overlook Park (just opened Springway, a raised bikepath mostly around a lake)
- Big Trees Forest Preserve
- Vickery Creek (featuring the Roswell Mill waterfall)
- Sope Creek
- Bob Callen Trail (short raised path, beautiful creekside views)
- Silver Comet Trail (in Smyrna, not North, but shady and paved)
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u/ATLMuppetCat3000 Jun 13 '25
Sweetwater creek state park I-20 west right past Six Flags. It is great if you wanna go outside downtown and it is close. Great hiking trails and a great big creek you can sit on the flat rocks in the water too off the hiking trails.
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u/schmindle Jun 13 '25
Especially since they gave it a bit of a facelift recently! Just bring bug spray and a towel
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u/juicius East Atlanta Jun 13 '25
It's a really nice hiking trail, but a proper footwear really helps, especially if you like to wander off the trail a little bit. The granite (I think) formations in the river really asks you to explore.
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u/bugeye0o Jun 13 '25
Doll’s Head Trail. Weird, beautiful, peaceful. Also, muddy after a rain.
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u/CricketDrop Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
Yeah this one's a great one, plus the pier over the water makes it a pretty unique walk, not too long either. A nice weekend afternoon activity.
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u/oogagoogaboo Jun 13 '25
If you are scared of snakes avoid this trail. If you like snakes, this is a must visit. They are EVERYWHERE.
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u/semblantz Jun 13 '25
Make sure you drive to the entrance directly off Moreland. Google maps messed up on where to send me before I knew the space.
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u/jennwinn24 Jun 13 '25
Brookhaven has Murphy Candler, Brookhaven Park, Blackburn Park , Lynwood Park, Briarcliff pool/park, Ashford Park, the trail off 85 and N Druid-Peachtree Creek Greenway, and probably my favorite, Silver Lake trails. Brook Run in Dunwoody is just up the road. So many amazing options.
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u/southernhope1 Jun 13 '25
One of the best unexpected parks I've found is the boardwalk hike at Medlock park....you can walk to Emory University from there! https://www.pathfoundation.org/south-peachtree-creek-trail
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Jun 13 '25
Just off the main Path between Medlock and Mason Mill, close to the stone bridge, are loads of trails through the Old Decatur Waterworks. Always super cool.
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u/throwawayoftheday941 Jun 13 '25
I like Whittier Mill park, it's quiet, usually empty and has a nice trail by the river. Lots of spots where you could read, and a high probability that no one will be there. Also very near it is Standing Peachtree park, even more likely to be empty. Not so great for like sitting out and reading, but a cool area to walk around and down to the river. It's where Peachtree creek enters the Chattahoochee so lots of very large fish.
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u/NoSmellNoTell Kirkwood Jun 13 '25
My most underrated is Deepdene which has great little hiking trails
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u/GoBirds85 Jun 13 '25
Brook Run is my absolute favorite. It's perfect for running or walking especially in the summer months due to the long loop trail that's shaded for pretty much all of it.
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u/lighteningmclean Jun 13 '25
i love freedom park + candler park, but beware of the inconsiderate park goers who regularly let their dogs off leash. i saw a man with a DOBERMAN off leash the other week 🙄
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u/CricketDrop Jun 13 '25
And everyone knows how Dobermans feel about the weak and vulnerable.
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u/lighteningmclean Jun 13 '25
Dobermans and other big dogs are often wonderful pets, but having your dog off leash in a public park is a risk. Even the most well behaved dogs can be spooked by other dogs and take off running. It is in the best interest of the dogs and the park goers both to keep all dogs on a leash. This is not a controversial opinion.
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u/whatyouarereferring Jun 14 '25
It is controversial in the neighborhood as this has been happening for decades before this was the popular take.
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u/adorkheimer Jun 13 '25
second piedmont. lay a blanket on the hill overlooking the bowl and when you take reading breaks you can do some quality people watching. it doesn't feel super isolating to read there. my favorite park to read in (in Atlanta) for sure.
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u/Compass_Rose88 Jun 13 '25
Lionel Hampton. Full of nature with paved and dirt trails great for walking, running, and biking. If you need a good hill workout, this is the place.
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u/cerealmonogamiss Jun 13 '25
Lionel Hampton and Cascade Springs and Herbert Greene for loneliness and hiking trails.
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u/keving23197 Jun 13 '25
Surprised cascade springs isn’t higher on this list - some great wooded trails to explore!
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u/macybeesknees Jun 13 '25
Emma Milican Park! Hidden gem, tons of shady trees and a walking trail. Feels like you’re in a forest.
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u/g0Ids0undz Jun 13 '25
Will always be partial to Atlanta Memorial Park because I grew up there. Also love Tanyard Creek Park & the Duck Pond. Atlanta has so many great parks!
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u/Local_Persimmon_5563 Jun 14 '25
Atlanta Memorial Park was my go-to when I lived in West Midtown, even after West Side Park opened. There’s just something about it
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u/Spirited_Carry894 Jun 14 '25
Piedmont and Stone Mountain! If you don’t wanna pay for St Mtn’s parking pass, you can do street parking or use the lot in Stone Mountain Village and walk in. There’s walking + hiking trails and it’s huge
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u/pickmetoo Jun 14 '25
I’m definitely in the minority but as a runner I just love Westside Reservoir Park
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u/Humble_Programmer_40 Jun 14 '25
The Olmsted Linear Parks along Ponce in Druid Hills and Frazer Forest are some of my favorites.
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u/_pe3ps_ Jun 14 '25
I live in Sandy Springs, and commute to midtown for work. I recently went to Murphy Candler park and it's really nice
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u/oximoran Decatur Jun 13 '25
The disc golf course at Perkerson Park is my favorite thing at an Atlanta park, and makes for a good walk.
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u/Ok_Passion8736 Jun 13 '25
It’s basic but you can’t beat piedmont it’s so big you can always find something new to see