Outdoors · Atlanta · United States
6 best outdoor things to do in Atlanta
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with BeltLine Eastside Trail, Piedmont Park and Atlanta Botanical Garden. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 11–15 hours across 5 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 11–15 hours
- Areas
- Old Fourth Ward, Midtown and Druid Hills
Outdoors in Atlanta
Street · Old Fourth Ward
1.BeltLine Eastside Trail
Walk it from north to south in the late afternoon, ending with dinner around Krog Street Market.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Art
- Food
- Active
Park · Midtown
2.Piedmont Park
Enter from the BeltLine at the park's north-east corner and walk to the Lake Clara Meer dock for the skyline photo.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
Garden · Midtown
3.Atlanta Botanical Garden
Book the holiday light show well ahead; weekend evenings in December sell out.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Kids
- Nature
Museum · Druid Hills
4.Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Combine the indoor dinosaurs with the outdoor WildWoods trails for children who need to run around.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Park · Downtown
5.Centennial Olympic Park
Bring a change of clothes for young children on hot days; the fountain is hard to resist.
- Time needed
- 30–60 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
Zoo · Grant Park
6.Zoo Atlanta
Visit in the morning before summer heat sends the animals into the shade, and walk to Grant Park's cafés afterwards.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Old Fourth Ward | BeltLine Eastside Trail | 2–3 hours |
| Midtown | Piedmont Park and Atlanta Botanical Garden | 1–2 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Druid Hills | Fernbank Museum of Natural History | 2–3 hours |
| Downtown | Centennial Olympic Park | 30–60 minutes |
| Grant Park | Zoo Atlanta | 3 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 3 free, 3 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is BeltLine Eastside Trail; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Old Fourth Ward and Midtown): BeltLine Eastside Trail → Piedmont Park, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Midtown): Atlanta Botanical Garden, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Druid Hills and Downtown): Fernbank Museum of Natural History → Centennial Olympic Park, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Grant Park): Zoo Atlanta, at least 3 hours.
The best months to be outside
- October: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 7 rainy days, busy crowds. Often the best month: dry, sunny and mild, with festivals every weekend.
- April: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 9 rainy days, busy crowds. One of the best months: warm, green and full of outdoor festivals.
- September: highs of 29°C (84°F), about 7 rainy days, busy crowds. Heat eases late in the month and rain drops off; college football season begins.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown — Centennial Olympic Park, the big attractions and convention hotels
- Midtown — High-rises, the arts district and Piedmont Park's skyline views
- Old Fourth Ward — King's birthplace, Ponce City Market and the BeltLine's busiest stretch
- Inman Park — Victorian houses, Krog Street Market and restaurants on the BeltLine
- Virginia-Highland — 1920s bungalows and neighbourhood bars along North Highland Avenue
- Decatur — Courthouse square, craft beer and a small-town feel at the end of the Blue Line
More of Atlanta
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Atlanta?
BeltLine Eastside Trail. The BeltLine turns a ring of old railway lines into trails and parks; its Eastside Trail runs about 5 km from Piedmont Park past Ponce City Market and Historic Fourth Ward Park to Krog Street Market and Inman Park.
+Which of these are free in Atlanta?
BeltLine Eastside Trail, Piedmont Park and Centennial Olympic Park.