City: Atlanta, GA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (404) 624-0697

Address: 840 Cherokee Ave. SE

Description: Historic Grant Park is about 2 miles southeast of Downtown. Take I-20, get off at the Boulevard exit, and go south to Sydney Street, west to Cherokee Avenue, then south to the park entrance. Loaded with history, Grant Park was once home to Creek Indians. Part of the outer defense belt of fortifications guarding Atlanta from the besieging Union army ran through this area (and a small artillery redoubt still remains—the only visible portion of the maze of defenses that made Atlanta the “most heavily defended city in the world” at the time). The park was named for Lemuel Grant, a 19th-century philanthropist and former Confederate engineer who designed Atlanta’s defenses against Union troops. Colonel Grant donated land for the park from his sizable estate. (All that remains today are the ruins of his house in the adjacent neighborhood.) Grant Park’s athletic fields and pavilions make it a popular relaxation spot. Various amateur leagues for football, softball, and other sports use the park’s athletic facilities. Perhaps its prime attractions are Zoo Atlanta and Cyclorama. Nearby you’ll find Oakland Cemetery, a burial ground of famous figures such as Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, and golfing great Bobby Jones. The area abounds in lovely old Victorian homes reflecting the neighborhood’s heyday. Many have been fully restored; some are still in the process of restoration. Every September the Grant Park Tour of Homes draws crowds to view these reminders of bygone days. Much of the area is on the National Register of Historic Places. You can take MARTA here from several stations: Five Points, Peachtree Center, and Lindbergh. Then connect with the No. 31 Grant Park/Lindbergh bus to the park.