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Atlanta Outdoor Activities

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Atlanta’s climate is warm enough that most of the year you can participate in outdoor activities, which is a good thing because Atlanta has a bounty of great outdoor events. Whether it’s high-energy sports and amusement parks, or rejuvenating stints in the city’s parks or area preservations that you seek, you can find it in Atlanta.

Atlanta is one of the centers of southern sports. The Atlanta Braves are popular around the country (largely because of their exposure on TBS) and play at Turner Field. At Phillips Arena downtown, the Atlanta Hawks play basketball and the Atlanta Thrashers play hockey. Also downtown is the Georgia Dome, which is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, and also regularly plays hosts to national events such as the NCAA Final Four. In addition to these four major sports, the Atlanta Motor Speedway outside of town hosts NASCAR events, and the Peachtree Road Race brings thousands to the streets each year.

If you’d like to take part in some activity, check out Six Flags over Georgia, and its accompanying water park, which are just west of town. If animals are up your kids’ alley, you might want to check out Tanglewood Farms, one of the world’s greatest petting zoos. Atlanta also has a great traditional zoo, and within the last year, the Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest, has opened downtown.

If you have an animal of your own, consider taking it for a walk in one of Atlanta’s many parks. Piedmont Park is Atlanta’s version of Central Park; it is enormous and regularly hosts events, such as concerts and movie screenings, both of which are open to the public. If you’re downtown, however, you’ll most likely walk through Centennial Olympic Park, which combines greenspace, event areas, and the ever-popular shooting water fountains. A third park is Grant Park, which is smaller than Piedmont Park but still very pleasant.

A short drive from Atlanta is Stone Mountain Park, one of Georgia’s most popular attractions. The namesake of the park features a huge rock carving of three Confederate leaders: Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. You can take the tram (or hike) to the top of the mountain or spend your day hiking and picnicking in the park. As an alternative, head twenty-five miles northeast of Atlanta to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which has the beauty of the outdoors without the crowds or the rock carvings of Stone Mountain.

Sources:

http://www.olcg.com
http://www.fodors.com
http://www.cityguide.travel-guides.com
http://www.usatourist.com
http://travel.yahoo.com
http://www.frommers.com
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