Centennial Park, Atlanta

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This is a downtown park which has a lot going for it, especially these fountains in the summer---a great place, free, to take the kids when in town for some energy releasing fun...There are places to eat close by as well, so make an afternoon of it. Sometimes they have concerts here---I have seen Tito Puente and others in the past.

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I was suprised to find an amazing playground in Centennial Park. Designed for children of all physical abilities, there is one very important rule: All Adults MUST be accompanied by a Child. The playground is located on Baker Street at the far end of the park.

Certainly, there are the expected swing sets and sliding boards but there were several pieces of playground equipment I had never seen before. My favorite of these, looked like giant tulips growing at an angle out of the ground. The top was a seat that would spin around and around with no effort, once one sat down. Then there was the "Sway Fun" which had seats on two sides and room to rock back and forth.

Great fun for kids and adults alike. If one is visiting Atlanta during the summer months, this will provide a refreshing break from the humid weather. Any other time of the year, it provides a beautiful display.

Designed for the 1996 Olympic Games, the fountain uses 251 water jets that reach a height of 12-35 feet in the air. Fountain Shows are at 12:30p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 9:00p.m. as of May 2010. The rest of the time, the fountain is free-flowing and open to run through. Located on Andrew Young International Boulevard, which runs through the center of the park.

Less than twenty years ago, the area that is now Centennial Olympic Park was a run-down part of town. It was decided to convert this land for visitors and residents to enjoy during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and for future generations.

After the Olympic Games, a large part of the park was closed and redesigned for daily public use. The park is now used for a variety of events, including the Fourth of July Celebration, Wednesday Wind Down concert series and Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days.

April 2009

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This is the hang out for families and locals to come downtown and enjoy the day, mostly weekends. It was made for the Olympics in 1996. A nice area that is not real big but feels spread out. From there you can visit many sites downtown. The outcropping of this was a new development just north of 150 acres, and now called Atlantic Station, an urban mixed use complex of living quarters, retail and commercial centers and events.

Celebrating Atlanta Olympic 1996, this rundown part of the town was converted into a new city's attraction. Apart from the Olympic memorial sculptures, I'd say Centennial Park is the best place to see Atlanta skyline. And most of the tourist attractions; e.g. World of Coca-Cola, Aqarium, CNN, Philips Arena are clustered within this area. There're occational free concerts in Summer / Fall, and ice-skating rink in the Winter. Btw...avoid this area after dark, except on specific holidays (when they have special light shows)

As with every major city, Atlanta has a wonderful park downtown to provide a scenic place to rest your feet after seeing some of the other attractions in the city. My friend and I stopped to grab a bottle of water ($4.00!) at a small stand and sat down near the water fountain to watch some goofy college students run through the many jets of water. Definitely an entertaining break between sites!

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World and Coca-Cola and the Atlanta Aquarium are at one end of the Centennial Olympic Park. At this end also is a children's play equipment area, and nearby is another monument. I arrived in the late afternoon and both the aquarium and World of Coca Cola were closed. Both appear to be definetly worthwhile to visit though. One Atlanta resident claimed the aquarium is the world's largest, but I've heard this claim before in other cities.

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The brick and concrete paved areas are bordered by expanse of lawn areas where families can toss frizbee and appreciate the skyline of the city in the background. In the geographical center of centennial park is a bronze and stone monument to the modern founder of the Olympics.

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Centennial Olympic Park was the location of much activity during the Olympics, and it still shows. The expanse of lawns, fountains in which children can play, and paved plaza are studded with Olympic torch like lamps and a bronze monument to the modern French founder of the Olympics. At one end of the park, near the CNN building, is a wonderful fountain that children can love. The spray is controlled by some kind of computer program to vary the pattern, volume, and type of spray coming from a flat concrete area. Thus, there is no fountain bowl where a child can drown. The fountain is surrounded by a broad array of concrete benches and is well supervised by police. Best of all this is free...a great place to take the kids on a hot Atlanta day.