Buckhead - Atlanta, Georgia - public parks, pedestrian paths

A recreational trail alongside Bobby Jones Golf Course is being proposed. The trail, essentially a 10-foot-wide sidewalk, would run along Northside Drive, connecting the Peachtree Battle and Collier Hills neighborhoods.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is working to establish a bike lane network linking neighborhoods and major activity centers in Buckhead. To get involved, join the Buckhead BUG (Bicycle User Group). Contact Kevin McCauley kpmccauley@netscape.net or phone 404-531-0006 or Mike McLeod mamcleod@us.ibm.com or phone 404-842-1791 or check out the ABC Web site at www.AtlantaBike.org

PEDS, Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety, is a grass-roots group dedicated to making Atlanta's streets and sidewalks safer and more accessible. A recent Buckhead demonstration drew attention to the new Galyan's store across from Phipps Plaza that offered no entrances from the sidewalk, forcing walkers to go though the parking garage to gain entry. To learn more about PEDS and pedestrian issues, visit www.peds.org

Partnership for sidewalks: The Buckhead Coalition has formed a partnership with the PATH Foundation under which the coalition will pay 50 percent of the cost of building sidewalks in Buckhead. The goal is to develop miles of new sidewalks to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

Major parks

Chastain Memorial, 234 W.Wieuca Road, 320 acres, 9 tennis courts, 2 baseball fields, pool (404) 255-0863, 18-hole golf course (404) 255-0723, gymnasium with basketball court, weight facility and 5 ball fields (404) 851-1273, Chastain Arts and Crafts Center, 135 W. Wieuca Road, (404) 252-2927, Chastain Pool, Chastain Park, 235 W. Wieuca Road, (404) 255-0863, Chastain Stables, 4371 Powers Ferry Road, (404) 257-1470, PATH Foundation park trail: 3.3-mile circuit for jogging, bicycling, walking. New state-of-the-art playground for children on West Wieuca Road across from the baseball field. Rated one of Atlanta's Best Places for a Romantic Picnic by Atlanta magazine readers in 2000.

The Chastain Park Amphitheatre was built in 1938. In 1945, it was named for Troy G. Chastain, a Fulton County commissioner who led the development of Atlanta's park system. The city of Atlanta took over ownership of the amphitheater in 1952, and since 1973, the Atlanta Symphony has been holding its popular summer concert series there. It also is the venue for other shows from April to October. The amphitheater is at 4469 Stella Dr., or Powers Ferry Rd. at West Wieuca Rd., telephone 404-233-2227.

Chastain Horse Park, between West Wieuca and Powers Ferry roads near the Chastain Park Amphitheater. After a $2 million rebuilding project on the site of stables first built in 1939, the 13-acre equestrian center offers riding lessons, boarding for horses, a clubhouse, banquet room and a therapeutic riding program. The new stables also have second-story housing for on-site managers and 24-hour security. A clubhouse named in memory of Rita Anne Rollins houses offices, classrooms, a tack room, showers, a snack bar and a consignment shop. The manager is Amy Lance. Phone (404) 252-4244.
Website: www.chastainhorsepark.org

City of Atlanta Parks Bureau (404) 817-6752

Neighborhood parks

Alexander, East Wesley Road south of Garden Hills Park, 11.6 acres

Beaverbrook Drive, Brookview Drive at Tennyson Drive off Howell Mill Road via Northcliffe in the Wildwood neighborhood, 6.8 acres, playscape, softball field, creek

Blue Heron Nature Preserve is a wooded area in North Buckhead along Nancy Creek near Roswell Road and Rickenbacker Drive on the silted in remnants of Lake Emma.

Frankie Allen, Bagley Street at Pharr Road, 21.3 acres, 4 tennis courts, club house, 4 baseball fields

Garden Hills, 335 Pinetree Dr., Pinetree Drive at East Wesley Road and Rumson Road, 404-848-7220, 6 acres, club house, newly renovated and enlarged pool. www.gardenhillspool.homestead.com

Peachtree Hills, 308 Peachtree Hills Road near the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, 6.4 acres, 3 tennis courts, gym.

Peachtree Park-Lenox Promenade, East Paces Ferry Road at Ga. 400 with a pedestrian overpass over Ga. 400 to Lenox Square mall, 2 acres

Shady Valley, Shady Valley Drive at Converse Drive, 11.1 acres, 3 tennis courts

Sunnybrook, Brentwood Drive at Garden Hills Park, 2.6 acres

Tanyard Creek, Collier Road at Walthall Drive in Collier Hills neighborhood, 14.5 acres, historic markers, historic mill site across Collier Road, overlook, creek, playscape. Rated Best Place to Take Your Pet by Atlanta Magazine in 2000.

Block parks and parkways

Ardmore, Ardmore Road at Tanyard Creek Park (see above), 1 acre

Buckhead Triangle, Roswell Road at Peachtree Road, .7 acre, created between 1973 and 1975 with a grant from Atlanta philanthropist and Coca-Cola executive Robert W. Woodruff to give an aesthetic center to the heart of Buckhead.

UNDER STUDY: Designers are examining the idea of extending Buckhead Triangle Park eastward to include what is now Peachtree Road and shops in the strip where the Buckhead Saloon and Great Frame Up now stand. Peachtree Road would bend east around the expanded park or tunnel under it.

Channing, Channing Drive via Upton off Northside Drive in the Channing Valley neighborhood, .6 acre

Ellsworth, Howell Mill Road at Collier Road and Ellsworth Drive, 1 acre

Haynes Manor Park and Memorial Park Trail, between Sagamore Drive and Peachtree Battle Avenue across Northside Drive from Ahavath Achim Synagogue. The 5.1-acre tract is being developed by the PATH Foundation as a park and multi-use trail from the Haynes Manor neighborhood, past the Bobby Jones Golf course, through Tanyard Creek Park, and ending at Georgia Tech.

Mayson, Mayson Road at Club Drive. 3.1 acres

Peachtree Battle Parkway, Peachtree Battle Avenue from Peachtree Road to Dellwood Drive, 2.5 acres

Pinnacle Park, Peachtree Road at Lenox Road, 1 acre

Springlake and Norfleet, Springlake Drive at Norfleet Road, 5.2 acres

Tower Place Park, a one-acre public green space with fountains, statues and benches, in the center of the Tower Place complex, 3340 Peachtree Road.

Vermont Road, Vermont Road at Calvert Lane, 2 acres

Conservation parks

Sibley, Habersham Road at West Wesley Road, 1.6 acres

Spring Valley Road, Spring Valley Road at Meredith Drive off Northside Drive in the Collier Hills neighborhood, 3 acres

Standing Peachtree Park, Ridgewood Road at the Chattahoochee River, 95 acres

Woodward Way, Woodway at Habersham Road, 1.8 acres

Privately owned parks

Brookwood Hills, 77 Wakefield Dr., 1.7 acres, pool, tennis courts, swings

Monarch Centre, 3414-3424 Peachtree Rd., 2 acres, sculpture, pond, benches

Park at Tower Place, 3348 Peachtree Rd., .9 acres, sculpture, fountains, benches, pagoda

Peachtree Heights East, Parkside Dr. in the Peachtree Heights East neighborhood, 10 acres, duck pond

Peachtree Park childrens playground, 598 East Paces Ferry Rd., .2 acres, benches, playscape, swings

Pine Hills, Lenox Road in the Pine Hills neighborhood, 3 acres, pool, tennis courts, club house, basketball court

Pinnacle Building, 3575 Peachtree Rd. at Lenox Rd., 1 acre, fountain, benches, walking path

Post Riverside, 4401 Northside Pkwy., 10 acres, urban vegetable garden, picnic areas, bike trails

Chattahoochee National Recreation Area

East Palisades Unit, Northside Parkway at the Chattahoochee River, 50 acres

Activity facilities

Chastain Arts and Crafts Center, Chastain Park, 135 West Wieuca Road, (404) 252-2927

Chastain Pool, Chastain Park, 235 W. Wieuca Road, (404) 255-0863

Chastain Stables, Chastain Park, 4371 Powers Ferry Road, (404) 257-1470

Adopt-a-park program

Created in 1992 by the Atlanta Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the program encourages private citizens, civic groups and businesses to support the city's green spaces. Park Pride Atlanta, a nonprofit group, coordinates the program. For more information or to get involved, call (404) 817-6761.

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