An hourlong adventure at Centennial Olympic Park

During a brief trip to Atlanta, I spent an hour one day walking around Centennial Olympic Park. It was built for the 1996 Summer Olympics so visitors and locals would have a place to gather and enjoy the games.

I was in the city for a work-related event and didn’t have much time to really explore, but I still wanted to see at least one attraction in the city. Centennial Olympic Park was pretty close to where I was staying so I decided to check it out.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

It was pretty gloomy when I first got to the park, with gray clouds blanketing the sky. But I was determined to enjoy and walk as much of the 22-acre space as I could, even with the drab lighting conditions. (It was definitely a lot bigger than I was expecting!) Fortunately, the sky cleared a little bit as the day went on.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

The first thing I noticed were a line of flags, which I later learned were those of countries that hosted the Summer Olympics before the 1996 games.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

Nearby is the Fountain of Rings, one of Georgia’s most popular landmarks. A fountain show takes place four times a day (12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.) and is free to the public.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

 

A couple of other neat things about Centennial Olympic Park is that the CNN building is visible from there, as well as the SkyView Atlanta — a giant ferris wheel.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

Another highlight was seeing spring blooms. I tried to snap a couple of photos that don’t do the flowers any justice. (I blame the clouds in the sky for that.)

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

I didn’t walk around the entire park and missed the children’s areas and amphitheater, among other places. But I did get to stroll through the “quilts” on the right side of the park where there were manmade waterfalls, statues, stones, etc.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

The Quilt of Olympic Spirit is a tribute to the 10,000 athletes who participated in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games

To wrap up my hour at Centennial Olympic Park, I of course had to get a photo of myself in front of the Olympic symbols.

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

Related: An artsy outdoor adventure at Olympic Sculpture Park

Centennial Olympic Park is located at:

265 Park Ave W NW
Atlanta, GA

Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

For more information on Centennial Olympic Park, click here. For resources on an audio tour of the park, click here. Click here for a map of the park.


Leave a Reply