Centennial Olympic Park, one of the most enduring legacies of the 1996
Olympic games, is a living monument to the city's memories both good and bad
of that seminal event. Conceived as a town squares, it represents the heart
of the Olympic effort, the sit where everyone flocked to celebrate the games
And when the games resumed after the bombing in the park that claimed two
lives, it was where people gathered to try to revive the Olympic spirit. A
21 - acre swath of green space and bricks, the park was carved out of a
bighted downtown area. It was closed after the games, redesigned for
permanent use, then reopened in 1988. Once again the universal gathering
place it was intended to be, it's an oasts of rolling lawns crisscrossed by
brick pathways and punctuated by artwork, rock gardens, pools and fountains.
Though there's not something going on all the time, there are usually a few
tree events each month festivals, artists markets, concerts, and other
perfomances call the above number a complete listing of happenings. The best
part of the park now and during the Olympics is the fountain in the shape of
five interlocking Olympic Rings. It's the central focus of a vast paved
plaza bordered by 23 flags honoring all the host centries of the modern
games. If you are here in summer, you and kids can frolic in the fountain, a
good way to cool off in the ozzling southern heat. Don't be shy.Just about
everybody in Atlanta has done this at once time or another. If getting
drenched is not your thing, you can still enjoy one of the concerts put on
by the fountains. Seven songs are programmed to play during timed sequential
water and light displays. The water jets, which normally shoot 12 reach 35
feet during special effects.
Hours: Daily 7am to 11pm
Address: 285 International Blvd.N.W
Location: At Techwood Dr
Phone: 404/222 - PARK (7275) |
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