Discovering Atlanta’s Grant Park Area
When I first set out to do my post, I was only going to focus on Atlanta 
Cyclorama & Civil War Museum located in Grant Park. However, once I started doing some research, I realize that I would be doing you, dear readers, a great disservice. See, by only focusing on that one attraction, I would only be providing you with a third, or even perhaps a fourth of what the area has to offer.
Setting the Scene: Located in the downtown 
area, about one mile southeast of the state capitol, Grant Park is a place where many come to escape the madness of a very hectic city. The park, which is the city’s oldest, is around 131 acres and includes a playground, walking trails and much, more more than a normal park, but more on that later.
Nearby is Grant Park Historic District that holds the distinct of being Atlanta’s largest historic district. If you’re into architecture, then you’ll love the home that you’ll find here (think Craftsman, Victorian and Queen Anne.) Be sure to make plans to attend the 35th Annual Grant Park Tour of Homes on September 27-28.
If you can’t wait or aren’t able to attend the tour, consider taking a guided walking tour of Grant Park with the Atlanta Preservation Society, which is housed in Lemuel Grant’s (as in Grant Park) mansion.
Civil War, Pandas and a Cemetery – Oh My!: Now, back to the park itself for just a moment. What can be unusual about a park? There’s a playground and trails, so it sounds a like a typical park. True, but how many parks do you know have a civil war museum and a zoo (separately) located within them? Yes, here in Grant Park, you’ll discover the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum as well as the Atlanta Zoo.
Eve if you have a slight interest in the Civil War, you have to visit the Cyclorama at least once in your life. It’s a required attraction to see. So, what it is? Well, it houses a 100-year old painting fronted by a 3-D scene depicting the Battle of Atlanta. This painting happens to be one of the few narrative paintings in the round still in existence. The museum also displays many Civil War artifacts.
More than likely you are familiar with Atlanta Zoo, home to the late Willie B, and now Lun Lun, Yang Yang and Mei La as well as over 1,000 other animals in natural habitats. In addition, there’s a train ride and a carousel as well as exhibits, such as Wild Like Me, which allows kids to further discover more about animals.
Not so much located in the park, but in the historic district, Oakland Cemetery 
is the best place to find “Old Atlanta.” This is the eternal resting place for Margaret Mitchell, Bobby Jones and many more notable Atlantans. It filled with so much history that to fully appreciate it, you should take a guided walking tour (ends November 30), or a twilight tour (ends October 19).
Don’t Miss: End the summer at Grant Park with the 6th Annual Grant Park Summer Shade Festival scheduled for August 30-31. The event features food, music and an arts festival with over 40 artists.
Photo credits: (top left) Civil War Cyclorama, flickr, creative commons by wharman; (top right) Erskine Memorial Fountain, Grant Park, flickr, creative commons by danuv; (bottom left) Fluffy Beauty, Lun Lun at Zoo Atlanta, flickr, creative commons by Tai High; (bottom right) Oakland Cemetery, flickr, creative common by skunks.
Apryl Chapman Thomas
1 Comment
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Grant Park. I live about 10 minutes away but my hair salon is there so I get to visit a check out the park itself about twice a month. Love it. Great post.