Atlanta

==Parks and recreation==
{{Main|Parks in Atlanta}}
[[File:Fountains Centennial Olympic Park.jpg|thumb|left|Fountains at [[Centennial Olympic Park]]]]

Atlanta's 343 parks, nature preserves, and gardens cover {{convert|3622|acre|km2}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=258 |title=List of parks, alphabetical |work=City of Atlanta Online |date=November 27, 2011 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512114248/http://atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=258 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which amounts to only 5.6% of the city's total acreage, compared to the national average of just over 10%.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news|last=McWilliams |first=Jeremiah |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-parks-system-ranks-below-average/TqRKj06QfRxVm0s2i7s1zK/ |title=Atlanta parks system ranks below average |newspaper=ajc.com |date=May 28, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="alive1">{{cite web |url=http://oldfourthward.11alive.com/news/news/124252-atlanta-parks-get-low-marks-national-survey |title=Atlanta parks get low marks in national survey |work=Old Fourth Ward News |date=July 6, 2012 |access-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116020037/http://oldfourthward.11alive.com/news/news/124252-atlanta-parks-get-low-marks-national-survey |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, 77% of Atlantans live within a 10-minute walk of a park, a percentage slightly better than the national average of 76%.<ref name="atlanta.urbanize.city">{{cite web | url=https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/parkscore-ranking-atl-slips-parks-national-trust-public-land#:~:text=The%20City%20in%20a%20Forest,Kansas%20City%20and%20Baltimore%2C%20respectively | title=Despite park additions, Atlanta slips in national ParkScore ranking | date=May 30, 2023 }}</ref> In its 2023 ParkScore ranking, [[The Trust for Public Land]] reported that among the park systems of the 100 most populous U.S. cities, Atlanta's park system received a ranking of 28.<ref name="atlanta.urbanize.city"/> [[Piedmont Park]], in [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]], is Atlanta's most iconic green space.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kahn |first=Michael |url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2016/5/4/11585312/parks-in-atlanta-past-present |title=Atlanta's Parks: Then and Now - Curbed Atlanta |publisher=Atlanta.curbed.com |date=May 4, 2016 |access-date=May 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://piedmontpark.org/things-to-do/tours-and-guides/ |title=Tours, Attractions and Sightseeing in Atlanta's Piedmont Park |publisher=Piedmontpark.org |date=February 16, 2022 |access-date=May 18, 2022}}</ref> The park, which underwent a major renovation and expansion in recent years, attracts visitors from across the region and hosts cultural events throughout the year. Other notable city parks include [[Centennial Olympic Park]], a legacy of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] that forms the centerpiece of the city's tourist district; [[Woodruff Park]], which anchors the campus of [[Georgia State University]]; [[Grant Park (Atlanta)|Grant Park]], home to [[Zoo Atlanta]]; [[Chastain Park]], which houses an amphitheater used for live music concerts; and the under construction [[Westside Reservoir Park|Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry]], the 280-acre green space and reservoir project slated to become the city's largest park when fully complete in the 2020s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/atlanta-breaks-ground-city-biggest-park-bellwood-quarry/GgR7HQxDtbnPl1IpREkuYI/|title= Atlanta breaks ground on city's biggest part at Bellwood Quarry|last=Trubey|first=J. Scott|date=September 6, 2018|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|access-date=September 29, 2018}}</ref> The [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]], in the northwestern corner of the city, preserves a {{convert|48|mi|abbr=on}} stretch of the river for public recreation opportunities.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/index.htm | title=Plan Your Visit - Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) }}</ref>

The [[Atlanta Botanical Garden]], adjacent to Piedmont Park, contains formal gardens, including a Japanese garden and a rose garden, woodland areas, and a conservatory that includes indoor exhibits of plants from [[tropical rainforest]]s and [[desert]]s. The [[BeltLine]], a former rail corridor that forms a {{convert|22|mi|abbr=on}} loop around Atlanta's core, has been transformed into a series of [[city park|parks]], connected by a multi-use trail, increasing Atlanta's park space by 40%.<ref>{{cite web|first=Kaid|last=Benfield|url=http://grist.org/cities/2011-07-26-the-countrys-most-ambitious-smart-growth-project/ |title=The Atlanta BeltLine: The country's most ambitious smart growth project |publisher=Grist |date=July 27, 2011 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>

Atlanta offers resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation. Golf and tennis are popular in Atlanta, and the city contains six public golf courses and 182 tennis courts. Facilities along the [[Chattahoochee River]] cater to watersports enthusiasts, providing the opportunity for kayaking, canoeing, fishing, boating, or tubing. The city's only skate park, a {{convert|15000|sqft|m2}} facility that offers bowls, curbs, and smooth-rolling concrete mounds, is at [[Historic Fourth Ward Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlanta.net/things-to-do/old-fourth-ward-skate-park/|title=OLD FOURTH WARD SKATE PARK |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref>