One of my many favorite things to do in Atlanta is to run in Piedmont Park.  On a sunny Sunday afternoon around 3:00 pm the park is jam packed with an eclectic mix of people: different ages, races, singles, families, young couples, old couples, new couples, babies, teenagers, runners, bikers, roller-bladers, the affluent, the poor, the middle class, the happy, the sad, the active, the bored...and I can't forget the many animals: puppies, old dogs, large dogs, small dogs, pigs, birds, squirrels.... I love running without any headphones to hear all the different sounds: music (rock, jazz, hip hop, the drum circle), laughing, crying, cheering, talking, humming, ...  And the smells, there are so many different smells: the flowers, cologne, perfume, grilling, the earth, cigarettes, pipes, perspiration, ...

After running in Piedmont Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I feel like I can conquer the world.

I'm possibly planning a trip to Atlanta in the next couple of month and I'm very excited about coming to the city as I've never been. I too am an avid runner and will definitly take a run in Piedmont Park while I'm there.

Is there any other great running "trails/paths" around the city and a runner shouldn't miss. Also are there any 5/10k's happening within the next couple of month....would love to take one in while I'm there.

Thanks,

Hi rustynail,  You should definitely visit Atlanta.  There's tons to do here.  Piedmont is my favorite place to run and I moved back to the city last Spring...so I don't have too many suggestions yet.  I pretty much stick to where I live...Midtown.  I enjoy running on the sidewalk along Peachtree and Piedmont through the neighborhoods on my way to the park (it reminds me of the West End of Hartford and other CT towns with the 2 - 3 story Victorian houses...where I lived for 8 years). 

You should check out the Atlanta Track Club website, http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/index.html. 

This one's fun...just found it: http://www.walkjogrun.net/index.cfm?c=Atlanta%20GA%20USA&lg=-84.399719238281&lat=33.765448698492&zmLevel=5.

And this one:  http://members.tripod.com/%7ESMcAdam/trails/index.html

Thanks for replying back to my post.  Because of you, I have now found some new places to run.

Hope you make it to Atlanta sometime soon!  It does get pretty chilly during January and February...but come March, it will start to warm up for a really enjoyable run.  Cheers!
 

There are tons of places to go running here.  My favorite is the PATH trail which goes alongside Freedom Parkway and winds through the Carter Center, Inman Park and Candler Park. This is more "off the beaten path" for visitors.

Another good place is the Silver Comet Trail.  This is especially good for long distance runners and bikers because the trail is over 61 miles long.  It isn't in the city, but like 10 minutes outside of Atlanta.   It's a pretty neat trail... they are still working on it to eventually lead all the way into Alabama. 

Just be careful if you run on Atlanta's streets! or sidewalks.  Atlanta drivers are notorious for not realizing their cars are not the only things on the roads...or especially the sidewalks!! :)