Atlanta is pretty average when it comes to walking. With a walkability score of 49, Georgia's largest city falls firmly in a car-dependent territory, according to Walk Score, a private company which assigns a number between 1 and 100 to measure the walkability of cities and neighborhoods. Decatur has the highest Walk Score (56) of any city in the state. Suburban cities score even worse: Marietta, 35; Dunwoody, 32; Alpharetta, 21.
Those numbers make sense when you consider that only 50 percent of Americans said they regularly walk for leisure, according to 2010 data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Leisure walking just isn’t a huge way of life in American culture. In our car-driven society, walking has been relegated to fitness, hobby and occasional transportation rather than a leisure pastime.
The health benefits of walking are well-known but walking also benefits the environment (reducing CO2 emissions) and our wallets (homes in walkable areas are valued higher). It makes sense to find more ways to get out and walk. In Atlanta, that can require some creativity.
One of the most important things to encourage more leisure walking is having places worth walking to, said Sally Flocks, President and CEO of PEDS, a group that advocates for more walkable neighborhoods in metro Atlanta. Walkable areas have common themes — restaurants, shops, other people or sights, said Flocks.
The mixed-use development boom in metro Atlanta has helped created walkable places in areas that once had limited options. Wooded areas are also great for walking, Flocks said, as is any route that takes you somewhere you have never been and allows you to roam and see new things. Of course, what matters most to walkers is safety, so any truly walkable area will make safety a priority.
Ready to get moving? Here are a few unique places (and ways) to walk in metro Atlanta.
Avalon: The 86-acre mixed-use development in Alpharetta has become a destination for residents in the surrounding areas. Not only does Avalon offer miles of pleasant walking with streetscapes and benches, but it also provides plenty of things to do and people to see when you're not walking. With retail and restaurants and an ongoing roster of events, a stroll through Avalon can be satisfying for walkers of all sorts.
Atlanta Preservation Center Walking Tours: Learn about historic neighborhoods in metro Atlanta on a guided walking tour with Atlanta Preservation Center. The tours include neighborhoods such as Ansley Park, Druid Hills, Grant Park, Downtown, Inman Park, Midtown, Sweet Auburn and two eras of Westview Cemetery. The tours last 80 - 90 minutes and the season runs from March-November. The recommended age is 12 and older primarily due to the content of history. $7 for students and seniors, $13 for adults. Dates and times vary. atlantapreservationcenter.com.
Westside Beltline: Take a stroll on the Westside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline and enjoy a history lesson on the civil rights movement in Atlanta. The images, sourced from Images of America: Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement, 1944-1968 by Karcheik Sims-Alvarado (Arcadia Publishing, 2017), are on display until Dec. 1 courtesy of Art on the Atlanta Beltline. Access the Westside Trail at Gordon White Park to see images 1-22 of the exhibit (23-31 can be viewed on the Eastside Trail.) With images ranging from the US Supreme Court decision in Smith v. Allwright to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., you'll learn how Atlanta became the cradle of the civil rights movement while you walk. Free. Gordon White Park, 567 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW, Atlanta. art.beltline.org.
Castleberry Hill Art Stroll: Change it up with an evening stroll during Castleberry Hill's weekly art stroll. On the second Friday of every month, take a self-guided tour of the art galleries in the neighborhood. Information sheets and maps are posted the week of the event and can be picked up at 180 Walker Street SW in front of Bottle Rocket the night of the Stroll. Free. 7-10 p.m. Second Tuesday of every month. Locations vary. castleberryhill.org.
Fernbank Forest: There are more than two miles of path in the 65-acre Fernbank Forest. Enjoy views of the natural landscape while listening to songbirds and watching for animals. Fernbank Forest has some rugged and steep areas but can accommodate a slow or brisk stroll for walkers of all ages and experience levels. Forest access is available during museum hours and is included in the price of admission. $18 -$20. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta. 404-492-5293, fernbankmuseum.org.
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GPSMy City App: Use this app to find self-guided city walking tours in Atlanta including a three-hour religious tour of nine sites extending from the Temple, the oldest synagogue in Atlanta, to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Church, the oldest Catholic Church in Atlanta. The full version of the app costs $4.99 for a single city walk guide which gives you turn-by-turn directions and a tour route map to help you locate the sites of interest. It works offline, so you don't need a 3G connection or data plan wherever you happen to be.
Oakland Cemetery: Atlanta's historic Victorian garden cemetery has some very well-known residents, but Historic Oakland Cemetery is also a public park, a wildlife habitat, a botanical garden and a sculpture garden all rolled into one. Oak and Magnolia trees shade the 48-acre cemetery making it perfect for a quiet stroll. It is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year and is free of charge (except during ticketed events). oaklandcemetery.com.
Peachtree Street: Peachtree Street has come a long way since the years when no one wanted to walk south of 14th Street, said PEDS President and CEO, Sally Flocks. "They have replaced the sidewalks, and made it a nicer streetscape, but it is also the development that happened," Flocks said. Higher density condos brought more people to the area and that gentrification attracted retail, she said, all of which has made a long stretch of Peachtree Street a great place to stroll.
Simon Malls: For years, Simon Malls have opened early to accommodate mall walkers. The tradition continues with four area malls that open as early as 8 a.m. to allow walkers to avoid mall crowds. "We have active mall walking clubs at many properties. We try to foster and encourage that activity at our properties," said spokesman, Les Morris. Metro area locations include Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, Mall of Georgia and Town Center at Cobb, all of which open at 8 a.m. Monday-Saturday for walkers. The outdoor center, North Georgia Premium Outlets also welcomes mall walkers at all hours, but the restrooms are not open until 9:30 a.m. daily. simon.com.
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