Welcome to "Actual Factual," a regular column in which I answer reader questions about goings-on in Atlanta. Here's one I did recently about when all of MARTA gets free Wi-Fi.
Now that you're familiar, you'll find information for submitting your own questions at the bottom.
Question: What's up with those horses across from Eventide in Grant Park?
Traveling south on Grant Street SE, with Grant Park to your left, you'll eventually dead-end into an undeveloped part of the Atlanta Beltline. That quiet block is a mix of homes, small businesses and the forthcoming Beacon development.
But there’s also something else, across the road from Eventide Brewing.
There’s a red barn with big white doors and a lot enclosed by an electric chain-link fence. Sometimes about a dozen horses can be seen running around, jumping and sunning themselves.
Why, you might have wondered?
Well, it’s the Atlanta Police Department mounted patrol stables and training facility.
Cops use the horses to provide a highly visible police presence and manage crowds. Sometimes the officers even dance with them, as seen in this 2014 video of APD's version of Pharrell's "Happy."
If you’re interested in checking it out up close, the barn is open to the public on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as long as the gates are open.
You can also check out photos and videos of the horses through the Friends of the Atlanta Mounted Patrol. The group was created to raise awareness of the mounted patrol.
The barn’s address is 1001 Cherokee Ave SE.
I am a staff writer with the AJC and a lover of Atlanta, my adopted home for nearly six years after moving to Georgia from Florida. To submit “Actual Factual” questions, contact me at becca.godwin@ajc.com, @BeccaJGGodwin on Twitter or via the form below. Thanks.
VIDEO:
