Olmsted Linear Parks

The Linear Parks have been part of my Lake Claire neighborhood life for over sixteen years. When we head out for walks, we often go through one of the parks.
Deepdene park, the easternmost and most developed of the group, is a mere two blocks away. It got a makeover a number of years ago through the efforts of the Olmsted Linear Parks Alliance and now sports some nice walking trails, cool creek bridges and rock crossings and lots of trees. Deepdene is the biggest of the group but even it is not large at all.
The others are more like your typical small neighborhood park with open grassy areas. One is host to several festivals through the year.

The sidewalks of this park was way too narrow. I am unsure how big this park was since I was only here for the Fall Festival on Ponce. The park had a miniature modern playground for the kiddies which was nice. There was definitely enough empty space here for blankets to be laid out and sun bathe. I’d say this is a cute and cozy little park that’s right in Atlanta. It’s definitely on the smaller smaller scale compared to Piedmont Park.
It was peaceful here since one side of the park had the residential homes while the other had the busy street with cars zooming by. I am unsure if there’s a designated area for parking since my friend and I parked along the street in the surrounding neighborhoods.

«The beauty of the park… should be the beauty of the fields, the meadow, the prairie, of the green pastures, and the still waters. What we want to gain is tranquility and rest to the mind.» ~ Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.
This is a lovely, quiet park that is usually uncrowded (there are exceptions such as The Festival on Ponce). It’s a nice place to have a picnic lunch or dinner or just read a book and enjoy the fresh air. There are plenty of well-​maintained paths for walking and signs along them that explain some of the park’s interesting history. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, a well-​known landscape architect who also designed New York’s Central Park.
The Olmsted family is also connected with Atlanta’s Piedmont Park:
In the early 20^th century, a redesign plan called the Olmsted plan, was begun by the sons of New York Central Park architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. The effort led to the addition of scenic paths in the park and the joining of the park with the Ansley park system.*
* final paragraph quoted from Wikipedia

Located just off of Ponce proper on «South Ponce Ave» and runs for a minute towards/​through Druid Hills and towards Decatur. There is a ton of parking along the street (s) that connect through this great park and it also warrants for easy load-​in for festivals or a party you may be having.
The trail that runs along is perfect for riding or running. We’ve gone on multiple walks through and have loved it. It’s gorgeous and there is a ton of history laid throughout.
Not that I can really partake without getting uncomfortable stares, but the playground is pretty gnarly. It’s lowered a bit, so it’s super safe for kids to play. No worries about running off of the the sidewalk and into traffic or even onto the path where there are bikes and runner/​dogs. Really enjoy the setup.

I attended the Festival on Ponce a couple weekends ago and fell in love with the Olmsted Linear Parks. Bf and I parked on Fairview Road and made our way to the festival, while going through the various parks that make up OLP.
There is a beautiful path running through the parks, so that you can be in the middle of this beautiful green space that is flanked by Ponce de Leon traffic and impressive homes. We even traversed through the Paideia School campus, which left us in awe and had my bf experimenting with photography.
We ended up walking to Manuel’s Tavern from the park and back to Fairview. We arrived in the early afternoon and walked back around ⁸⁄₉ pm. Everything appears lit enough and we did not feel unsafe at any point.
I highly recommend that you visit this serene and unique oasis, especially to appreciate the design of the father of landscape architecture (learned that tidbit from my baby sister, who is studying LA – shout out to Quynhie!).

Olmsted is the whose who of overachievers.
Journalist. Anti-​slavery advocate. Architect. Landscape designer.
I thought I was awesome for watching all the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Movies twice and wearing a No on Prop 8 shirt.
I always try to photograph this park when I’m sitting in traffic because I want to share it with folks not in the car. I phones can’t capture this much beauty. It’s truly phenomenal and very, very well maintained. I first saw his landscape work at Central Park (amazing) and his architecture work at UC Berkeley (double amazing, UC represent!)
Currently, Olmsted in Atlanta has my heart.

These parks are gorgeous and historic. They were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park, the Chicago World’s Fair, and the Biltmore, so they’re quite historic. The path is well-​maintained, there are benches, there are maps with history and markers that tell you what many of the plants are. There’s even pretty easy to find street parking along the south side of all the parks. However, there aren’t trash cans, and it’s unfortunately obvious that we’ve got some litter bugs in the neighborhood. Also, there aren’t any water fountains, which can make it harder to enjoy for the warm portion of the year. If you’re stupid enough to be talked into going for a run toward Decatur and back (which is mostly uphill for the return) in the middle of the day, then you should know that a sidewalk runs along the inner street the length of the parks under some great old shade trees. There’s also a playground, but again, it’s in the sun, and a lot of it is metal, so be careful with the little ones!
#Yelp365 — ²⁵⁵⁄₃₆₅

While I typically have only experienced the beauty of Olmsted while driving by, I must comment on just how nice it is to actually wander. They’ve got a lovely path that’s in great condition, an architecturally interesting playground, and tons and tons of greenspace. I think I might start jogging through here once the heat lets up.
If you’re not in close proximity, there is street parking all along the park and you shouldn’t have an issue finding a spot.

This really is a lovely park. I’ve driven by it for years on my way into Decatur, but it wasn’t until this past weekend that I was able to see what it can offer. Plush, spacious grounds… looks perfect for sun bathing, tossing a frisbee with friends or hanging with your pup. There’s also a pretty nice playground area… very kid friendly.
Note…there’s only street parking, but a good amount of it. Now if you go during high traffic times (weekends when the weather is nice or during a festival) parking might be tight, but most times I think yo’ll be fine.
Overall…one of Atlanta’s many beautiful parks. If you’re in the neighborhood… I highly suggest you take advantage of it.

This was a beautiful park. Well kept, lots of greenery, and great for whatever you do to get your heart rate up! Also, lots of open green space should you want to turn a cartwheel or seven. Awesome location for the Festival on Ponce! Parking might be a little tricky if there is something going on, but a very nice park none the less. Also note, they have a small play area for the kiddies (I didn’t see any swings though).

I embarked on a Presidents Day traipse through Deepdene Park, a stretch of woods between Lakeshore and Ridgewood drives off Ponce. It’s even listed as Olmsted Park on Google Maps… The visual experience was pretty anticlimactic for me, since I entered from the Lakeshore side, overwhelmed by construction tarp, uprooted trees and «blazes» that junk up the already well-​delineated trail.
As I approached the Ridgewood side, however, the trickling creek led to whimsical bridges and stepping stones that crossed over the water via steep ascents and declines.
I exited in the middle of North Ponce de Leon and spent the last half of my trek admiring the high-​end homes boasting evergreen trees and hilly yards. Then I envisioned having a tea party just outside my moss-​covered carport, snapped back into reality by the sound of whooshing cars on the main road.

These linear parks are the greenways along Ponce De Leon between Briarcliff and Eastlake Roads. They were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (also the designer of Central Park) as part of the Druid Hills neighborhood. They connect to the Path and Candler Park just east of Lullwater Road via a paved path or a trail that runs along the creek.
There’s a playground at Springdale Park and a few water fountains along the way. If you walk west along this greenway, you can enter the Frasier Center and Cator Woolford Gardens. This is a nice side road that leads into the Candler Park/​Lake Claire neighborhoods.
To reach Deepdene Park, at the end of the greenway, continue on the sidewalk on Ponce for about a mile. Cross Ponce at the light at Lakeside and you’ll see the park on your right. It’s a heavily wooded area with recently added mulch paths and stone bridges over a small creek.
There’s several loops within the park and plenty of swimming holes for your dogs. There’s also a soccer field on the far end.
Another, longer, side trip from Ponce is Emory Village and Emory University. Take Clifton Road north 1.3 miles to Emory Village and the main entrance in to Emory University. If you continue another ½ mile, you’ll also reach Lullwater Park, the university’s president’s estate. It’s open to the public but has no parking. If you’re biking or walking it’s a great place to spend an afternoon.