Recently Jill’s brother, sil (sister-in-law) and 3 young children came to town for a fun summer visit. As you all probably know, Atlanta is not at a shortage for fun activities for kids of all ages, but in our search to find things we’d all enjoy and haven’t done before, we discovered the fabulous Old Fourth Ward Splash Pad!
If you’re not already familiar with Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward Park, here’s a bit about this fantastic local amenity:
Historic 4th Ward Park was one of the first redevelopment projects undertaken by the Atlanta Beltline, Inc. The park connects directly to the future 22-mile Beltline loop and has become a catalyst for additional redevelopment and reinvestment within the surrounding community. The brownfield sites were transformed from a barren contaminated site near Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthplace into a vision for sustainable redevelopment. The area was redeveloped into civic open spaces complete with open lawns, flowing walkways and a city greensward, a splash pad and playground, a recirculating stream, wildflower meadows, a multi-purpose recreation field and Atlanta’s first skate park. In addition to all of the amenities, the park also demonstrates the value of sustainable, collaborative design, and positive social, environmental and economic impact it can have on a community.
A few tips – bring your own towels and maybe a camping chair and/or picnic blanket, as the benches fill up quickly. Consider bringing your wagon for hauling kids and supplies, since there’s a bit of a walk from parking to the splash pad and playground. GO EARLY! Parking and features fill up quickly.