Athens has many public parks, some of which are connected by the North Oconee River Greenway, which features several scenic miles of walking and biking paths. Amenities vary, and key features are listed in each description. Picnic shelters must be rented ahead of time at most parks. Athens’ only public golf course is the UGA Golf Course, at 2600 Riverbend Road; Lane Creek Golf Club is in nearby Bishop. Athens-Clarke County government also has a “Park Finder” app to help match users with locations that fit their amenity selections. For a complete list of county parks and recreation areas, please visit accgov.com/parks.
Athens-Clarke County
Ben Burton Park
615 Mitchell Bridge Road • 706-613-3620
Hours: sunrise–sunset
This 32-acre in-town wildlife preserve features a hardwood forest, trails, restrooms, outdoor grills and a picnic shelter. A boat launch and shoals provide easy access to the Middle Oconee River.
Bishop Park
705 Sunset Drive • 706-613-3589
Hours: 8 a.m.–sunset
This large Normaltown park is equipped with fields and courts for a variety of sports and a paved walking path. Programs include tennis, pickleball, gymnastics and more. There are restrooms, a playground and picnic shelters. Home to the Athens Farmers Market year-round from 8 a.m. to noon. Please note the Bishop Park pool is closed for renovations.
Boulevard Woods Park
298 Barber St. • 706-613-3620
Hours: sunrise–sunset
This cute pocket park in the Boulevard neighborhood has a paved walking loop, a hiking trail, a small playground and an amphitheater.
Dudley Park
100 Dudley Park Road • 706-613-3620
Hours: sunrise–sunset
This 32-acre park is near downtown by the river and features open fields, restrooms, picnic areas, an amphitheater and connections to the Firefly Trail and the North Oconee River Greenway.
Firefly Trail
Multiple entrances: East Broad Street, Dudley Park, Poplar Street, Inglewood Avenue, Old Winterville Road • 706-613-3801 • fireflytrail.com
Hours: sunrise–sunset
This 39-mile rail trail project begins in downtown Athens and extends three miles towards Winterville where an additional 1.6-mile trail section is often called the “Model Mile.” The entire walking and biking trail is set to extend to Union Point along the historic Georgia Railroad corridor and the recently completed Firefly Bridge Over Trail Creek. For a complete list of trails and points of interest, please visit accgov.com/firefly.
Greenway and Riverside Parks
706-613-3620
Hours: sunrise–sunset
These linear parks have over eight miles of concrete for non-motorized use. Connections include Dudley Park, Firefly Trail, Sandy Creek Nature Center and Sandy Creek Park. For a complete list of trails and points of interest, please visit accgov.com/greenway.
Heard Park
400 McKinley Drive • 706-613-3593
Hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun, 2–6 p.m.
Previously named the East Athens Community Center, this facility serves everyone from kids to teens with activities such as a branch of the public library, a gymnasium, outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor pool and a Teen Tech Lab.
Holland Youth Sports Complex
250 Vincent Drive • 706-613-3991 (before 4 p.m.); 706-613-3604 (after 4 p.m.) Hours: 8 a.m.–sunset
The 62-acre sports complex is home to Athens United soccer, Downtown Falcons football and Athens Little League baseball and softball action. The facility also includes amenities such as a playground, restrooms and a snack bar.
Lay Park
297 Hoyt St. • 706-613-3596
Hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun, 2–6 p.m.
Athens’ only downtown park is accessible to anyone looking to get active, both indoors and out, with activities like tennis, pickleball, pétanque, an outdoor pool and more. The facility also features a gymnasium, a public library branch and a Teen Tech Lab.
Memorial Park
293 Gran Ellen Drive • 706-613-3580
Hours: 8 a.m.–sunset
This popular 72-acre park in the heart of Five Points is home to Bear Hollow Zoo (open 9 a.m.–5 p.m.), trails, a playground and a public pool, as well as Athens Creative Theatre and The Birchmore Trail, a 1.25-mile trail through the Five Points neighborhood. Please note some amenities may be unavailable while the park undergoes renovations.
Reese & Pope Park
375 Reese St. • 706-613-3801
Hours: sunrise–sunset
This is a small neighborhood park with basketball courts, a picnic shelter and a playground.
Rocksprings Community Center & Park
291 Henderson Ext. • 706-613-3602
Hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
This multipurpose park has something for everyone, including a community center, pirate-ship playground, pool and splash pad.
Sandy Creek Nature Center
205 Old Commerce Road • 706-613-3615
Hours: Tue–Sat, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
See snakes and other live critters up close. This facility has 225 acres of woodlands and wetlands, with over four miles of trails (including an ADA interpretive trail) plus an exhibit hall, planetarium and gift shop. Discover a 19th Century log house and the ruins of a century-old brick factory. The Nature Playscape invites visitors to explore and be as adventurous in nature as possible. Please note that dogs, bikes, skates, skateboards and scooters are not allowed in the playscape.
Sandy Creek Park
400 Bob Holman Road • 706-613-3631
Hours: Tue–Sun., 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
The county’s largest park (782 acres total) surrounds picturesque Lake Chapman featuring a beach, dog parks (one public and five private), a playground and trails. Enjoy disc golf, picnicking, boating and fishing. Admission is $2/person (ages 4–64) and $1 extra for disc golf. The park is open mostly from sunrise to sunset but changes depending on the time of the year.
Satterfield Park
2950 Cherokee Road • 706-613-3991
Hours: 8 a.m.–sunset
A community park with a playground, athletic fields for baseball/softball, courts for tennis/pickleball and a picnic area. Satterfield is also home to the East Athens Little League.
SORBA Mountain Bike Loop and Skill Park
100 Newton Bridge Road • sorbaathens.org
Hours: sunrise–sunset
A non-ACC government-owned course on the property of General Time Athens, built by MTB Atlanta and maintained by SORBA Athens volunteers. The space features a wooden skills course (teeter-totter, small rollers, etc.) and a ¾-of-a-mile trail loop with small rock features that can be bypassed. Open to all skill levels. Helmets are required, and motorized vehicles are not permitted.
Southeast Clarke Park
4440 Lexington Road • 706-613-3991
Hours: 8 a.m.–sunset
Home to World of Wonder, this 135-acre park is home to the largest play area in the park system and features two playgrounds, Wiggley Field Dog Park and tennis/pickleball courts. Also the Skate Park of Athens, with a series of concrete ramps, bowls and rails.
Tennis Center
4460 Lexington Road • 706-613-3991
Hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun, 1–6 p.m.
This center offers year-round usage for open play, leagues, instructional programs, clinics and tournaments. The facility includes 12 lighted, hard-surface courts with viewing and staging areas. There’s also a covered pavilion, restrooms and office and meeting facilities. The center is staffed seven days a week according to hours of operation, but courts open daily at 8 a.m. (Hours may be affected by the weather.)
Walker Park
200 Trail Creek St. • 706-613-3991
Hours: 8 a.m.–sunset
A sprawling, 113-acre park just minutes from downtown, featuring a fitness zone, an ADA-accessible playground, a popular splash pad for kids, soccer fields and mountain bike trails, like the new pump track courtesy of SORBA Athens.
UGA Parks
Legion Pool
830 S. Lumpkin St. • 706-542-8235 • tate.uga.edu/legion-pool
Hours: late May through July, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; beginning of August, 3–7 p.m.
A historic pool with lap lanes, a snack bar and a bathhouse, Legion is enjoyed each summer by the university community and those who join the Friends of Campus Life.
Oconee Forest Park
College Station Road at Alumni Drive • 706-542-4287 • warnell.uga.edu/oconee-forest-park
Hours: dawn–dusk
This 60-acre park with hiking/bike trails and a dog park sits behind the UGA intramural fields, preserving a 100-year-old forest and its wildlife around Lake Herrick.
State Botanical Garden of Georgia
2450 S. Milledge Ave. • 706-542-1244 • botgarden.uga.edu
Hours: 8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Admire beautiful and diverse gardens and explore nature trails, but no dogs. The grounds include a visitors center with a conservatory and café and the Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum (with an elevator from the parking area down to the visitors center). The Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden is a hands-on, kid-centric wonderland. Some garden facilities, such as the Day Chapel, are available for rental.
Oconee County
Bogart Sports Complex
200 S. Burson Ave., Bogart • 706-769-3965
Hours: 5 a.m.–11 p.m.
This 33-acre park behind the Bogart Library has lighted ballfields, multipurpose fields, a picnic pavilion, a playground and a half-mile paved walking trail.
Harris Shoals Park
Harris Shoals Drive, Watkinsville • 706-769-5161
Hours: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
This small, dog-friendly park has picnic tables, walking trails, horseshoes, shoals and a baseball field. There are also three pavilions available to rent for gatherings and events.
Heritage Park
2543 Macon Hwy., Watkinsville • 706-769-3965
Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
The 364-acre park bordering the Apalachee River boasts miles of hiking, biking and horse-riding trails as well as an open-air arena that hosts special events.
Herman C. Michael Park
1051 Elder Road, Bishop • 706-769-3965
Hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
This 37-acre park has lighted courts, a multipurpose field, a gymnasium, a playground, a free disc golf course and a 1.25-mile paved walking trail.
Oconee Veterans Park
3500A Hog Mountain Road, Watkinsville • 706-769-3965
Hours: 5 a.m.–11 p.m.
This 197-acre park contains walking trails, a dog park, tennis courts and multipurpose fields outside and a community center with a gym and track inside.
Playground of Possibilities & ESP Miracle League Ballfield
191 VFW Drive, Watkinsville, GA 30677 • 706-769-5161
Hours: sunrise–sunset
The Playground of Possibilities is filled with a variety of equipment that people of all abilities and ages can enjoy, including a zipline and a merry-go-round that is flush to the ground. The PoP is located next to Extra Special People's Miracle League Ball Field, which is located next to City Hall and makes baseball available to kids of all abilities.
City of Winterville
Pittard Park and Pavilion
Parkview and Church streets • 706-742-8600 • cityofwinterville.com/parks-and-recreation
Hours: sunrise–sunset
This park has three pavilions for rent, playgrounds, open fields, disc golf and metal art by Beverly Babb. It also hosts the Winterville Marigold Festival every spring.
State of Georgia
Fort Yargo State Park
210 S. Broad St., Winder • 770-867-3489 • gastateparks.org/fortyargo
Hours: 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
The park surrounds a lake for swimming, fishing and boating. It features a 1792 log fort and campsites, including yurts and cabins. The Living History Society hosts educational programs and events. Five-dollar parking and annual passes are available for purchase.
Watson Mill Bridge State Park
650 Watson Mill Road, Comer • 706-783-5349 • gastateparks.org/watsonmillbridge
Hours: 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
This picturesque park a short drive from Athens contains the longest covered bridge in the state, as well as log cabins, campsites, horse-riding trails and a river perfect for wading. Five-dollar parking and annual passes are available for purchase.
