Grant Park, Oakland Cemetery, State Capitol

Here’s a run with a mix of green, sights, and history that makes for a great 10k. There are four sections to the run: lovely Grant Park, athe historic Oakland Cemetery, the State Capitol building, and loop around the track in a park that’s home to the Atlanta Track club.

We start at Grant Park, but some might prefer to start downtown. Grant Park is a lovely, shaded green space in the heart of one of Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods. It’s ~1 mile north-south and 0.5 miles east-west on the park’s trails. Exit the north end, and you”ll have to cross I-20 using either Bouevard SE or Cherokee. Next, do a loop of the trails of the historic Oakland Cemetery, which has lovely grounds and paths lined by old oak trees — it’s also the site of the Run Like Hell 5K — the largest cemetery run in the country! Exit the west end of the cemetery, heading west on MLK Dr. toward the Capitol. This section not very scenic, crossing a tangle of highways at the I-20/I-80 interchange. Do a loop around the grounds of the Capitol — always inspirational — and then come back, using Connally St. south to Phoenix II Park, where you can do a loop around the track used by the home of the Atlanta Track Club.  Shorter Option: Eliminate Capitol section, and enjoy more streets around the Grant Park and Sumerhill neighborhoods.

Add-Ons: The historic Grant Park neighborhood, near Grant Park, has beautiful, shaded side streets lined with Victorian mansions and Craftsman bungalows. Just west of Grant Park, the Sumerhill neighborhood is also nice for running. The Cabbagetown neighborhood just north of I-20 also has some nice streets for running but it’s more hit or miss.