Attend free Yoga in the Park sessions or go for a jog, watch the kids run and play, relax by the fountain, see a local musician perform under the gazebo, or attend an event during a visit to Woodruff Park.
Spanning 6 acres (2.4 hectares) alongside Peachtree Street, Woodruff Park is part of the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District and also close to the Sweet Auburn Historic District of Downtown Atlanta. This makes it the perfect spot to have a picnic on the lawn in between sightseeing.
Created as Central City Park in the 1970s after a large donation by a former president of the Coca-Cola Company, Robert W. Woodruff, this open space in the heart of Atlanta was later renamed in his honor. Colorful furniture, artistic bike racks and big umbrellas have brought the park back to life in more recent years.
At the Five Points entrance of Woodruff Park is the Phoenix Rising from the Ashes sculpture, which represents Atlanta’s revival after General Sherman’s devastating “March to the Sea,” during the Civil War.
The nearby Shining Light Award commemorates the city’s first African American mayor, Maynard H. Jackson. The Give Our Police A Hand monument from 1980 is another memorial spot.
Stroll to the International Peace Fountain with its water wall and fountain. The big water feature commemorates Atlanta’s major role in the civil rights movement. See if you can spot the artwork of the Tiny Doors ATL project, created during the park’s annual Doggy Con event in 2019.
The park playground’s design presents the letters “ATL,” which the kids can climb and slide or swing down from. The nearby Daffodils Remembrance Garden is part of a global Living Holocaust Memorial. It also aims to bring awareness to current international human rights crises.
Woodruff Park in the Fairlie-Poplar neighborhood is free to access year round and is within a short walking distance of the Five Points MARTA transit hub. The Park Place and Woodruff Park stops of the Atlanta Streetcar are on the edge of the park as well. There is also a Relay Bike Share Hub located in the park. Parking is available for a fee on the surrounding streets.
