Outdoors

Back in September 2011, we boldly declared Atlanta the zombie capital of America, and we’re not backing down from that assertion.

If you’ve got small kids, we don’t need to sell you on the marvels of Zoo Atlanta and the Georgia Aquarium.

Here are three superior spots for a little aviation observation.

You can tour historic homes in Atlanta’s first “suburb,” take in bands, and see local art, but the real highlight 
is Saturday’s parade, complete with 
an attorney drill team, the Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, and the Trash Queen.

There is no better way to get to know a city’s past than exploring its citizens’ final resting places. And there’s nothing macabre about graveyard tourism; older cemeteries were designed to be enjoyed by the living, serving as public parks.

Encountering vibrant murals throughout intown neighborhoods has been a happy surprise in recent years. But to really understand the magnitude of the Living Walls project that pairs local and international artists with brick and concrete canvases, set out on a quest to find as many 
as you can.

Here’s a suggestion for city boosters: If you want to tout Atlanta as a global city, showcase Atlanta Silverbacks Park, where the world’s most popular sport is played by a men’s pro team (the season starts April 13) and a women’s developmental squad, as well as soccer amateurs and club teams of all levels.

I grew up in Palmetto, a quarter mile from the old Atlanta and West Point Railroad tracks. The soundtrack of my life is the shrill call of the whistle and the low, distant thunder of wheels riding rail.

If you’ve ever doubted that demand for the Atlanta BeltLine exists, it’ll be dispelled the moment you step onto its Eastside Trail—which opened in fall 2012, and runs 2.25 miles from the Old Fourth Ward to Piedmont Park—and jostle for space with joggers, dog-walkers, and kids wobbling on two-wheelers.

Frustrated with your stop-and-go commute? Get to Atlanta Motor Speedway and ride shotgun in a Richard Petty Driving Experience stock car. Feel the g-forces press you into your seat as you hit the bump on Turn One at speeds up to 165 miles per hour.