Piedmont Park Early Evening Hike + Optional free outdoor Atlanta Symphony Concert

We AOC hikers & music lovers have had a blast together on these PIedmont Park "summer evening double-headers" each year since 2013, and we're excited about offering one again this June 19th.
Weather Update as of Wed Noon:  The latest "spot forecast" for the Park this evening still looks good:  Decreasing cloud cover with partly sunny skies by 5:00 PM.  About a 35% probability of isolated showers, with likely total rainfall less than 1/20th of an inch and cooling into the low-80s.  Dress accordingly and bring some lightweight rain gear & plastic sheeting just in case you need it.  We're definitely still a GO for both the hike and the concert!  - Charlie

IN a NUTSHELL:  Hope you can join us for this leisurely hike through historic Piedmont Park, with a bonus afterward! - a FREE outdoor Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert entitled Opera's Greatest Hits.  The performance will take place in the beautiful "Oak Hill" section of the Park adjoining 10th Street.  Classical music fans of all ages are welcome to attend the concert and no special registration or ticket is required.

PARKING, GATHERING SPOT & HIKE DETAILS:  In past summers we've never had a problem finding plenty of free street-side parallel parking along Elmwood Drive, a quiet shady residential street just a couple of blocks east of Piedmont Park. Please carefully follow the Directions below if you wish to park there.  We'll gather for the hike at 6:00 PM on the sidewalk on the SW corner of Elmwood and Monroe Drive.  From there we can easily walk together into the Park in about 5 minutes.  PLEASE BE ON TIME allowing for Atlanta's insane rush-hour traffic.

During our ~90-minute leisurely paced hike we'll enjoy the "wild side" of Piedmont Park by exploring some of its lesser-known scenic trails, including the Six Springs Wetland, some shady pathways adjoining the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and a gravel section of the Atlanta Beltline.  Feel free to split from the group at any time if you like, provided you let us know when you're doing so.  We can easily direct you back to our initial gathering spot.

Hope you can plan to stay with us for at least part of the Atlanta Symphony performance beginning at 7:30 PM, and if so you're sure to enjoy the relaxing but festive experience!  Please note the recommended Items to Bring for it below, most of them optional.   During the first half hour or so of the hike we'll stake out concert viewing space for our AOC group on the Oak Hill lawn - then continue the hike.  In past years we've had no problem having friendly volunteers watch our stuff until we return in time for the concert.

SYMPHONY CONCERT PROGRAM:  ASO Assistant Conductor Stephen Mulligan will lead the orchestra and five world-class vocal soloists in Opera's Greatest Hits, a concert of grand opera favorites that will include selections from Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, Puccini's La Boheme, Verdi's Rigoletto, Bizet's Carmen - also excerpts from beloved operas by Mozart, Offenbach and Smetana.   As the "traditional grand finale" of these outdoor summer concerts, our entire audience of perhaps 1000 will get to let our hair down by dancing, singing, and even waving sparklers to Sousa's rousing Stars & Stripes Forever!  Click here for the Atlanta Symphony's webpage about this concert (and a similar concert a week earlier): https://www.atlantasymphony.org/ConcertsAndTickets/2019-Piedmont-Park

MORE about PIEDMONT PARK:  More than 125 years old now, it became world famous in 1895 as the site of Atlanta's "Cotton States & International Exposition."  Volunteers from the Piedmont Park Conservancy deserve much credit for the Park's dramatic improvements and excellent maintenance in recent years. The thriving Atlanta Botanical Garden in the NW corner of the Park has also benefited the Park's popularity and reputation.  Check out http://piedmontpark.org/ for more information.  For an excellent interactive Color Map of the 200+ acre park click this link:  https://www.piedmontpark.org/maps/

DIRECTIONS to our GATHERING SPOT at CORNER of ELMWOOD DRIVE & MONROE DRIVE
For a zoomable map of this corner and its surrounding quiet residential area click on the Blue & Green "LOCATION" icon near the top of this article.

GPS DATA for GATHERING SPOT:  GPS or Google.com/Maps users can enter either of these Addresses as your Destination to augment our Driving Directions below:
- Street Address of the home at the Elmwood Drive corner; 1096 Monroe Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
- Lat/ Lon Address of corner, being sure to include the Comma and Minus sign:  33.7847, -84.3679

DRIVING DIRECTIONS, assuming you're driving from Atlanta's north side toward Midtown Atlanta via I-75 South or I-85 South:

1. As you near the I-75/ I-85 interchange(which is ~2 miles north of downtown Atlanta) get into the second lane from the right side.
2. Avoid exiting onto the other Interstate, but as you pass the interchange bear right toward I-75 Exit #84 and exit there (for "17th St, 14th St and 10th St").
3.  Then bear leftward along the access road (a.k.a."Techwood Drive") for about 0.3 mile to the traffic light at 10^th Street (bypassing 17^th St and 14^th St en route).
4. Turn Left onto 10th Street and go 1.3 miles eastward to the traffic light at Monroe Drive (crossing Peachtree St, Piedmont Rd, etc. en route).
5. Turn Left onto Monroe Drive and go just 0.2 mile northward to Elmwood Drive, (The "Elmwood" street sign may be slightly blocked by trees, but note there's a traffic light 1 block ahead at "Park Drive" - the east-side entrance street into the Park.)
6. Turn LEFT onto Elmwood Drive (westward off Monroe).  In the past we've found plenty of free parallel parking along in this nice residential neighborhood (both west and east of the traffic light at Monroe).  Assuming you park in that area walk back to the SW corner of Elmwood and Monroe where we'll begin gathering on the shady sidewalk at about 5:45 PM.  After introductions we'd like to begin Hike there at 6:00 sharp.

DIRECTIONS to our GATHERING SPOT at CORNER of ELMWOOD DRIVE & MONROE DRIVE:
For a zoomable map of this corner and its surrounding quiet residential area click on the Blue & Green "LOCATION" icon near the top of this article.

GPS DATA for GATHERING SPOT:  GPS or Google.com/Maps users can enter either of these Addresses as your Destination to augment our Driving Directions below:
- Street Address of the home at the Elmwood Drive corner; 1096 Monroe Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
- Lat/ Lon Address of corner, being sure to include the Comma and Minus sign:  33.7847, -84.3679

DRIVING DIRECTIONS, assuming you're driving southward toward Midtown Atlanta via I-75 South or I-85 South:

1. As you near the I-75/ I-85 interchange(which is ~2 miles north of downtown Atlanta) get into the second lane from the right side.
2. Avoid exiting onto the other Interstate, but as you pass the interchange bear right toward I-75 Exit #84 and exit there (for "17th St, 14th St and 10th St").
3.  Then bear leftward along the access road (a.k.a."Techwood Drive") for about 0.3 mile to the traffic light at 10^th Street (bypassing 17^th St and 14^th St en route).
4. Turn Left onto 10th Street and go 1.3 miles eastward to the traffic light at Monroe Drive (crossing Peachtree St, Piedmont Rd, etc. en route).
5. Turn Left onto Monroe Drive and go just 0.2 mile northward to Elmwood Drive, (The "Elmwood" street sign may be slightly blocked by trees, but note there's a traffic light 1 block ahead at "Park Drive" - the east-side entrance street into the Park.)
6. Turn LEFT onto Elmwood Drive (westward off Monroe).  In the past we've found plenty of free parallel parking along in this nice residential neighborhood (both west and east of the traffic light at Monroe).  Assuming you park in that area walk back to the SW corner of Elmwood and Monroe where we'll begin gathering on the shady sidewalk at about 5:45 PM.  After introductions we'd like to begin Hike there at 6:00 sharp.

Free event, with free entrance into the Park, free Concert Viewing, and free (suggested) parallel Parking along Elmwood Drive.