Piedmont Park Evening Hike + Optional outdoor Atlanta Symphony Concert

WEATHER ADVISORY for this June 22nd Event - Updated Wed June 22nd at 12:00 Noon:  As worked out well for last week's AOC hike & concert attendance, our Atlanta Symphony hosts have announced that this evening's similar outdoor performance is likewise STILL a GO despite the continued heat wave.  Thankfully the latest hour-by-hour forecast for Piedmont Park is now cooler than it had been!  It's expected to be about 96 degrees at 6 PM - also NOT very humid and a bit breezy.   There's NO chance of rain and it should cool down into the 80s toward the end of the concert.  We intend to stick to our AOC plans discussed below for parking & gathering just east of the Park, enjoying some hiking and attending this amazing musical event.  If you consider the weather, etc. to be too warm, etc. you're welcome to cancel your registration. - Charlie

IN a NUTSHELL:  We AOC hikers & music fans have always had a blast together on these festive summer evening Piedmont Park "Hike + Symphony" al fresco outings.  We enjoyed the one on June 15th and are excited about offering this "encore double-header" on Wed June 22nd.  Hope you can join us for a leisurely ~2-mile hike through historic Piedmont Park, with a bonus immediately afterward! - an outdoor Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert.  The free performance will take place in the beautiful grassy "Oak Hill" section of the Park adjoining 10th Street, with hundreds of music fans and nature buffs of all ages joining us.  (See concert Photo above and suggestions below about "What to Bring.")  Anyone who loves the great outdoors and great music is welcome to stake out some space on the huge grassy shady hillside and enjoy the experience.

EVENT DETAILS:  Let's all gather "ready to hike" a few minutes before 6:00 PM on the sidewalk at the shady corner of Elmwood Drive and Monroe Drive (just 2 blocks east of the Park).  In the past we've always found plenty of free street-side parallel parking along Elmwood within a couple of blocks of Monroe.  (See Directions & GPS info below and please be on time, allowing for Atlanta's insane rush-hour traffic.)  After introductions we can conveniently walk together into the Park with our concert items, etc. in about 10 minutes - see suggested items to bring below.
  At the beautiful Oak Hill concert venue pictured above (just N. of 10th St) we can stake out prime viewing space for our AOC group with a clear view of the stage & good acoustics - then continue the hike.  We can ask a friendly neighbor or two on the lawn (or AOC volunteer) to watch our stuff till we return in time for the concert.   During this 2nd hike segment we'll explore a bit of the  "wild side" of Piedmont Park via some of its lesser-known scenic trails, including a few shady pathways just east of the Atlanta Botanical Garden and perhaps a gravel section of the Atlanta Beltline - then return to our Oak Hill seating area in time for the 7:30-9:00 concert.  Hope you can plan to stay with us for at least part of it, and if so you're sure to enjoy the relaxing but festive experience, with the bonus of a colorful sunset framing the midtown skyline as the performance comes to a close.
 Regardless of our individual Covid-vaccination statuses, etc. our Park Conservancy hosts encourage everyone to politely maintain appropriate social distances while at the concert and at least to keep mask handy - esp. in case an emergency situation arises that requires direct physical contact with one another.
  During the outing feel free to "split" at any time from the group if you like, provided you let us know.  We'll be glad to direct you back to our Elmwood/Monroe gathering area or other destination.

ATLANTA SYMPHONY  CONCERT PROGRAM:  Our multiple-grammy-winning Orchestra is calling this festive program "HOORAY for HOLLYWOOD!"   It will feature popular light-classical favorites from Back to the Future, King Richard, Call of the Wild, Out of Africa, E.T. and more - led by ASO Guest Conductor Anthony Parnther.  The "grand finale" encore at these festive Symphony events is usually Sousa's rousing Stars & Stripes Forever, which never fails to get everyone in the Park up on their feet singing & dancing, with some of us even waving sparklers!  For more about this and other exciting upcoming Atlanta Symphony events go to: https://www.aso.org/  

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."  Hundreds of member volunteers from the Piedmont Park Conservancy deserve much credit in recent years for the park's dramatic improvements and excellent maintenance. The thriving Atlanta Botanical Garden has also been a big plus for the park's popularity & reputation since its founding in the late '70s in the NW quadrant of the 200+ acre property. 
  For an excellent interactive Color Map of the Park click here:  https://www.piedmontpark.org/maps/
    and also for more info visit the main site:  http://piedmontpark.org/ 

DIRECTIONS to our SIDEWALK GATHERING SPOT at the MONROE DRIVE/ ELMWOOD DRIVE corner:
For a zoomable map & satellite view of this shady corner and quiet residential area click the square Blue & Green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.

GPS DATA for GATHERING SPOT:  GPS or Google.com/Maps users can enter either of these as your Destination address (to augment Directions steps below):
- Street Address at SW corner of Monroe & Elmwood: 1096 Monroe Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
- Lat/ Lon Address of same corner: (Be sure to include Comma and Minus sign.)  33.7847, -84.3679

DRIVING DIRECTIONS, assuming you begin by driving southward toward Atlanta via I-75 or I-85:
    (+ Advice about FREE Street-side PARKING along ELMWOOD DRIVE)
1. As you near the I-75/ I-85 interchange (about 2 miles north of downtown Atlanta) get into the second lane from the Interstate's righthand 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 & 14th Street).
4. Turn Left onto 10th Street and go 1.3 miles eastward to the traffic light at Monroe Drive (crossing Peachtree Street, Piedmont Ave, etc.).
5. Turn Left onto Monroe Drive and go just 0.2 mile northward to Elmwood Drive. (You've gone a block to far if you reach the traffic light at Park Drive.)
6. Turn RIGHT onto Elmwood Drive and park in any of vacant street-side spaces.  (In the past we've always managed to find free parallel parking along this quiet tree-lined residential street, esp. in the first couple of blocks just east of Monroe.)
7.  Assuming you park in that area, walk via the Elmwood sidewalk to the shady corner at Monroe Drive where we'll begin gathering at about 5:45 PM.
8.  After introductions we'd like to begin our ~10-minute group Hike into the Park by 6:00 PM, carrying any concert-related items in our daypacks, etc.
9.  Special Note for AOC Latecomers:  Between about 6:15 and 6:30 we'll likely again stake out AOC space for our concert viewing just 100 feet out from the center of the Oak Hill stage, directly in front of the small sound control tent - which worked out well (with great acoustics!) on June 15th and for last September's "double-header."  Any AOCers who have to arrive late could hook up with us there. if you prefer.

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