Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail

The Atlanta BeltLine is the city's great reinvention: a ring of disused railway lines around the urban core turned, piece by piece over twenty years, into paved multi-use trails, parks and a new front door for dozens of neighborhoods. The Eastside Trail was the first finished section and remains the one every visitor should walk. It runs from the tip of Piedmont Park south through Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland, the Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park to Reynoldstown, and on a warm weekend afternoon it is the closest thing Atlanta has to a central promenade — runners, cyclists, scooters, strollers, dog walkers and people simply out to be seen, moving past murals, sculptures, skate ramps and an unbroken chain of patios. The landmarks come in a satisfying sequence. Ponce City Market, the giant brick former Sears building, sits right on the trail with its food hall and rooftop amusement park. Historic Fourth Ward Park, with its stormwater lake and lawns, is a block off. Krog Street Market, another food hall in an old industrial building, is near the south end, as is the Krog Street Tunnel, the city's most famous graffiti wall. The trail is free, open all day, and has public restrooms at several points. In June 2026 the BeltLine opened the last sections of its Southside Trail, so you can now ride nearly seventeen continuous miles around the west, south and east sides of the city — but for a first visit, the Eastside is the one to do. The drawbacks are crowds on weekends, fast bikes and scooters on a shared path, and summer heat with limited shade.

The idea began as a Georgia Tech graduate student's master's thesis in 1999, which proposed linking the old freight lines into a transit loop. The city adopted it, and the BeltLine became one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the United States, combining trails, parks, affordable housing goals and, eventually, transit. Its success has been complicated: property values along the Eastside Trail rose sharply, and many longtime residents were priced out. The newer Westside and Southside trails were built with more focus on the neighborhoods they pass through, and visiting them gives a fuller picture of the city than the polished Eastside alone.

The best way to do the Eastside Trail is in one direction, from north to south, with stops. Start at Piedmont Park, where the trail begins near the park's northeast edge, and walk south to Ponce City Market for lunch or a drink on the rooftop. Continue past Historic Fourth Ward Park and the skatepark into Inman Park, a leafy Victorian neighborhood worth a detour for its houses and restaurants. Finish at Krog Street Market and the tunnel, then catch a rideshare back or walk on into Reynoldstown. The full walk is a couple of hours at an easy pace; by bike it is half an hour. Rental bikes and scooters are available along the trail and nearby. Keep right, watch for bikes when you stop to look at art, and carry water in summer.

Timing changes the experience. Weekday mornings are calm and local; weekend afternoons are a parade, which is great for people-watching but slow for cycling. Sunset is the favorite time, when the patios fill and the downtown skyline lights up to the west. In spring the trail is lined with blossom, and in autumn the light and temperatures are ideal. The BeltLine also hosts art installations along its length, and its annual lantern parade, when it runs, is one of the most joyful events in the city. Combine the trail with Ponce City Market, the Atlanta Botanical Garden at the edge of Piedmont Park, or an evening at a restaurant in Inman Park or the Old Fourth Ward.