Centennial Olympic Park

Centennial Olympic Park is the 1996 Summer Olympics' lasting gift to Atlanta, and it is the central gathering place of the downtown visitor district. Before the Games, these blocks were a tangle of warehouses and parking lots; for the Olympics they became a public square, and afterward a permanent park of roughly twenty-two acres with lawns, gardens, brick plazas, water features and wide views of the downtown skyline. The star is the Fountain of Rings, a plaza fountain shaped like the five Olympic rings, whose jets shoot up from the paving in choreographed shows set to music. After a major renovation, it reopened in March 2025 with new technology and new songs, and shows run several times a day — around noon, mid-afternoon, early evening and after dark, when lighting adds to the effect. In warm weather, children run through the jets between shows. The commemorative brick pathways carry the names of hundreds of thousands of people who bought bricks before the Games, and an audio tour and brick locator help you find a specific one. The park also has a visitor information center, a playground, a Quilt Plaza and Water Gardens, and statues and memorials, including a memorial to the victims of the 1996 bombing during the Games. It is free and open from early morning until late evening. Around its edges sit the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, the Civil and Human Rights center, the College Football Hall of Fame, State Farm Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center, so you will pass through it on almost any downtown day.

The park was the idea of Billy Payne, the leader of Atlanta's Olympic bid, who wanted a gathering place for visitors during the Games and a legacy afterward. During the Olympics it was the main public celebration space, with concerts and sponsor pavilions, and it was here, on July 27, 1996, that a pipe bomb exploded during a concert, killing one person and injuring more than a hundred; a cameraman also died of a heart attack. The park reopened days later and the Games continued. Today the state agency that runs the Georgia World Congress Center manages the park, and it hosts concerts, festivals and holiday events through the year.

The park is easy to enjoy in short bursts. Plan to be at the Fountain of Rings for a scheduled show — check the times posted at the park — and bring a change of clothes for small children in summer, because they will end up in the water. The visitor information center, open in the daytime, has maps, restrooms and staff who can help with directions and tickets. The lawns are good for a picnic between attractions, and the park offers fine views of the skyline in the evening. Hours can change when events are on, and some areas may be fenced off for concerts or festivals.

In 2026 the area around the park was transformed for the FIFA World Cup, when Atlanta hosted eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including a semifinal. The former CNN Center across Marietta Street has been reborn as The Center, with a new food hall that opened in May 2026; CNN's old studio tours no longer exist. The park is a short walk from the Peachtree Center and Civic Center MARTA stations and is served by the Atlanta Streetcar. Use it as the hub of a downtown day: aquarium or World of Coca-Cola in the morning, a fountain show at lunch, the Civil and Human Rights center or the Hall of Fame in the afternoon.