The Olmsted Network is heading down south on April 4-6, and you’re invited to join in on the food, fun and educational festivities. The itinerary for Pop-Up Atlanta is as follows: 

On Friday, April 4, the trip will kick off with dinner at Mary Mac’s Tea Room. Known as Atlanta’s Dining Room, Mary Mac’s has famously served up classic Southern cooking and hospitality since 1945. Dinner will include a buffet of Southern staples, a presentation on Atlanta’s Olmsted heritage and the chance to mingle with like-minded Olmsted fans from across the country. (Dinner-only tickets are available for $50 each.) 

On Saturday morning, April 5, the group will see firsthand how Atlanta continues to champion Olmsted’s vision of “parks for all people” through projects like the Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile railroad corridor that has been redeveloped into a series of parks and trails. Together, the group will walk the vibrant Eastside Trail, from Ponce City Market to Krog Street Market, and learn about its design and construction from Kevin W. Burke, FASLA. As Director of Design for Atlanta Beltline, Inc., Burke brings over 40 years of experience as a landscape architect and 17 years of experience with the innovative project.

After exploring Krog Street Market, the group will head to Druid Hills— Frederick Law Olmsted’s last suburb— for a tour of Olmsted Linear Park with Olmsted’s Linear Park (Arcadia Publishing, 2022) authors Jennifer J. Richardson and Spencer Tunnell II. Sandy Kruger, the executive director of Olmsted Linear Park Conservancy, will tag along to answer questions about ongoing park efforts and the successful fight to save the neighborhood from a freeway in the 1990s. Our final stop on the tour will be the park’s annual Spring Festival on Ponce.

After sampling the festival food trucks and snapping a photo with Big Head Fred, the group will be swept off on a tour of Grant Park with Grant Park Conservancy and the LP Grant Mansion with the Atlanta Preservation Center. The day will end with dinner and shopping at Ponce City Market.

Finally, on Sunday, April 6, Piedmont Park— with its stunning views of the Midtown skyline— will mark the last tour on our whirlwind trip. Expert guides will walk us around the lake and through the Meadow, highlighting the park’s community gardens, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and much more. 

View of Atlanta skyline over Piedmont Park. Credit: Susanne Neumann, Getty Images

The Olmsted Network is a LA CES™ approved provider, and this course has been approved for 5 PDH, LA CES/HSW. Attendees will be responsible for completing a learning outcomes survey in order to receive credit and a certificate.

Tickets for the full event are $325 and include dinner at Mary Mac’s, transportation all day on Saturday and five expert-led tours. Registration closes on March 21. Space is limited to 25, though, so please secure your spot soon. For questions, email info@olmsted.org. 

Register Now!