Beneath the 2015 incarnation of this bohemian neighborhood lies a storied past. What is now Flat Shoals Avenue—home to craft-beer bars, intimate music venues, and inventive restaurants—used to be the Sandtown Trail, a Creek Indian trading route. And where now Craftsman bungalows dot the residential streets, cannons and rifles once roared among the old-growth oaks during the Battle of Atlanta. Situated three miles east of downtown, East Atlanta melds the historic and the contemporary with a dose of independent-minded swagger, appealing equally to the weekend party crowd, 30-something professionals, families with kids, and long-time residents who still tend their gardens and water their lawns, watching the ebbs and flows of the diverse and dynamic neighborhood they all call home.
Atlanta is a city set amongst the Southern wild, and on a stroll through Brownwood Park, you would have little idea you were in the Southeast’s largest metropolis. The park’s southern half—from Pendleton Street down to Ormewood Ave—follows Intrenchment Creek through a quiet, high-canopied forest. The shaded, wood-chip lined path is popular among dog walkers and couples seeking a bit of seclusion from the city’s bustle. The park’s northern half focuses on community recreation. Here you’ll find basketball and tennis courts, a playground, a picnic pavilion, the headquarters of the East Atlanta Kids Club, and the idyllic community garden.
