Students head to nearby parks for cheap summer fun

Summer term has arrived. For Tech students, that means a shortened semester with longer class periods, followed by free time to enjoy Atlanta's green spaces.

Nearby Centennial Olympic Park and Piedmont Park each offer facilities and events beyond the Tech campus. Better yet, most of their offerings are free, which should be a relief to perennially cash-strapped students.

Piedmont

Nestled in the houses and shops of midtown, Piedmont Park has served as Atlanta's backyard for nearly 103 years. South of Clara Meer, Oak Hill and the Meadow are excellent for jogging, touch football, ultimate frisbee or just laying in the sun. To the north lay playgrounds, the tennis center, a dog park, the swimming center and various administrative facilities.

With the aid of numerous sponsors, Piedmont Park will be presenting its Screen on the Green festival through the end of June. Each Thursday at sunset, a classic movie will be shown on a massive screen. A different local band will open each showing.

"[It's] a great excuse to get outside and curl up with your special someone," said Robert Allen, a fourth-year Industrial Systems and Engineering major.

99X and the Park Tavern will be presenting Unplugged in the Park, a series of Sunday night concerts free to those who are 21 and older.

Dana Wolski, a fourth-year Industrial Systems and Engineering major, offered some thoughts on this event. "The music is good, but it's [unfair] that they don't serve dollar drafts when it rains during a show," Wolski said.

Adjacent to the north edge of Piedmont Park is the Atlanta Botanical Garden, where people can explore the garden's extensive indoor and outdoor plant collections. The special exhibits section currently feature carnivorous Asian pitcher plants.

While summer is a great time to enjoy the park, some of the biggest events will take place a little later. Piedmont Park will host a benefit concert Sept. 8. The Dave Matthews Band will headline the event, with the Allman Brothers Band opening.

Centennial

A few blocks down Techwood Drive is Centennial Olympic Park, which has fun offerings as well.

The Fountain of Rings, Centennial's trademark feature, has been improved over the winter. The fountain is programmed to run in conjunction with a variety of songs, which vary between shows. The shows run four times a day, at 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. "I love to cool down in the fountain when I get a chance," said Meg Smith, a third-year Biology and Chemistry double major.

Centennial Park has two free music series this summer, Music@Noon and the Wednesday WindDown. Music@Noon is a series of free concerts from noon to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday through October. Wednesday WindDown concerts take place between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. every Wednesday.