Outdoors
Refuges, lakes and wild areas near Marietta for wildlife viewing and birdwatching.
Good to know: Early mornings and evenings are best for wildlife; bring binoculars and keep a respectful distance.
3 mi west · National Park Service
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,965 acre National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. Opposing forces maneuvered and fought here from June 19, 1864 until July 2, 1864.
12 mi north · US Army Corps of Engineers
Payne Campground sits on the banks of Allatoona Lake, providing visitors with a variety of water activities in the green rolling hills of Georgia.
15 mi east · National Park Service
Today the river valley attracts us for so many reasons. Take a solitary walk to enjoy nature’s display, raft leisurely through the rocky shoals with friends, fish the misty waters as the sun comes up, or have a picnic on a Sunday…
Map of 22 places loads as you scroll.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,965 acre National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. Opposing forces maneuvered and fought here from June 19, 1864 until July 2, 1864.
Payne Campground sits on the banks of Allatoona Lake, providing visitors with a variety of water activities in the green rolling hills of Georgia.
Today the river valley attracts us for so many reasons. Take a solitary walk to enjoy nature’s display, raft leisurely through the rocky shoals with friends, fish the misty waters as the sun comes up, or have a picnic on a Sunday…
Riverside Park Day Use Area is situated along the Etowah River, a tributary of the Coosa River. This Day Use Area is downstream of the dam which impounds Allatoona Lake.
Allatoona Lake is one of the most frequently visited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes in the nation.
Nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains lies Lake Sidney Lanier, one of America?s favorite lakes. Over 7.5 million people a year choose to visit Lanier.
For millions of years, granite monadnocks have stood watch over the rivers and forests of Georgia.
Carters Lake Project is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. Carters Lake is one of the most scenic lakes in the Southeast.
Little River is unique because it flows for most of its length atop Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama.
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939 as a "combination wildlife and game-management demonstration area" to demonstrate that wildlife could be restored on worn out, eroded lands. Today, through the efforts of the U.S.
Fishing is probably the most popular activity on West Point Lake. A dozen creeks and more than 40 square miles of lake provide plenty of good fishing spots for the thousands of anglers who fish here regularly.
to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. This park is a prehistoric American Indian site, where many different American Indian cultures occupied this land for thousands of years.
Hartwell Lake is one of the most popular Corps lakes in the nation. Built by the U.S.
Russell Cave National Monument is an archeological site with one of the most complete records of prehistoric cultures in the Southeast.
Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge, known as Blowing Wind Cave NWR until 1999, lies just above the Sauty Creek embayment of TVA’s Guntersville Reservoir, seven miles west of Scottsboro, Jackson County, Alabama.
"Ole Dan Tucker was a grand ole man; He washed his face in a fryin' pan; Combed his hair with a wagon wheel; Died with a tooth ache in his heel!" During the 1700's, this famous folk song was sung by slaves in praise of the Reverend Dan…
Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1981, consists of 199 acres of forested hillside underlain by a massive cave with many stalactite and stalagmite-filled rooms.
Nearly 13,000 men died on these grounds, a site that became infamous even before the Civil War ended. Their burial grounds became Andersonville National Cemetery, where veterans continue to be buried today.
Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Few U.S. Presidents have had such close ties with where they were born and raised.
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Marietta. Listings come from Recreation.gov’s federal recreation database; check each official page for hours, fees, fire restrictions and closures before you go.
THINGS TO DO · YOUTUBE SHORT
A brief look inside the Gone With the Wind museum at historic Brumby Hall. A Short shared by 4K Walk with Anna.
Watch on YouTube ↗
THINGS TO DO · YOUTUBE SHORT
A stroll around the shops, murals and park at Marietta Square. A Short shared by Moving to Atlanta.
Watch on YouTube ↗Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (National Park Service), about 3 miles west of Marietta as the crow flies. Next are Payne Campground-Allatoona Lake (12 mi) and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (15 mi).
Federal agencies including National Park Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service. Each listing links to its official page for hours, fees, closures and current conditions.