Travel With The Thayers: #71 Centennial Olympic Park

#71 Centennial Olympic Park

One our walk back to the parking garage we detoured to take in Centennial Olympic Park a lasting legacy of Georgia’s 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Where the bricked walkways cross cement pads are etched with the different sports of the Olympics.

The College Football Hall of Fame looks at the park.

The main entrance to the park cites this is the 100^th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games.

I liked this sign! To enforce the law a security person patrols in a golf cart.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s statue commemorates his part in creating the modern Olympics.

Water flows through the park in a variety of ways.

Several of these torch-like structures surround the flag pavilion.

Flags fly from the participating nations. Not all 197 though.

The iconic Fountain of Rings with its delightful water jets form a focal point within the square of flags. Here Jay is testing the water of the Fountain of Rings.

Across the street from the park, The Skyview Atlanta Ferris wheel stands ready for the holiday.

The electric trolley system went into service Dec. 2014

The quilt patterns originated from the Southern Tradition of quilt making. An American art form from many different parts of the world expressing unity and diversity. They also carry memories and history of what was to the present. The gardens divide into 5 quilt sections.

Leaves decorate the gates to remind us that Atlanta is the most heavily forested urban area in the nation. The leaves of the laurel wreath stand for victory.

Water features weave through the quilt sections of the park cascading from one to another.

1 The Quilt of Dreams celebrates the work of Billy Payne and the committee of nine to bring the games to Atlanta.

2 The Quilt of Remembrance honors the 111 people injured in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing.

The Quilt of Origins shows the progression of the original Greek Olympians to modern day. Part of this sculpture includes metal damaged by the bomb.

The Quilt of the Olympic Spirit salutes the 10,000 athletes in the 1996 games

Quilt of Nations honors the 197 nations who participated in the 1996 games. The ranks as the largest number of participating countries in the history of the games. All of the Olympic events are featured on several commemorative blocks of Granite. The names of all Gold, Silver and Bronze metal winners appear on the four-sided stones.

The flags around Centennial Park each advertise a different genre of adventure available in Atlanta like colleges, arenas and concert venues, Coke Cola and the College Football Hall of Fame.

The road home led through a large, heavily treed parkway. Some lovely homes lined each side of the parkway, most are hidden behind vegetation. These two were visible from the street.