Walking off the turkey…and the pie…and the cranberry sauce…and the other pie…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you’re anything like me, there are a few things that are certain about your weekend:

A lot of food mysteriously disappeared from your kitchen around the same time someone shrunk all of your pants. How did that happen?
Rather than busting it through all the Black Friday sales, you spent Friday blissfully unconscious in a series of naps with a note taped to your face: “If you attempt to wake me or otherwise ruin this glorious day off by asking me to be productive, bad things will happen. Back away slowly. You were never here.”
The Sunday night blues set in as you realized that in a few short hours it would be Monday and this year’s Thanksgiving would soon be no more than a memory.

A good way to shake things up and get going again is to get outside! Get some fresh air! Bask in the splendor of nature! If you live in Atlanta, you can spend that time simultaneously basking and wondering, “How on earth is it still so WARM? I’m Christmas shopping in shorts and flip-flops!” You can also take advantage of all the great scenic and historical walks and trails in the metro area.

Don’t know where to start? We’ll make it easy for you with the recently published fourth edition of Ren and Helen Davis’s fabulous book Atlanta Walks. It has something for everyone, including me, the self-proclaimed “indoor” enthusiast. Getting out and hiking has never been my first choice when looking for an activity (I’m typically game for anything that involves sitting down) but I found some great trails for beginners like me and thought I’d give it a go:

Marietta Square is pretty close to where I live and has a lot to offer—the historical markers are really interesting, the Strand presents great plays (I saw a production of “Hairspray” there last year!) and the shops and restaurants have something for everyone. Every weekend there is a farmers market and every now and then there are concerts in the square as well!

The following photos are courtesy of the Marietta tourism website (when I went, the weather wasn’t nearly as nice):

Image from Marietta.com

I always have a fun time when I go to Marietta Square. There’s a lot of history to take in and it’s a beautiful place to spend an afternoon, even if it’s rainy! I found a spot near the square (a lot of the parking is metered, but you can also find parking lots around the area and walk to the square) and walked along the sidewalks, window shopping and getting ideas for Christmas gifts. After a while, I met some friends for lunch at the Marietta Pizza Company—yum! It was a great day, despite the weather, and I can’t wait to go back soon!

Atlanta Walks includes maps of trails for everyone from novice walkers and families with children to the experienced hiker looking for new ground to cover. Most of the walks are located within the Atlanta perimeter, but there are many in the surrounding suburbs as well (Marietta is covered in chapter26!). Each walk includes: