City: Atlanta, GA

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (770) 860-4190

Address: 1996 Centennial Olympic Pkwy.

Description: The 1,400-acre Georgia International Horse Park celebrated its grand opening on Labor Day weekend in 1995. During the Olympic Games, the park (about 30 minutes east of Atlanta off I-20) was the venue for equestrian events, mountain bike competitions, and the two final events of the modern pentathlon. The park includes a 165-acre nature center; an 18-hole Arnold Palmer golf course and driving range; a 200-room hotel; a 205-acre, pedestrian-friendly, traditional neighborhood; a steeplechase course; and a covered arena with seating for 2,000 spectators. The park’s central feature is the open Grand Prix stadium. Permanent seating for 8,000 in an outdoor amphitheater offers excellent sight lines for competitions held on a sand floor. There are also 14 outdoor sand arenas for warm-up and other competitions; a 2,200-seat covered arena for rodeos, dressage, and hunter/ jumper shows; and 12 miles of roads and tracks for cross-country events. The Horse Park’s mountain biking trail is the only Olympic course in the world for this sport and features 1,032 feet of elevation change over 8 miles of track. Additionally, the park manages the new Cherokee Run Golf Course designed by Arnold Palmer. This par 72, 7,000-yard course traverses wetlands, granite outcroppings, and rolling hills.