Those seeking a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the city should visit Atlanta's Fernbank Forest. This 65 acre tract of mature mixed hardwoods is the largest old growth urban Piedmont forest in the U.S. Located in the eastern part of Atlanta, Fernbank Forest is just a small remnant of the kind of beautiful unspoiled woodland that once covered the Southeast's Piedmont region.
Most of the city's original vegetation was destroyed first by farming and later by urban development. This forest still looks the same way it did hundreds of years ago. Some exceptionally large specimen trees have been preserved in Fernbank Forest. There are mature yellow (tulip) poplars and white oaks that are more than 150 feet tall. Visitors will also see large red maples, hickories, black oaks, southern red oaks, and American beech trees. A few tall loblolly pines are also mixed in. Smaller trees making up the understory include flowering dogwoods, sourwoods, eastern redbuds, and magnolias. Ferns line the banks of the small creek that runs through the property. The trees are labeled so that visitors can easily identify them.
Visitors can see a variety of wildlife that makes this forest habitat home. Wandering along the 1.5 miles of paved trails, they may see squirrels, chipmunks, box turtles, and the occasional snake. Birds that are often seen include blue jays, woodpeckers, and crows. Fernbank Forest is a MAPS program site (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship). This program monitors the ecosystems of different bird species. A small creek runs through the woods, and there is a pond on the property. A watershed exhibit is located adjacent to the pond.
Fernbank Forest is owned by Fernbank Inc., the same non-profit organization that owns the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. For the past 48 years the forest has been leased to the Fernbank Science Center, which is run by the DeKalb County School System. At the time the lease began there was no Fernbank Museum. In 2012 the lease will end and control of the property will revert back to Fernbank Inc. The Science Center has been a good steward of the forest and has allowed the surrounding neighborhood to access the property. Fernbank Inc. plans to continue the educational programs that the Science Center initiated.
The access path to the forest is located behind the Fernbank Science Center, at 165 Heaton Park Drive. The gates are open Monday-Friday from 2-5pm and Saturdays from 10am-5pm. It is closed on Sundays. Admission is free. Visitors may also want to check out the exhibits at the Fernbank Science Center. There is no entrance fee for the Science Center, but there is a small charge for the planetarium shows.
DeShawn Clayton is the General Manager for Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Airport Hotel (North). This Atlanta Airport hotel is located only 1 mile north of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and provides complimentary Atlanta airport hotel shuttle service. Guests will truly love this Atlanta airport hotel's amenities and their location.
For more information visit: http://www.atlanta-airport-hotel.com/
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