For an uplifting experience in nature that doesn’t require much driving (but benefits from clear winter skies), head to Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, where you’ll find the relatively unsung, lunar-like, prehistoric sibling to Stone Mountain, just south of Interstate 20 in Lithonia. 

Explore a wandering PATH trail or hike up two granite outcrops that are moderate compared to that famous other rock. This rolling landscape took 400 million years to form, and it’s a quick, idyllic getaway for experiencing winter’s beauty. On a clear day, you’ll spot Atlanta sky-rises in the distance. (Pro tip: A good place to begin is the nature center, 3787 Klondike Road.)

As the city’s backyard, occasional sledding paradise, and one of America’s great urban green spaces, Piedmont Park offers intown dwellers and visitors a place to stretch their legs, enjoy the great outdoors, and be social—for free. A favorite Atlanta pastime during all seasons includes grabbing a blanket, beverages, and soaking up the vibes in the South’s version of Central Park. No better time for all of this than temperate winter days.

Located in centralized Midtown and tied to a range of neighborhoods by the Beltline, the park and adjoining Atlanta Botanical Garden are a breath of fresh air among the hustle and high-rises of the city.

A year-round destination, Stone Mountain Park is especially enjoyable in winter’s climate. Through February 23, grab a snow tube and hit Snow Mountain, a winter wonderland that takes over the park’s Memorial Lawn. Once the manufactured snow melts—or even while it remains—you can enjoy hiking up the mountain, experience the park attractions or hit the links at the park’s two golf courses. All year long, there’s no shortage of entertainment available at the park.

Parking ($20) is required for entrance to Stone Mountain Park. Attraction tickets are available in specific ticket packages, starting at $31.95.

Home to dinosaurs, a Star Gallery (featuring a variety of constellations, from Orion to the Big Dipper), and a theater with a four-story screen and 3D capabilities, Fernbank is Atlanta’s premier destination for science and history lovers. It’s also an enchanting place for a winter’s walk in the woods.

With eclectic events, including a tour of the adjacent old-growth forest and “Fernbank After Dark,” which couples liquor and learning, there’s plenty to do for children and adults.

The final resting place of many famous Georgians, Oakland Cemetery was founded in 1850 and offers plenty of history and stoic beauty. Encompassing 150 acres just east of downtown, the cemetery boasts fantastic views of the city’s skyline from among the shadows of numerous large oaks and magnolias.

Tours and events abound all year, and winter is a great time to check them out without the crowds. Check the calendar, and choose one for your visit.

Wanna feel like you’re in North Georgia wilds without leaving the urban confines of ITP ATL? Head here to enjoy a mild winter’s day. The rolling, residential terrain of Southwest Atlanta yields a surprising natural treasure that spans 120 acres on Cascade Road and is dotted with remnants of Civil War battles (plus a historic springhouse and climbable waterfall). 

Not far from downtown, the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve Trail might be ITP’s most tranquil running and hiking destination, with three trail options and plenty of terrific vantages for a clear winter day. Onsite parking is available.

For Buckhead dwellers pining to enjoy a multi-use trail without venturing southward, look no further than PATH400. Winter explorers will soon be able to tackle a new section that connects Miami Circle to Peachtree Park.

The first phase, connecting Old Ivy Road to Tower Place, opened in early 2015, and the network is far beyond half-complete already. Once finished, this 5.2-mile spine will connect to the Beltline’s Peachtree Creek spur trail and beyond, offering a 10- to 14-foot-wide multi-use path for cyclists, skaters, walkers, and runners.

Less a singular thing to see, and more a chance to people-watch and walk between some of Atlanta’s great sights and most quintessential ’hoods, the Beltline continues to grow from a big idea to one of the most transformative urban initiatives in the country.

The Beltline pulses with activity all winter long, with everything from fitness and art happenings to bus tours and more. Visitors might want to catch it at the southeastern edge of Piedmont Park and explore points south.

Located in Atlanta’s oldest public green space, Grant Park, recently expanded Zoo Atlanta is a longtime favorite of Atlanta residents and visitors. It’s also home to pandas and many other cute creatures who look forward to visitors on warm, sunny winter days.

What beats a winter hike along the banks of the ’hooch? Not much. The Chattahoochee River, along the northern and western borders of the City of Atlanta, offers an array of options for whiling away a warm winter day—even if it means skipping the getting wet part.

The National Recreation Area, which includes the gorgeous East Palisades, features a range of options for hiking, kayaking and canoeing, and fishing. It’s an inexpensive, restorative way to soak in nature close to home.

More than just a storage facility for artifacts, the Atlanta History Center’s 33-acre Buckhead grounds feature a museum, library, research center, and range of historic structures, including the amazingly ornate Swan House and plenty of trails to enjoy cooler weather.

A great place to learn about the history of the city and its citizens, the facility also is home to the fully restored panoramic cyclorama painting and the historic Texas locomotive.

Missing your college football fix? Atlanta is the country’s amateur pigskin mecca, and the College Football Hall of Fame just might be the nucleus.

Located across Centennial Olympic Park from the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and Center for Civil and Human Rights, the facility is part museum and part fan-experience zone. With an indoor football field, visitors can play out their QB (and field-goal kicker) fantasies.

Just a fraction of the greater Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown, the High Museum is the premier art facility in the Southeast. The world-class museum features an extensive permanent collection and plays host to an array of traveling exhibitions from around the globe. What’s more, the collections are housed in two remarkable buildings designed by architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano.

Not as family (or cost) friendly as many activities on the list, the exhilarating Porsche Experience Center is tailored to those of driving age and older. For visitors willing to pony up some serious cash ($350 and up for 90 minutes, which is plenty of time, given the workout-like exertion required), the Experience Center offers Porsche enthusiasts and bucket-listers the chance to run the company’s iconic sports cars around a test track at breakneck speeds.

For fans of artfully displayed aquatic life, the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere (damn you, Singapore!) is a soothing respite from truly cold winter days. What’s more, an ongoing expansion project will bring back an emphasis on large toothy sharks. Tip: Buy tickets online beforehand. And unless you enjoy that sardines-in-a-tin sensation, avoid visiting on holiday weekends.

Encompassing the blocks in Sweet Auburn where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, grew up, preached, and is buried, the National Historic Site is a fitting monument to Atlanta’s most legendary civil rights leader. With opportunities to tour his birthplace and see just some of his many works, the compound is a must for visitors and locals alike.

Designed by Phil Freelon, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a prominent feature in the cultural district surrounding Centennial Olympic Park. Architecturally stunning on its own, the museum houses comprehensive, educational, and thought-provoking exhibits and artifacts. It’s a much headier visit than the fish tank and soda shrine next door.

Still a newcomer to the Atlanta sports scene, the stadium on the western edge of downtown is home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United—the MLS champions whose rabid local fanbase has smashed attendance records since inception. But for those who don’t love football, soccer, or live music (or who scoff at paying big bucks for the tickets), a cheaper guided tour is well worth the time.

Built in 1856, the Lemuel P. Grant Mansion is one of only two surviving antebellum homes in Atlanta. (Thanks, Sherman!) Constructed as a three-story Italianate mansion for Grant—a railroad magnate and philanthropist in early Atlanta—the mansion survived the Civil War, numerous fires, and a lot of neglect.

The site of golf legend Bobby Jones’s birth, the home now serves as the headquarters of the Atlanta Preservation Center. A phenomenal resource for all things yesteryear Atlanta, it breathes history.

Adjacent to the Beltline’s Eastside Trail, Historic Fourth Ward Park offers 17 acres of green space, a playground, skatepark, an outdoor theater, and beautiful two-acre water feature—all perfect for a stroll any day of the year.