Peachtree Corners is a northern suburb of Atlanta, Georgia’s state capital. Taking the form of a rough arc, it is bounded to the north and west by the park lands that envelop the Chattahoochee River.
Atlanta’s only planned suburb, Peachtree Corners has been rated as one of the best places to live in Georgia. This is largely thanks to its affluent ambiance and proximity to a huge number of things to do, including in nearby Atlanta itself.
European settlement was some of the earliest in the area, and a school was already holding classes in 1827. It remained largely rural until the 1960s, and didn’t become a separate city until 2012.
Here are the 15 best things to do in and around Peachtree Corners Georgia.
1. Jones Bridge Park
Named after a partially-lost bridge built in 1904 that crossed the Chattahoochee River, Jones Bridge Park spans slightly more than 12 hectares.
Within it, there is a picnic pavilion and fishing zone over the river. However, the park’s best feature is probably its riverside location. The gentle sound of flowing water and mature tree cover makes for a lovely space to enjoy the great outdoors.
The park is also the trail head for the five-mile Jones Bridge Park hiking trail, which loops around the local area.
Best completed in the cool of the early morning, deer are a common sight on the path, alongside the splash of the many game fish that inhabit the river waters.
2. Veterans Monument
Unveiled to the public in the summer of 2019, Peachtree Corner’s Veterans Monument can be found in the city center of Town Green.
It consists of a 750 square metre public space backed by seven bronze sculptures raised on stone pedestals.
The central sculpture is an American eagle resting on top of a globe, to symbolize the actions of the US military across the world.
To either side of it are six life-sized figures that represent each part of the US military and reserve forces.
A thoughtful place to consider the US’ place in the world, the bricks and benches are engraved with the names of military personnel and the battles they took part in.
Two interactive terminals provide more detail on each of the monument’s components.
3. R Alexander Fine Art and Sculpture Garden
This large gallery space gathers together one of the biggest art collections in the southeast of the United States.
It hangs with paintings, and is dotted with sculpture, from both established and up-and-coming artists from the US and abroad, including several Atlanta-based artists.
Beyond the gallery itself, the center has a one-hectare sculpture garden. Its diverse range of all-weather artworks are placed for maximum impact amid hundreds of hostas, multiple rare conifers, azaleas, camellias, and maples, all offering year-round color.
4. Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center
The historic Autrey Mill site, now preserved for future generations, is found within several hectares of woodland in Johns Creek, just ten minutes north of Peachtree Corners.
The best way to explore is by joining the 2 mile boardwalk that provides a clear path through landscapes that take in wetlands and Sal’s Creek.
It was the damming of the creek that powered the mill, a grist mill whose grinding stones were used to create flour from maize.
The site also includes the Summerour House, a Victorian-style farmhouse from the 1880s, and over 100 species of flora and fauna.
5. Nitro Zone
This indoor adventure centre contains a range of activities that will keep your entire group of family members or friends happy.
For a traditional American experience its difficult to argue against the bowling alley. Around it, you’ll find arcade-style games, with prizes to be had for the very best players.
Adrenaline fans will want to head to the indoor go-kart track, while those who like to test their skill and strength should instead check out the 3-in-1 action zone.
This consists of a junior and adult ninja warrior course, as well as a world-record holding three-story net maze. However, should all this sound too energetic, Nitro Zone also includes a sports bar.
6. Lake Lanier
Around 45 minutes northeast of Peachtree Corners is Lake Sydney Lanier, named after the nineteenth-century Georgia poet.
Its impressive shoreline is a series of finger-like inlets that create miles of attractive lakeside, including long stretches of white sand.
Attractions are not limited to solid ground however, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy all the waters have to offer, from boat trips to kayak expeditions.
Many of the 7.5 million people who visit the lake each year head to its islands. Actually the tops of hills flooded when the lake was formed in the 1950s, they have become one of Georgia’s leading resorts.
7. Rivermont Golf Club
Officially located in Johns Creek alongside the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center, Rivermont Golf Club is just across the Chattahoochee from Peachtree Corners.
However, its proximity to the city is not the only reason to plan a round of golf here. The course welcomes both scratch players and those with single-digit handicaps.
Further, Rivermont Golf Club is highly rated within the Georgia golfing scene, and has hosted a number of prestigious championships, including those run by the Southern Golf Association of America.
8. Southeastern Railway Museum
You don’t have to be a railway obsessive to enjoy a trip to the Southeastern Railway Museum.
Founded in 1970, the museum displays almost 100 pieces of rail stock and engineering over its 12-hectare site.
As Georgia’s official transport museum, it also has a growing collection of items and vehicles from other forms of historic transportation.
Displays include the restored Duluth passenger depot, dating to 1871, steam engines, and Pullman passenger cars.
In addition, visitors are able to journey on a restored caboose (engine car) on tracks running across the open-air site.
The museum is located roughly ten minutes from Peachtree Corners in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth.
9. Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum
If you’re not visiting Peachtree Corners from Atlanta, be sure to make time to visit Georgia’s state capital. It has an exceptional collection of attractions, not least Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum.
The main attraction here is of course its cyclorama, a massive panoramic painting that depicts the Battle of Atlanta during the American Civil War.
It has stood in the city since 1891, and slowly rotates so that seated audience members can enjoy the entire scene.
The attached museum includes a range of important artifacts from the Atlanta Campaign, from buttons and weaponry to the Texas, a train famous in Georgia for its role in the Great Locomotive Chase.
Atlanta is just 33 km south of Peachtree Corners.
10. Sky Zone Trampoline Park
Sky Zone Trampoline Park makes for an alternative indoor activity park to Nitro Zone. Focusing specifically on physical activity rather than electronic or motorized games, it is a trampoline park for big and little kids.
Like Nitro Zone, there’s a ninja warrior course on which to test your strength. But there’s also the Foam Zone, where you can try larger-scale acrobatics without fearing the landing.
When it comes to trampolines, Sky Zone includes a dedicated trampoline dodgeball court, as well as the Freestyle Jump zone that has a floor covered in the flexible material and walls padded with mats just in case.
Sky Zone is located to the west of Peachtree Corners, in Roswell, around 15 minutes away by road.
11. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Johns Bridge Park is not the only place to enjoy the natural splendor of the Chattahoochee River from Peachtree Corners.
Its national recreation area covers 15 individual ‘units’ located at some of the river’s most picturesque areas, along 77 km of the river from Lake Lanier to Atlanta.
One of the largest units is Cochran Shoals park, with easy access to the riverside thanks to a multi-use trail.
Alternatively, Island Ford between Sandy Springs and Roswell plays host to the recreation area’s headquarters. Visitors will find an informative visitor center here, roughly 20 minutes from Peachtree Corners.
12. Millennium Gate Museum
This is one of Atlanta’s more unusual attractions. It is located in the city’s Midtown, right in the middle of 17th Street in the Atlanta Station district.
Resembling the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and based on Rome’s Arch of Titus, the gateway contains a museum which aims to celebrate peaceful achievements over the last 2,000 years of human endeavor.
The 1,000 square metre gallery space is divided by century. It begins with native American history and ends with interactive exhibits showing how Atlanta has changed during its existence.
13. Stone Mountain Park
Escape the city by heading to Stone Mountain Park, the site of an isolated protrusion of natural rock with an unusually rounded shape.
It is surrounded by an area full of unspoiled natural beauty, with a summit that tops out at just over 500 metres above sea level. The summit can be reached on foot, or by aerial tram (cable car).
The main allure for many visitors, however, is not the chance to summit this mountain, but to see the largest bas-relief artwork in the world, which has been carved into its north face.
It depicts the three most important Confederate leaders, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E Lee, and Jefferson Davis.
As a result, the mountain is one of the most visited destinations in the entire state of Georgia. It is 34 km south by road from Peachtree Corners.
14. High Museum of Art
Another must-see Atlanta attraction is the High Museum of Art. Located in the Midtown arts district, it has a collection that goes back more than one hundred years.
Now boasting a gallery space of 29,000 square metres, the collection resides in buildings designed by Renzo Piano (famed for London’s The Shard) and Richard Meier.
It includes internationally-recognized works of art, including Rodin’s sculpture The Shade.
In total, the museum looks after 17,000 works of art. In addition to works by Monet and Singer Sargent, are important pieces of African tribal art, contemporary art, and photography.
15. Painted Horse Winery and Vineyard
As well as plenty of museums and natural wonders, Peachtree Corners and its surrounding region is also gaining a name for itself when it comes to food and drink.
You’ll find several small craft breweries in the area, but we’ve decided instead to concentrate on the Painted Horse Winery and Vineyard, 20 minutes north of Peachtree Corners on Pamelot Farm.
Too small to ever become a mass producer you might find in a supermarket or grocery store, the vineyard’s wine master has instead focused his attention on handcrafted wines.
Head here, and you’ll be able to sample the result in the tasting room, with wines made from grape varieties including Chardonnay and Malbec on offer.