Parks & Outdoors

Barbie Beach is undoubtedly Turin’s strangest and most unexpected roadside attraction. Naked Barbie and Ken dolls have been lounging around in a 6-foot-by-4-foot stretch of sand for more than 15 years. They’re arranged in an ever-changing display that matches various current events, like the Final Four playoffs, the Olympics and even a royal wedding.

Brown’s Mill Battlefield Historic Site opened in July 2013 and includes nearly 200 acres of walking trails, 6 miles of mountain bike trails, and interpretive signs that tell the story of the battle through personal accounts and military history.

This outdoor facility has nine soccer fields, a playground, a pavilion and restrooms.

Georgia’s second-newest state park is also one of the largest. Encompassing nearly 3,000 acres, it features hiking trails, boat/kayak ramps, camping sites, cabins and playgrounds.

The newest (and largest) skatepark-pump track combination in Georgia opened in late summer 2021. This regional facility is home to over 30,000 square feet of rideable terrain – complemented by playgrounds, restrooms, a splash park and a variety of other amenities.

A direct result of the dedicated advocacy by a handful of local youth, parents and community leaders, the park features an expansive street/plaza section, competition-level bowl, various obstacle and transition elements, and one of the Nation’s few integrated, site-built concrete pump tracks.

Dunaway Gardens opened originally in 1934 as a theatrical training ground for some of the country’s most beloved stage performances. Home, for a time, to Minnie Pearl and frequented during the 1930s and 40s by a cast of colorful visitors, fans and friends, including Walt Disney, Dunaway grew to become a local treasure.

Restored in the summer of 2000, Dunaway Gardens is now described as one of the South’s largest natural rock and floral gardens. Boasting unsurpassed beauty throughout the seasons, the grounds feature spring-fed pools, stone waterfalls, and extensive hand-laid rock paths, walls, and staircases throughout. While the gardens are currently undergoing construction, they will soon reopen to the public. See the website for exciting announcements.

Geocaching is a high-tech outdoor treasure-hunting game played with a GPS-capable device. Locate hidden containers called “caches,” trade items of equal or greater value found in some larger caches and then sign the logbook before sharing your experience online. After obtaining coordinates and hints from www.geocaching.com, you can begin your search. Download the free app. Nearly all Coweta County parks and recreation facilities contain caches; visit the website link for the full list.

These parks currently have geocaches hidden in them:

Andrew Bailey Park – 1011 Andrew Bailey Rd, Sharpsburg

Brown’s Mill Battlefiend – 155 Millard Farmer Rd, Newnan

Central Park – 172 Robinson Lake Rd, Newnan

Grantville Park – 23 Colley St, Grantville

Hunter Complex – 2970 E Hwy 16, Sharpsburg

Madras Park – 2355 Hwy 29 N, Newnan

Leroy Johnson Park – 6646 E Hwy 16, Senoia

Temple Avenue Complex – 39 Hospital Rd, Newnan

Welcome Park – 1792 Welcome Rd, Newnan

Grantville Park’s main draw is its four baseball fields.

Hunter Complex offers a gymnasium with one classroom, two tennis courts, three football fields, four youth baseball/softball fields, two adult softball fields, an ADA baseball field, a pavilion, a playground, walking trail and an 18-hole, professionally-designed, disc golf course (COMING SOON!)