Dudley Park — Attraction in Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

Part of the Athens Greenway, Dudley Park is a deceptively simple little park along the North Oconee River a mere 0.4 miles from downtown.

HISTORY: This was the site of both a 19th century mill and a railroad, and the park is just across the street from a former Confederate armory. Lots of signs with high production value explain in detail. The stanchions of the former railroad loom out of the river like ruins in the Lord of the Rings films. This park is also home to the famous R.E.M. trestle from the cover of their Murmur album. DO NOT GO OUT ON THE TRESTLE. Someone falls off of it and dies every couple of years; their ghosts haunt the park, of course.

WALKING/JOGGING/SKATEBOARDING: A nice blacktop trail (about 0.6 miles) encircles the park. There are also short trails through the woods (ideal during the brutal Georgia summer!).

DOG/SPORTING PLATEAU: At the center of the park is grassy plateau used for Frisbee, football, soccer, and as an impromptu dog park at certain times. Its elevation creates a natural separation from the rest of the park (as Kramer from Seinfeld would say: “Levels!”)

THE RIVER: People fish here, though I’m not sure what they catch. I mostly use the river for dog swimming purposes. It is also currently (as of April 2016) home to a mated pair of beavers, who are extremely active at dusk. A lighted path runs along the length of the river. This is also where Trail Creek feeds into the North Oconee.

INGRESS: If you play the augmented reality game Ingress -- until recently a Google product -- the park is chock full of portals: 20 or 24, depending on how...

The parking situation is a bit perplexing and I'm still having difficulty understanding it. Weekdays it seems parking from 5pm until close is permitted with weekend availability (not sure about UGA home games, events). There are a lot of products of industry around the perimeter of the park such as the photographed millstones. The water isn't the cleanest to look at in October but the insects aren't too worrisome. There isn't a complete path to the REM murmur bridge and signage but it's view able as to how to get there from the sidewalk near...

This place is great. I haven’t driven so I can’t speak to the parking lot but it never seems full. I like this park because it connects to a few of the greenway trails. I have come across some interesting architectural components and public art in my exploration. And it’s really interesting that this park has random boulders scattered about the green. It is well kept and adjacent to a river. I am weary that the river will sometimes overflow it’s borders and can affect the quality of the trails that surround...