Cute idea, right? You can make a dinosaur shaped route where you live, too! This one is my gift* to the Metro Atlanta city of Dunwoody, Georgia, USA (where front-lawn dinosaurs have bonded the community the past few years). It’s a fun route for all**, filled with triple-bottom-line sustainability highlights, that folks may want to enjoy during Earth Day (April 22), National Bike Month (May), World Bicycle Day (June 3), and beyond.
1 City Hall: The City of Dunwoody is a certified Gold-level Green Community with the Atlanta Regional Commission. You can attend City Council meetings as well as Sustainability Commission meetings. Let your city hall know (wherever you may live) that community resiliency matters to you. The uncovered bike rack is on the right side of the building. Warning: it is also the smoking section.
2 MARTA: Our local transit station means we have access via both buses and trains to many destinations. Bikes are welcome at all times (maximum two at a time on the front rack on buses, although you can take a folding bike on board the bus). MARTA Art Bound murals and other art enliven the journey. There are covered bike racks both inside and outside the turnstile (wait — I have to double check that — I usually use the Sandy Springs station and that’s the case there).
3 IHG: IHG (Intercontintental Hotel Group) is supposedly the greenest hotel company in the world. This is the North American headquarters. Right next door is its flagship property Crowne Plaza Ravinia. There is a covered bike rack at the front of the IHG parking deck and a lovely wooded green space to explore. Last I looked, there was no bike rack, bike room or any other guest/visitor bike parking at Crowne Plaz, however.
4 Brook Run Park: a multi-use trail system connects three parks, including Dunwoody’s largest, Brook Run. Look for the largest volunteer-run community garden in the state of Georgia, bee hives tended by a local bee-keeping group, the most beautiful bike rack in the USA (not far from the amphitheater), a Saturday morning farmers market, and amenities/classes/events designed to engage people of all ages and abilities. There is a second bike rack (both uncovered) by the Little Free Library between the skate park and the playground.
5 DeKalb County Water Works: If the light’s just right and you can imagine it while riding this lovely little stretch of sidewalk or sitting on the wrought iron benches, this large reservoir can almost make you feel like you are on vacation, right here in Dunwoody. If, interested, The DeKalb County Department of Water Management offers these water conservation tips. There is no bike rack here, but Windwood Hollow Park is nearby (whoops — I have to check if they have a bike rack — stay tuned).
6 Dunwoody’s Dinosaurs: You’ll pass large inflated dinosaurs on a residential front lawn. These are lovingly changed frequently to hold timely messages for which the community-at-large has voiced support, especially during the COVID pandemic challenges. In fact, the city’s ordinance was changed to allow this. That’s how powerful people working together can be. What else can we work together to achieve? There is no bike rack here, but you are not that far from the old Sprouts/Lidl’s location, which has a wonderful covered bike rack on the right side of the building. You can park there for Créma, a beloved local coffee shop. You’ll pass another local business, Mellow Mushroom, later on the tour. It has a bike rack (very few businesses do, unfortunately).
7 Mr. Van’s Front Yard Garden: Van Malone is well-known for his beautiful and productive front-yard vegetable garden (and was a founding member — along with his wife, Sally — of the Dunwoody Community Garden). If you are lucky enough to catch him while he is tending it, he is sure to share some helpful info with you. (If you are inspired by some of the food-growing gardens you see on this route? I got you covered.)
8 Dunwoody Nature Center: You’ll find a lovely babbling creek, natural walking trails, a hidden playground, multi-purpose buildings for classes and events, and much more in this beloved preserved greenspace. The bike rack is down the entrance hill, next to the path, kind of hidden off to the right.
9 Cultural Arts Center and Public Library: Access performing and visual arts events and classes at the Stage Door Players theater and Spruill Art Center. Relax at the adjoining library for books, magazines, videos, study rooms and the increasingly hard-to-find “third space” where you can work quietly without having to spend a penny. There is an uncovered bike rack off the right of the library entrance.
Craving a duck-shaped route, and a unique travel memoir to go with it? Check out Round America with a Duck, now available globally.
* Note: I assume no responsibility for any action you take as a result of my sharing this route with you.
** Note that almost none of the bike lanes in this city meet safe-access-for-all standards (not even the new ones) but Dunwoody is the only city in the State of Georgia where it is legal for any person to ride a bike on any sidewalk at any time (yielding to those walking, using wheelchairs). See related links below.
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Related: Metro Atlanta Suburb Creates 65 Miles of Multiuse Paths Literally Overnight. This User’s Guide to Riding a Bike as Transportation in Dunwoody, Georgia has tons of rubber-hits-the-road info. It’s a year or so old but it’ll get you going. See 7 Low-Hanging Fruit Actions Cities Can Take for changes to advocate for where you live.
Also, see my book Traveling at the Speed of Bike. Chapters 3, 6 and the Epilogue are specifically about this city, with info usable by people everywhere.
Discover more from Traveling at the Speed of Bike
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