Parks, trails and outdoor places in Newnan

Newnan's outdoor life is built at a neighborly scale. The city's Leisure Services department looks after a string of small and mid-sized parks, most within a short drive of the courthouse square, and they are tied together by the LINC, a paved greenway that has been growing piece by piece. This fall brought something new, too: a park on East Broad Street built for the city's 200th birthday.

The LINC

The LINC is the city's multi-use path system, a 12-foot-wide paved trail that the City of Newnan describes as a linear park as much as a route from one place to another. It is open to walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters, and it links downtown with the neighborhoods on the east side of town and the Newnan Centre on Lower Fayetteville Road.

The city lists five trailheads: the Newnan Centre, the historic train depot on East Broad Street, C. Jay Smith Park on Farmer Street, Greison Trail, and Ashley Park on the Newnan Crossing Bypass. Along the way, the Friends of the LINC have added public art, including a mural in the Greison Trail tunnel and a sculpture called Vestige at C. Jay Smith Park.

The trail is still being built out. Its master plan calls for a 26-mile network. In February 2026 the city put its next section out to bid: about 1.15 miles of new trail reaching Newnan High School and Carl Miller Park, with bridges, retaining walls and new signage. Further out, a state Transportation Alternatives grant announced in October 2025 is paying for planning and engineering of a three-mile segment toward Piedmont Newnan Hospital.

Downtown green spaces

The newest park in town is Bicentennial Park, at 66 East Broad Street, which the city opened with a ribbon cutting in October 2026 in the run-up to Newnan's bicentennial in 2028. It has walking paths, a pavilion, restrooms, mural walls, historic markers and its own LINC trailhead. The Bicentennial Celebration Committee says a second phase will add an archway, more murals and more markers telling the city's story. Committee chair Betsy Burnette put it simply at the opening:

While what you see here today is wonderful, we're just getting started.

A few blocks away, Greenville Street Park packs a lot into two acres: a covered pavilion and brick plazas around a fountain, a lawn that steps down in terraces toward a stage the city upgraded in July 2026, and an entrance framed by 25 columns.

First Avenue Park, at three and a half acres, has covered pavilions, a fenced playground, open fields and paved walking paths. Temple Avenue Park has a triangular fountain and a gazebo that is often reserved for weddings, and tiny Cranford Park on Jackson Street offers benches and brick walks backing up to Oak Hill Cemetery.

Neighborhood parks for play, pets and pickleball

C. Jay Smith Park, 12 acres on Farmer Street, splits into two sections divided by a wooded bank and holds a playground, a skate park, a splash pad and a public pavilion, with the LINC running from it. Sprayberry Road Park is the city's pet park, with separate areas for large and small dogs, watering stations, pavilions, a playground and restrooms. Ray Park on Spring Street is a quiet neighborhood stop with a playground and small pavilions.

Lynch Park, on Richard Allen Drive, holds the Wesley Street Gymnasium, the Lynch Park Pool and Pickett Field. If you are headed there for a game, Brown Street Bodega, at the corner of Wesley and Brown streets, serves its own locally roasted coffee, biscuits and sandwiches. Pickleball players have the Newnan Pickleball Complex on Joseph Hannah Boulevard, with 15 lighted courts that can be reserved through the city.

Carl Miller Park, owned and run by Newnan Utilities, is 14 acres with a 0.6-mile walking and jogging loop, a large castle-themed playground, a second playground for younger children, a splash pad and reservable pavilions.

Seasons, rules and staying safe

Newnan's parks change with the calendar, and a few published rules are worth knowing.

• The LINC is open from dawn to dusk and closed at night, according to the Friends of the LINC. It is for non-motorized users, though motorized wheelchairs are welcome; dogs must be leashed and cleaned up after; horses and alcohol are not allowed; and everyone keeps right except to pass.
• Carl Miller Park shortens its hours in the standard-time months, from November 1, 2026 to March 13, 2027, and closes on Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and 25 and New Year's Day.
• Carl Miller's splash pad runs from April 1 and closed for the 2026 season on September 8. Pets other than trained service dogs are not allowed in that park, and bicycles stay off its walking paths.

On summer afternoons, an early start makes the heat easier to manage, and since the LINC closes at dusk, winter walks need to begin earlier in the day. Bring water on longer outings.

Finding maps and conditions

The City of Newnan's Parks and Facilities page lists every city park with its address, acreage and amenities, and links to reserve pavilions and fields. The Friends of the LINC keep an interactive trail map, a safety page and news about new art and sections. For Carl Miller Park, Newnan Utilities posts its current hours and any closures on the park's own page.

If you are downtown before a walk, Leaf & Bean on West Court Square is a few minutes from the East Broad Street trailhead for a coffee to carry with you.