WABE: GA to spend $30M on park projects
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Georgia to disperse $30 million to park projects statewide
Molly Samuel , Marisa Mecke | WABE
March 17th, 2026
Trees and a footpath through the forest that the City of Atlanta hopes to make Falling Water Park. (Marisa Mecke/WABE)
Georgia is set to distribute more than $30 million for parks and outdoors projects around the state.
The list includes a forest in Atlanta, a nature reserve along the Chattahoochee River and a once-controversial property next to the Okefenokee Swamp. The money is from the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program, which is funded by a portion of the sales tax from outdoor retailers.
One of the selected projects, Falling Water Park in Southwest Atlanta, is a big forested area the city has owned for decades, but has never really fixed up. The $2 million grant would go toward trails, a boardwalk and a lighted parking area.
Also on the list is $7 million for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to acquire almost 4,000 acres near the Okefenokee Swamp. The property had been potentially slated for a mine until the environmental group The Conservation Fund stepped in and worked out a deal to protect the property last year. Once the state acquires it, it’ll be managed as a wildlife management area.
The Georgia legislature approved this month the state using $1.5 million from Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act to purchase riverfront land in Carroll County to expand the McIntosh Reserve. The park has grown by hundreds of acres in the last few years, but this newest addition adds another 3.1 miles of riverfront property to the conservation space. This park is part of the larger
Chattahoochee RiverLands project, a 100-mile corridor of parks, trails and conservation space along the Chattahoochee River. McIntosh Reserve also serves as the southernmost point of the Chattahoochee RiverLand’s 48-mile Camp and Paddle Trail.
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The list of projects advancing to the final step for funding this year also includes trail improvements in Augusta, a park along the Alcovy River in Monroe and improvements in Providence Canyon State Park.
The Outdoor Stewardship Program was created after Georgia voters approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2018.