The Active Oval turns Atlanta's signature city park into a legitimate place to play, with a .52-mile running track, two soccer fields, two softball fields and two sand volleyball courts in the middle of Midtown. You were probably going to visit Piedmont Park anyway. Bring your running shoes. Because we're not sending you here to sit on a blanket and stare at the skyline. At least not yet. Head toward the Active Oval and suddenly Atlanta's signature park becomes your outdoor gym.

There's a .52-mile running track, two soccer fields, two softball fields and two sand volleyball courts. The surrounding park adds basketball, tennis, pickleball, bocce and plenty of room to keep moving. That's what makes this such an easy Sports & Games recommendation. You don't have to organize your entire vacation around it. Wake up. Put on your shoes. Go run. And instead of staring at the wall of your hotel's fitness center while you knock out a few miles, you're outside in one of Atlanta's defining public spaces.

If you're traveling with people, it gets even better. Bring a volleyball. Bring a soccer ball. Bring a frisbee. Find some space and play. Some Active Oval facilities can be reserved, while unreserved areas are generally available first-come, first-served. Fridays are specifically set aside for leisure play rather than permitted activities. Then when you're done? Now you can do the Piedmont Park stuff everybody else came for. Walk around Lake Clara Meer. Hit the BeltLine. Grab something to eat. Lay in the grass. You earned it.