After a long work week, it's easy (and tempting) to stay on the couch for a TV binge. But there's no better way to unplug and recharge from the week than with a great hike around one of the Atlanta area's many beautiful trails, followed by a decadent brunch. Here are four places inside the perimeter where you can get in a scenic morning workout, then unwind with some good eats.
Morningside Nature Preserve
Morningside/Lenox Park
The hike: Rescued from development by Morningside neighbors in the '90s, this 30-acre green space is best known for its wooden suspension bridge over Peachtree Creek. On the creek's shores is a beach popular with dogs and their owners, while the opposite side of the bridge leads to two miles of hiking and walking trails.
The brunch move: For a little more exercise, walk the 1.3 miles from the trailhead to North Highland Avenue. That'll earn you some extra caloric redemption to trade in at Morningside Kitchen, which offers sinful morning fare like a spicy chicken biscuit, pastry cream-stuffed French toast, or a short rib Benedict.
Yellow Trail at Sweetwater Creek State Park
Lithia Springs
The hike: A lot of people know about Sweetwater Creek's one-mile red trail, which leads to the five-story ruins of the former New Manchester mill. But if you turn left where the red trail meets Sweetwater Creek, you'll find the more strenuous yellow trail, which gains 350 feet of elevation over its three miles, passing through some of the park's most beautiful forests.
The brunch move: After your hike, take a two-mile drive into Lithia Springs for the Beaver Creek Biscuit Company, which serves up delicious biscuits and gravy and biscuit breakfast sandwiches for mega-cheap prices—almost everything on the menu is under $5.
Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
Cascade Heights
The hike: With a natural waterfall and a historic springhouse, this pretty 1.9-mile hike offers a bit of everything, including glimpses of nature like turtles and deer. Its location in a suburban corner of southwest Atlanta may not initially seem peaceful, but once you're deep into the forest, the sounds of cars will quickly fade away.
The brunch move: The nature preserve is fairly isolated, so you'll have to drive about 15 minutes to visit Arize Breakfast Cafe in East Point. But the food at this relative newcomer is worth the trip, with locals raving about the peach cobbler French toast, sweet potato pancakes, and Cajun shrimp and grits.
Murphey Candler Park Trail
Brookhaven
The hike: What it lacks in seclusion and strenuousness, this flat, two-mile lakeside trail makes up for in animal-friendliness. Dogs are welcome, and you're also likely to see geese and ducks hanging out in the water. There's also a pretty bridge about 1.3 miles into the walk, and plenty of rose bushes along the way to stop and sniff.
The brunch move: Lunch is only offered Tuesday-Saturday at farm-to-table spot Southbound, but connoisseurs agree that the fried green tomatoes, Cuban sandwich, and Southern ramen (with smoked pork, collard greens, chow-chow, and black-eyed pea relish) are worth the extra hassle. The Honeysuckle 75, a combination of honeysuckle vodka, honey, lemon, and bubbly, makes for a nice midday sip.
