On October 8, the City of Smyrna and Trust for Public Land cut the ribbon on a paved, multi-use trail at Riverview Park, 6275 Riverview Road SE, on the west bank of the Chattahoochee. It's a short trail, about half a mile. Its value comes from what sits next to it. A coffee shop, a barbecue counter and a brewery all share the 6255 Riverview Road address next door, so the new path ties a riverside park and three local businesses into one easy outing. It's also the northern end of a much longer route that the region is building south along the river.
Because each of those businesses keeps different hours, which day you visit makes a big difference.
What Opened on October 8
The new path, now called the Riverview Park Trail, completes the northern section of the Chattahoochee RiverLands Showcase Trail. Urbanize Atlanta reported ahead of the ceremony that Trust for Public Land officials were scheduled to join Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton and Cobb County Commissioner Monique Sheffield to open it, and that TPL called the trail "tangible progress" toward the larger RiverLands vision.
Regular visitors will notice the biggest change underfoot. The RiverLands project page describes the paved path as an upgrade from the gravel path that used to run through the park, built to be accessible and offering shade and river views. Urbanize describes it winding through the park beside the river for walkers, runners and cyclists, and passing one of the park's parking areas on the way.
Riverview Park had plenty going for it before the new path. The City of Smyrna's park listing shows an outdoor stage and amphitheater, open space, restrooms, parking, and a dock with kayak access to the Chattahoochee. The pavement makes all of that easier to get to for strollers, scooters and anyone who skipped the gravel.
Three Stops, One Address
The park is at 6275 Riverview Road. Next door at 6255 Riverview Road, inside Riverview Landing, are three businesses that turn a short walk into a whole morning:
- Chattahoochee Coffee Company runs its Eddy location at Riverview Landing.
- Owens & Co, the barbecue spot, is in Building 4000, Suite 100.
- Reformation Brewery has its Smyrna taproom upstairs in the same building, Suite 200.
You can park once and walk to all of it. The trick is that the three keep very different hours. Here's what each lists on its own website:
| Day | Chattahoochee Coffee | Owens & Co | Reformation Brewery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | Closed | No hours listed |
| Tuesday | 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | Closed | No hours listed |
| Wednesday | 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | No hours listed |
| Thursday | 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. until sold out | 4–9 p.m. |
| Friday | 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. until sold out | Noon–10 p.m. |
| Saturday | 8 a.m.–5 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. until sold out | Noon–10 p.m. |
| Sunday | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Noon until sold out | Noon–9 p.m. |
On Monday and Tuesday, coffee is the only one of the three that's open. Wednesday adds a lunch window for barbecue. You get all three from Thursday through Sunday, and only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday can you have all three in one stretch of daylight.
The barbecue column needs one more note. Owens & Co says "until sold out" on most days, and its website asks guests to come early, suggesting you arrive at least 30 minutes before opening. That timing is what shapes the rest of the morning.
Building a Saturday Around the Barbecue Line
Saturday lines up best, because the coffee shop opens early and the brewery opens just after the barbecue counter. Here's one way to do it:
- 8 a.m. Coffee at Chattahoochee Coffee Company, the moment it opens.
- Mid-morning. Walk the Riverview Park Trail. It's about half a mile, so an out-and-back covers roughly a mile, with time left over to stop at the dock or watch kayaks put in.
- Around 11 a.m. Get in line at Owens & Co, which opens at 11:30. That's the half hour early the restaurant itself suggests.
- Noon. Head upstairs to Reformation Brewery as it opens for the afternoon.
Sunday follows the same order on a slightly later clock. Coffee opens at 9 a.m., an hour later than Saturday, Owens & Co opens at noon, half an hour later, and Reformation opens at noon, same as Saturday. Thursday is the oddball. The brewery doesn't open until 4 p.m., so a Thursday visit works better as a late-afternoon walk followed by a beer.
That timing runs into one park rule. The City of Smyrna says its parks close at dusk unless signs at a park post different hours, and the rule is written into the city's park ordinance. As the days get shorter this fall, walk first and save the taproom for after. Check Riverview Park's posted signs for its actual hours, and if you bring a dog, bring bags too, since the same ordinance requires owners to pick up after their pets.
This coming weekend has a second option. Downtown Smyrna's free Crafts & Drafts festival runs Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, October 25, from noon to 5 p.m., with about 150 arts and crafts booths spread around City Hall, Market Village and Village Green Park. That Saturday, coffee and a river walk before 10 still leave the whole afternoon for downtown.
Getting In and Parking
Put 6275 Riverview Road SE into your map app for the park. The city lists parking at the park itself, and its ribbon-cutting notice also pointed visitors to on-street and metered parking nearby at Riverview Landing. Chattahoochee Coffee Company's website says its customers get free parking with validation in The Eddy retail lot, and that free street parking is also available.
Urbanize places the park just north of U.S. Highway 78, which is Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, on the river's western bank. All three businesses list their hours on their own websites, and hours can change, so check before you go, especially if barbecue is the reason for the trip.
Where This Trail Is Headed
The Smyrna trail is the second piece of the RiverLands Showcase to open. The first was a 0.6-mile pilot trail at Discovery Park at the River Line in Mableton, which opened in December 2024. The RiverLands project page describes the full Showcase site this way:
- A 2.7-mile greenway trail linking Mableton Parkway to Riverview Landing in Smyrna
- A regional trailhead at the southern end, tentatively named RiverLands Gateway Park
- An ADA-accessible kayak launch and a boat ramp
Urbanize put the finished Cobb Showcase at about three miles, connecting Riverview Landing to Discovery Park and Mableton Parkway. Further out, Trust for Public Land has said the Mableton Parkway Trail is meant to link the river corridor to the Silver Comet Trail. Gateway Park and the remaining segments are still plans, with no public opening dates yet. For now, you can't ride from Riverview Park to the Silver Comet. Today the trail starts and ends in Riverview Park.
The long-range goal is much bigger. The RiverLands vision calls for a 100-mile network of parks, trails and river access running from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. Urbanize reports that it would link 20 cities and seven counties. According to TPL, more than 1,000 nearby residents are within easy reach of the new Smyrna section. As more segments open to the south, this park should become the place people start or finish a longer river walk, and the coffee, barbecue and brewery next door will sit right at that trailhead.
If you've walked the new path and have questions about the Riverview Road corner of Smyrna, from how the riverside has changed to what the planned trail could mean for nearby streets, I'm always happy to talk it through over coffee. You can reach me through Kelley Lowrimore. Let's Connect.
