Are you tired of scrolling through your social media feed, envying your friends’ exotic travel adventures? Don’t fret! Metro Atlanta is brimming with unique destinations and events that can bring the thrill of travel to your backyard.
For those who are looking for family-friendly and budget-friendly places, “City Lights” producer Summer Evans has you covered.
Suggested activities:
For those families who love the great outdoors and nature:
Fernbank Museums’ interactive exhibit “A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature.” It’s a 1700 sq. ft. mirror maze that showcases the ways in which patterns in nature, musical compositions and even in our bodies mirror each other in physical and mathematical structures. It’s open through Sept. 9.
For families looking to cool off:
Spivey Splash Water Park just south of Atlanta in Clayton County.
It offers Georgia’s largest lazy river, a kiddie pool, a splash pad, four giant water slides and a Flowrider. There’s also a sports pool with both basketball goals and a volleyball court. It’s open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sundays 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. A daily pass is $20.
You can find more information about the park on their website.
Atlanta Ice Cream Festival is on Saturday, July 27 at Piedmont Park. Admission is free; you just need to register online. You can try over 85 ice cream options from local restaurants.
For parents looking to avoid the “summer slide:”
The Happy Black Parent 3rd Annual Children’s Book Festival” is July 20 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Pittsburgh Yards. The festival is free and will have about 20 emerging Georgia authors, with a couple of storytelling sessions. There will be workshops, a children’s fashion show and opportunities for young readers to meet local authors. More information is available here.
For the arts and craft parent:
Toddler Saturdays (10 a.m. – noon) and Thursdays (10 a.m. – noon or 1-3 p.m.) at The High Museum. This program is designed for children ages 15 months through three years with their caregivers. Kids get to explore monthly topics through creating arts and crafts and self-guided tours. This is a great way to get those creative juices flowing at a young age and inspire them to have a lifelong love of art.
Another perk? Children under five years old are free, but you must register them online for a head count for each class. Tickets for nonmember adults are $23.50. The next Toddler Saturday is July 6. More information is available on their website.
For the movie-loving parent:
There are several free outdoor movie screenings throughout Atlanta this summer. You just need a blanket and snacks. Five venues that are playing some blockbuster movies:
- Colony Square in Midtown hosts “Movies on the Square.” The next screening is “Shrek” on July 11.
- Trillith Studios hosts “Reel Fridays” out on their lawn. They’re located in Fayetteville and the next screening is the 2023 PG animated comedy “Migration” on July 26.
- “Flicks on the Green” at Peachtree Corners Town Green is screening the classic “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on July 6. This is a great film for multiple generations.
- The Lawrenceville Movie Club is showing “Harriet the Spy” on July 17 on the Lawrenceville Lawn.
- “Movie Mondays at Norcross” at the Cultural Arts and Community Center in Norcross is screening the 2023 sports drama “The Boys in the Boat” on July 8. There’s a movie screening every second and fourth Monday of the month.
That list is available here.
Atlanta has an abundance of kid-friendly and budget-friendly offerings that didn’t make this list, but hopefully this gives parents a great starting point for entertaining their little ones this summer not too far from home.
