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Atlanta
ExtraordinaryMommy, Noelle, absolutely 'out-did' herself when we asked her to list her favorite places in Atlanta. You will not miss a thing if you keep this list handy!
Lullwater Park - 1463 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta , GA 30329-4216
Emory University 's answer to Walden Pond . The paved path is perfect for leisurely biking, rollerblading or jogging. Enough, room for Frisbees and footballs. Children love Lullwater Pond's thriving, highly visible duck and white swan population. The calming sounds of wildlife make this a rural escape in the midst of Atlanta 's bustle.
Getting there:
Try one of Emory's visitor lots. A dormitory lot sits next to the park, although it's technically not for visitors. The entrance gates sit just across the train tracks from the Clifton-Haygood intersection.
Piedmont Park - 400 Park Drive NE, Atlanta , GA 30306
Atlanta 's “Common Ground”. Located approximately 2 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta . Bustling destination for parents and kids in search of playful fun. Plenty of space to play and trails for running, strollers. Two playgrounds and an enclosed doggie-park continue to attract families and children year-round.
Park open daily from 6:00 am until 11:00 pm.
Imagine It! Children 's Museum of Atlanta - 275 Olympic Park Drive, Atlanta , GA 30313 404-659-5437
Designed primarily for ages 2-8, the museum features colorful, hands-on exhibits and activities in which children look, listen, touch and explore as they learn how things in their world work. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays $11; ages 1 and younger free
Georgia Aquarium - 225 Baker Street Atlanta , GA 30313 404-581-4000
The world's largest aquarium with 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and more than 100000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe.
The High Museum of Art - 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta , GA 30309
The museum has a great kid's wing that will bring out your little van-Gogh's creative side.
The High's Green Family Learning Gallery invites families to play—a critical component of creativity, which is at the heart of the artistic process. So go ahead—its designed for children ages 5 through 10. Five hand-on learning activities are inspired by some of the most popular object's in the Museum's collection.
Free family tours leave from the learning gallery on weekends at 1 PM.
If you're visiting midweek, note that Toddler Thursdays offer pre-school art education including creating a masterpiece to take home. 11 AM to 3 PM, free with CityPass.
Centennial Park - 285 International Blvd NW, Atlanta , GA 30313
The new, all-accessible playground will open in mid-February.
Atlanta 's only outdoor ice skating rink at Centennial Olympic Park is an annual holiday tradition. The Fountain of Rings is temporarily closed due to the severe drought conditions. The Park remains open for your enjoyment
Centennial Olympic Park made its debut as the world's gathering place during the 1996 An Urban oasis in downtown Atlanta and a special place to take in a concert, reception or just a quiet stroll through the park. The park features the Fountain of Rings, a six acre Great Lawn, the Southern Company Amphitheater, cascading water features, commemorative quilt plazas and a pathway of bricks that pays tribute to the Centennial Olympic Games
Not worth a special visit – but nice green space in the heart of downtown. A nice place to have a picnic next door to the World of Coke Museum – The Georgia Aquarium and Cnn Center
Stone Mountain Park - U.S. Highway 78 East, Exit 8 Stone Mountain , GA 30087 800-401-2407
Located on 3,200 acres of natural beauty, Stone Mountain Park features a wide variety of fun family activities and things to do in the Atlanta , Georgia area. Amazing adventures await as you discover interactive children's attractions . Plus you'll not want to miss dozens of fun annual events
Explore a 4-story barn and a 3-story tree house. Take a skyride to the top of Stone Mountain and get an up-close look at the Stone Mountain Carving; ride a scenic train around the mountain; take a Duck boat ride, or enjoy a paddlewheel riverboat cruise on Stone Mountain Lake. End your day at the world's largest laser light show featuring a fantastic fireworks finale.
10:00AM - 5:00PM
Yellow River Wildlife Game Ranch - 4525 Stone Mountain Hwy, Lilburn , GA 30047 (770) 972-6643
The Yellow River Game Ranch in Stone Mountain, Georgia Bordering the Yellow River, this 24-acre animal preserve offers close encounters of the four-legged kind -- a chance to view, pet, feed, and generally mingle with some 600 animals (always including quite a few babies) who live in open enclosures or right out in the open, along a 1-mile oak- and hickory-shaded forest trail
Consider packing a picnic lunch. There are tables throughout the property, and one especially nice picnic area overlooks the river.
Wild Animal Safari - 1300 Oak Grove Road Pine Mountain, Georgia 31822 (800) 367-2751
The 500-acre Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari, offers a unique, hands-on safari experience. Visitors can see, touch and feed hundreds of exotic animals from every continent - a true worldwide safari.
Take pictures and feed the animals from their car or one of our Zebra Vans.
Jake's Ice Cream - 515 N McDonough Stree,t Decatur , GA 30030 (404) 377-9300
Homemade ice cream … The decor is comfy and funky , and kids are encouraged to enjoy themselves by the staff, aka Scoop Monkeys
Jake's shares space with the Little Shop of Stories . Books and ice cream - a kid's dream!
Center for Puppetry Arts - 1404 Spring St NW, Atlanta , GA 30309 (404) 873-9907
Admission: $16 per person, includes show, museum and workshop
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9a-5p, Sundays 11a-5p
The Center for Puppetry Arts is a WONDERFUL place to spend an afternoon with your family. Enjoy a puppet show on a life-sized stage and participate in a puppet workshop.
In the classes, kids get to make a hand puppet out of cardboard and glue to take home. This activity takes about 40 minutes and is great fun to do before or after a show
Museum houses the Jim Henson collection , “Jim Henson: a Man and His Frog” and “Jim Henson: Puppeteer” and gives kid's a behind-the –scenes look at the muppet maker and his muppet.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History - 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta , GA 30307
The largest museum of natural sciences in the Southeast, this architecturally stunning facility borders 65 acres of pristine forest.
The Children's Discovery Room, open daily June through August and on a limited basis during the school year, includes Fantasy Forest, a colorful play area designed for preschoolers (ages 3-5), where kids can become bees and pollinate flowers, climb a treehouse, walk through a swamp, and play at being farmers. The state-shaped Georgia Adventure is a similar discovery room for ages 6 to 10. Kids can also come face-to-face with the world's largest dinosaurs.
While you're here, be sure to catch a stunning IMAX film (buy tickets as soon as you enter the museum; they sometimes sell out). The immense screen -- five stories high and 72 feet wide -- puts you right in the middle of all the action.
Six Flags Amusement Park - Six Flags Over Georgia 275 Riverside Parkway, Austell , GA 30168
Reduced price for children (under 48"). 2 and under are free. Discounted tickets are often available online. Season pass tickets include admission to all Six Flags parks.
Plenty of great fun for little ones to enjoy on their own and with parents. These rides spin, fly and promise to take kids on magical journeys that are perfect for their height and age.
One of the state's major family attractions, Six Flags offers a great day's entertainment. Arrive early (at least 30 min. before opening), note where you've parked in the vast lot, and take 10 minutes or so to plan out your show and ride schedule.
In addition to these Kids Rides, we also have many mild Family Rides that your young ones can enjoy. Just sort by height to plan your visit.
Zoo Atlanta - 800 Cherokee Ave SE # A , Atlanta , GA 30315 (404) 624-9453
Among the Zoo's most notable holdings are three giant pandas , Lun Lun , Yang Yang , and Mei Lan , on loan from China 's Chengdu Zoo until 2009. Lun Lun had been the focus of a captive-breeding program for seven years before finally giving birth to Mei Lan on September 6 , 2006 .
The $4.5 million Ford African Rain Forest habitat is home to 24 western lowland gorillas , one of the two largest collections of the species in North America . The Zoo was also home to the popular Willie B. , a gorilla named for former Mayor of Atlanta William B. Hartsfield (as was the Hartsfield International Airport ). Recently, one of Willie. B.'s former mates gave birth to twins, a very rare occurrence among gorillas in general, and extremely rare in captive ones.
Whitewater Atlanta - 250 Cobb Parkway North , Marietta , GA 30062-3503, (770) 948 9290
The South's largest water park is located about 20 minutes from downtown in suburban Cobb County, and is open weekends during May, then daily from June through August.
Hours: 10a-9p
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If you have a restaurant, park, play place or boutique that you love in Georgia, please share it with us~ contactus@extraordinarymommy.com~ We would love to share your special finds with other ExtraordinaryMommys.
