Atlanta, a rapidly growing metropolis, is ripe with activities for kids of all ages. Whether your children enjoy swimming or museum-going, there are activities to suit many different tastes and schedules. Whether your children call Atlanta home or whether they're just visiting for the weekend, they're sure to find an activity to enjoy.
Parks
The city has many parks, but two of note are Piedmont Park and Centennial Olympic Park. Piedmont covers over 180 acres, and is a perfect spot for a walk or a picnic. The park also features classes for children to learn about the local environment, and offers several types of kids-only scavenger hunts. Centennial Olympic Park, which was initially constructed for the 1996 Olympics, is now a public park that features special events throughout the year, like Fourth Saturday Family Fun Day, and has an "All Children" playground that caters to children with all kinds of abilities.
Water Sports
Several pools in Atlanta are either entirely free or offer extensive public hours for a small fee. The Chastain Park pool offers many public hours throughout the week, as does the Piedmont Park Aquatic Center. If it's water slides your looking for, check out Six Flags White Water Atlanta, which is located a few minutes outside of Atlanta proper. Either way, the water is sure to please when the famously high southern temperatures soar.
Animals
Atlanta has two renowned facilities for kids to see their favorite animals on display: Zoo Atlanta and the Georgia Aquarium. Zoo Atlanta houses some amazing animals, like red kangaroos, zebras, tigers and flamingos. The "Kids Corner" offers games, arts and crafts, and the Rock Climber attraction allows kids to scale a 24-foot wall. There is also an indoor play space where kids can run around and explore. The Georgia Aquarium is divided into different thematic sections, like Tropical Diver, featuring tropical fish and reefs, and the Ocean Diver, in which visitors walk through a viewing tunnel and are surrounded by fish and whale sharks on all sides. For kids 12 and over, the aquarium offers a program called Journey with Gentle Giants, where, for a fee, they can swim or dive with whale sharks and other animals.
Sports
There are many options in Atlanta for kids who like to play sports. The Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association offers opportunities for boys and girls to join tennis teams, and the Atlanta Youth Soccer Association offers similar opportunities for kids who prefer soccer. The Woodward Skatepark is the perfect place for kids to Rollerblade and skateboard. If it's climbing they're after, the Atlanta Rocks! indoor climbing gym offers climbing lessons, and a summer camp for intensive training and climbing experience. At Candler Park, there are public basketball courts, soccer fields and a pool, which are all kid-friendly and open to the public.
Museums
The Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta, located steps away from Centennial Olympic Park, offers kids a chance to explore many exhibits, including the Leap Into Learning exhibit, the Fundamentally Food exhibit and the Tools for Solutions exhibit. All of these exhibits are highly interactive; for instance, kids can "work" on the farm, go "fishing" and explore a stream, and climb and operate a crane. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History showcases dinosaur skeletons, special exhibits, such one on butterflies and another on geckos, and permanent exhibits on the history of Georgia and other topics.
Member Comments