Atlanta lives up to its nickname of "Hotlanta" during the summer as May, June, July and August bring broiling temperatures. While it is tempting to let kids simply cling to the nearest air conditioning unit, there are plenty of summer activities for youth in the Atlanta area to enjoy. The list includes summer camps, theater groups and sporting teams.
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Located in the northeast part of the city known as Midtown, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is a 30-acre natural preserve with many species of native and international plants on display. The summer months bring a host of children's activities, including scavenger hunts, learning programs on animals in the gardens, learning about plants, story times and stage performances. The group also offers day camps.
Find a Summer Camp
There are scores of day camps held in Atlanta each summer. They range from week-long sleepover camps to day camps. There are many activities, including nature, history, rock climbing, junior golf, ice hockey, horseback riding, dance, computers and art. In addition, some camps offer a variety of activities in one setting, which means the child and parent don't need to select one event for the summer.
Act Up and Act Out
The summer months are a good time for teens and younger children to hone their creative acting spark. The non-profit, federally funded Atlanta Street Theatre Group hosts a five-week long program that brings in top area theater professionals to teach teens the basics and nuances of acting. The classes are small in size and focus on voice, movement, improvisational skills and scene development.
Check Out the Parks
Parents looking for a park don't have to go very far in Atlanta. The city manages close to 300 parks that range in size from a tenth of a acre to almost 200 acres. The majority of parks have outdoors equipment such as swing sets and slides, but the larger parks also offer swimming pools, tennis courts, hiking trails, ball fields, basketball courts, picnic areas and more. The city categorizes parks by size and usage. Regional parks will see the most crowds, while garden parks will see the fewest on average. The city allows people to rent out picnic shelters for things such as birthday parties as well.
Watch a Sporting Event
The city is home to the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves, which is one of the most storied teams in the sport's history. The Braves play at Turner Field, which often offers promotions and giveaways for children during the summer months. They also have a separate fan club for kids. Other popular sports activities including attending Georgia Tech football training camps, watching local car races at Atlanta Motor Speedway or attending Monster Truck and dirt bike events at the Georgia Dome.
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