Free Admission to all National Parks - 9/26/09

Maybe it won't rain tomorrow, and maybe the idea of being outside will sound more appealing than a visit to a museum. In that case, visit a national park - they are all free tomorrow! Look how happy you will be if you go!

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Here's a list of Georgia's national parks. If you read this blog from another state, you can search for your location, too. Some parks are hosting special volunteer or educational opportunities as well.

Free Museum Day - 9/26/09

The torrential rains of the last few weeks shifted us into "fun with kids" triage mode: going outside was impossible, so how do we keep our sanity cooped up in the house? The last few days have been lovely, but Saturday's forecast is showing an ominous 80% chance of rain. What to do?

Just in time, it's the Smithsonian Museum Day - free admission to hundreds of museums around the country for you and a guest! Here's a list for Georgia. The best values I can see are for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, which are usually quite expensive. The Center for Puppetry Arts and Booth Western Art Museum are two other good choices.

Download the free admission card here. Only one per household, unfortunately, but at least two people can go for free - and you can get out of the house.

Free Target Tuesday - Imagine It! Children's Museum

Tomorrow (9/8) is the second Tuesday of the month, so Imagine It! has free admission from 1:00-7:00 p.m. Click here for more details and a museum overview.

Decatur Book Festival

Meet Bookzilla, one of the mascots of the Decatur Book Festival! Every Labor Day weekend, Decatur hosts the nation's largest independent book festival. While the festival is not primarily kid-focused, there is lots to do for everyone in the family.

Click here to see the schedule of kids' events, such as a promendade with the author of the Skippyjon Jones series and a free performance of Alice in Wonderland. Teens have their own events, including a take on the debate that's sweeping the nation: Werewolves vs. Vampires!

The schedule for today and tomorrow's events is here. Check it out!

Monday Reviews - Chattahoochee Nature Center

The Chattahoochee Nature Center is a lovely nature preserve in Roswell, easily accessible from GA 400 at exit 6. They have great trails around ponds, through woods, and along the Chattahoochee River boardwalk. You'll enounter turtles, a beaver, and bird of prey like hawks, owls, and even a bald eagle. The Center recently built a visitor's center with some hands-on exhibits and displays, as well as a gift shop (of course!). I love that they have preserved its natural beauty while offering many possibilities for fun and education.

If you visit on your own, you will find plenty to do. Ask for a scavenger hunt list at the front desk, and meet the animals when the handlers feed them or give talks about them. You can bring a picnic lunch to eat outside.

But don't miss the scheduled events. Each year there are festivals: Earth Day, Butterfly, and Halloween. Get out on the Chattahoochee with naturalist-led canoe trips. Little kids can sign up for preschool adventures, storytimes, animal breakfasts or infant walks. Older children can visit Starlab, a portable planetarium, or experience nocturnal animals on night hikes. CNC is also a popular place for birthday parties, and their summer day camp, Camp Kingfisher, is immensely popular.

Good to know: Chattahoochee Nature Center is open from 9:00-5:00 M-Sa and 12:00-5:00 Su, except for Christmas, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving. The cost is $8.00 for adults; $5.00 for ages 3-12; and free for ages 2 and under. A family membership costs $75, which includes 10 guest passes. If you plan to attend many scheduled events or live close by, membership would be well worth it.

Kids Consignment Sales

Fall and spring are the times of year for consignment sales! If you are new to Atlanta, you may not know how huge consignment sales are. But with the economy being what it is, you should certainly check them out.

Atlanta Parent magazine has a good listing of consignment sales by county. It's too late to sell clothes at most sales for fall, but head out to get some deals and think about selling in the spring.

Tips for Buying

1. Bring cash or checks - most sales do not accept credit or debit cards.

2. Bring something to carry clothes in, like a laundry basket.

3. Many shows will not permit strollers or only permit them at scheduled times.

4. It may be impossible, but don't bring children if you can avoid it - those sales get crowded!

5. Be careful about buying items like cribs - they may have been recalled.

6. Avoid t-shirts. You'll usually pay a couple of dollars, and you can get clean, unfaded, non-pilly new t-shirts at Wal Mart or Target for a dollar more.

7. I like to buy church clothes or nicer items at the sales: usually they've been worn less. You can find boutique brands and good quality name brands at good prices.

8. Look over your kids' clothes before you go so you won't come home with more of the same.

9. Ask around for the "best" sales. In Forsyth County, my favorite is the Cumming First United Methodist Church.

Do you have any more tips or opinions about the best sales? Leave them in the comments!

Pigs and Peaches Festival

The city of Kennesaw has a great BBQ festival this weekend. Live music and barbecue are the highlights, but you can also enjoy inflatables for the kids, prizes, parachuting daredevils, bowling, games, and prizes.

The festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. today (8/16) and is free, except for food and some activities.