Repticon - January 30-31

If you are looking for something to do indoors on a cold and rainy weekend, and your kids like reptiles, head over to the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds for Repticon - the Reptile and Exotic Animal Show. You can see demonstrations and even buy your very own yucky pet to take home! There will be a number of shows and demonstrations, from arachnids to local venomous snakes to dart frogs.

Here are the times and prices:

Saturday: 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am-4:00pm

Admission: $8.00 - Adults $5.00 - Children (5-12) Four and under free

Cheap Dates

Pay a buck to see a buck! Tomorrow (1/18/10), the Yellow River Game Ranch will charge only $1.00 for admission. A family of 4 would save about $26.00! Tomorrow should be a nice day, so why not head out to the ranch? You can read my review of YRGR here.

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Through 2/28/10, admission to Calloway Gardens is free! Granted, January and February are not peak months for visiting a botanical garden, but if we have a nice day and you don't mind a drive, take advantage of a great savings: admission is usually $15 for adults and $7.50 for kids 6-12.

10 Atlanta Attractions for 2010

The AJC had an article today about upcoming exhibits at some of the best attractions in Atlanta. The picture above from the Atlanta Botanical Garden's new 600-foot canopy walk that opens in May. You can read the article here, but here are some of the highlights that are kid-friendly:

1. Fernbank Museum of Natural History's new exhibit will be “Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters." Starting February 6, kids can learn about volcanoes, tornadoes, earthquakes and watch an IMAX called "Forces of Nature."

2. In addition to the cool canopy walk, the Atlanta Botanical Garden will add an edible garden and a cascading tropical garden, as well as allowing visitors into the 15 acre hardwood Storza forest.

3. Zoo Atlanta is keeping the pandas! They are also building a new habitat for the leopards and tigers, as well as new sun bears. The habitat should open this summer, with other smaller carnivores making their home at the zoo as well.

4. In November the Georgia Aquarium will open the $110 million dolphin exhibit. It sounds amazing!

Christmas Break Fun

If the kids are getting stir-crazy, here are a few activities going on this week in and around Atlanta.

Snow Mountain Once again this year Stone Mountain is offering tubing with man-made snow! Children have to be 42 inches tall to tube, and the tickets, which cost $25 for children and adults, are good for 2 hours of tubing. Little ones can play in the snow play areas, and tickets provide unlimited admission to these areas. If you plan to go, check out the FAQ's for more information about discounts, parking, what to wear, when to arrive, etc. You are strongly encouraged to buy tickets online because there are limits to how many people can be on the tubing hill.

This is not an inexpensive event: a family of four will pay $100 if two children tube, because parents have to have tickets, too. But it's rare for Georgia children to get to play in the snow! Snow Mountain is open every day this week (weather permitting) and weekends until March 7th.

Dahlonega Gold Mines Click on the link to read my review of the gold mines. We went in December, and though it was chilly, it wasn't miserable - the temperature underground at Consolidated is in the 50's, and Crisson had space heaters in the panning area. I highly recommend this trip if you have out-of-town visitors; panning for gold is a great Georgia activity!

Yellow River Game Ranch Bundle up and take the one mile walk to see the animals. Many people recycle Christmas trees here to provide food and shelter for the animals. If your kids love animals, this is a fantastic value!

Imagine It! Children's Museum Don't want to go outside? Head downtown to the children's museum - the Curious George exhibit ends in January. The link mentions free admission on the second Tuesday of each month, which won't apply this week, but you'll still find a review of the museum.

Georgia Aquarium - Free Admission to Princesses and Frogs!

Update: boys can dress as either frogs or princes for free admission.

On Saturday, November 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., children 12 and under can get into the Georgia Aquarium for free with a paying adult if they dress up: girls can be princesses and boys can be frogs. Disney has a new movie coming out called The Princess and the Frog, and the Aquarium is using this day to promote frog conservation. I'm glad they're including boys, but the day seems to be very princess-focused, with parades, arts and crafts, and photo opportunities.

I love that the Aquarium is offering these free admission days, since it is usually an expensive outing for a family. It also makes it a little easier to take that some of the best exhibits are under construction, as I mentioned here.

Georgia Aquarium - Free Admission to Kids in Costume

It's a rainy Halloween day, unfortunately, and that puts a damper on the last minute pumpkin patch and other fun fall events. So check out the Georgia Aquarium: kids 12 and under in costume get in free today with a paying adult (2 kids per adult). Children can get candy in each of the aquarium sections. This is a huge savings over the regular admission prices.

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I do have a couple of caveats, as we went yesterday. First, it is likely to be crazy busy today (though for future reference it wasn't busy at all yesterday afternoon). Second, a number of the best exhibits are closed or under construction, such as the climbing play area, the otters, the penguins, the sea lions, and the beluga whales.

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We had a great time, anyway, and if you go, I hope you do, too!

Make Halloween Monstrously Fun!

Monster Bites

Here's a fun Halloween treat to make with the kids. Follow the instructions for Bakerella's spider bites, but leave off the shoestring licorice legs. Use candy you have around the house to make your monsters - be creative with those Smarties and Mentos!

If you use a brownie mix and Candiquik Chocolate Melt (in the baking aisle), these are fast and fun to make with children.

Happy Halloween!