Atlanta Fair

When our kids complain that something isn't fair, we always say, "The fair comes in October," because in our town, it does! But it also comes in March to Turner Field in the form of the Atlanta Fair.

From March 4 - April 4, you can get out and enjoy carnival rides, games, and elephant ears on the midway. It's a bit spendy: $1.00 admission for kids and $5.00 for adults on the weekends, and rides are extra. But if you go Saturday afternoon between 1:00-6:00, an unlimited ride ticket is $20. Click here for more specials - weekdays have unlimited rides, too.

Monday Reviews: Purple Hippo

The Purple Hippo is funky, cool art studio in Dunwoody. They have camps, birthday parties, and classes, but from 10-6 T-Sa and 12-6 Su they have open studio time. For $13 your child has two hours to paint, color, draw, glue, and create, using the "salad bar" of supplies along the wall.


When we went, it was a rainy day, and we had the place to ourselves. The boys used diecuts, stamps, popsicle sticks, ribbons, paints, markers, glitter, and stickers to make their own creations or copy some great ideas they saw on the wall. They were completely engrossed the entire time, and midway through my youngest son said, "I wish this was my house!". They loved the freedom to make whatever they wanted, using recyclables and art supplies in equal measure. I loved not having to worry about paint on the table!


The owner is a former art teacher; she is personable and warm. The supplies are definitely used, but there is plenty of everything, and if you don't see it, just ask. Whether your kids are artistic or not, I highly recommend open studio at the Purple Hippo!


Good to know: There is a great New York-style deli just around the corner on Chamblee-Dunwoody. It's called Goldberg's Deli and Bagels.

Southeastern Flower Show

It's looking like another rainy weekend! Remind yourself that spring will eventually come with a visit to the Southeastern Flower Show on Saturday, 2/5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. There's a full day of activities planned for kids, from storytelling to workshops to environmental exhibits by young gardeners.

Here's a list of tomorrow's activities for children:

10:30 Chicken Talk, Kyla Zaro-Moore, D Stage
11:30 Home Depot Activity
12:30 Worm activity, Ruth Kitchen, Greening Youth, Youth Area
1:30 Bees, Youth Area, Jim Quick,
2:30 Home Depot Activity
3:30 Puppet Show, Puppatoons, D Stage
(2-6 ongoing: Monarch life cycle activity with Cindy Wolfe and Youth Area volunteers)

Tickets are $18 for adults; $8 for high school students; $6 for 1st-8th grades; and free for kindergarten and under. It's too late to buy tickets online, but you can buy them at the door.

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.