Welcome to the family.
July 9, 2012 1:35 PM Subscribe
My wife's sister and her new husband live near us in Atlanta. We haven't been that good about spending time with them and are looking for ideas for activities that we could all do together. I guess we're ideally looking for things that are fun, but where everyone can still talk and get to know each other. Bonus points if you can throw in a few ideas that might also be fun for our 4 year old son.
Georgia Aquarium is nice and cool this time of year. My godson LOVES it in there. We went for a DragonCon deal, so we got extra bang for our buck. Reduced admission and Steampunks!
The DragonCon parade can be fun, no ticket needed.
Some of the stuff in Stone Mountain.
Gwinette County Braves (cheaper than Turner Field and AAA ball is way more fun for kids than Major League).
The DeKalb Farmers Market is awesome. You can all meet there, have lunch at the food bar (samosas are amazing) then a pastry. Then you can walk around and look at all the amazing stuff they have.
How about checking out some cheap eateries on Buford Hwy? Just drive until you find the dodgiest place. Chef Liu! Malasia! Los Reyos De Tacos! Lee Bakery! Com! Tofu House 88! You'll know it when you see it.
Ikea! Meet for meatballs, wander around. Your little one can hang out in Smalland for a while.
West Side Provisions District is a funky area, full of great restaurants and shops.
Marrietta has a charming old square also full of good restaurants and shops.
Ditto Virginia Highlands.
Tour CNN.
WNBA Basketball at Phillips arena. Kid friendly, cheap. Go Dream!
The Arboretum.
I guess I really like Atlanta!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:51 PM on July 9, 2012 [3 favorites]
The DragonCon parade can be fun, no ticket needed.
Some of the stuff in Stone Mountain.
Gwinette County Braves (cheaper than Turner Field and AAA ball is way more fun for kids than Major League).
The DeKalb Farmers Market is awesome. You can all meet there, have lunch at the food bar (samosas are amazing) then a pastry. Then you can walk around and look at all the amazing stuff they have.
How about checking out some cheap eateries on Buford Hwy? Just drive until you find the dodgiest place. Chef Liu! Malasia! Los Reyos De Tacos! Lee Bakery! Com! Tofu House 88! You'll know it when you see it.
Ikea! Meet for meatballs, wander around. Your little one can hang out in Smalland for a while.
West Side Provisions District is a funky area, full of great restaurants and shops.
Marrietta has a charming old square also full of good restaurants and shops.
Ditto Virginia Highlands.
Tour CNN.
WNBA Basketball at Phillips arena. Kid friendly, cheap. Go Dream!
The Arboretum.
I guess I really like Atlanta!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:51 PM on July 9, 2012 [3 favorites]
Not Atlanta-specific, but maybe have a weekly dinner.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:57 PM on July 9, 2012
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:57 PM on July 9, 2012
Zamboni, I could not agree with you more about the dolphin show. WTF are they thinking? I kept laughing at all the wrong times, and all the kids and their parents would stare at me.
More on topic: How about the botanical garden? Also, Callenwalde, Fernbank Museum (one of my favorite places as a kid).
I second the Dekalb Farmer's Market (used to go there a lot as a kid, really fun).
Georgia Tech baseball games are very cheap (and they have a great team). Not that I'm biased (To Hell with Georgia!).
My favorite two places on Buford are Chicago Supermarket (Mexican supermarket with delicious tacos in the back) and Mi Pilon (Caribbean food).
On Saturday mornings there is a market at Piedmont Park, fun to walk around and people-watch.
posted by verdeluz at 2:20 PM on July 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
More on topic: How about the botanical garden? Also, Callenwalde, Fernbank Museum (one of my favorite places as a kid).
I second the Dekalb Farmer's Market (used to go there a lot as a kid, really fun).
Georgia Tech baseball games are very cheap (and they have a great team). Not that I'm biased (To Hell with Georgia!).
My favorite two places on Buford are Chicago Supermarket (Mexican supermarket with delicious tacos in the back) and Mi Pilon (Caribbean food).
On Saturday mornings there is a market at Piedmont Park, fun to walk around and people-watch.
posted by verdeluz at 2:20 PM on July 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
One more that a friend of mine with kids recommended: Wild Animal Safari. A drive-through animal park.
posted by verdeluz at 2:23 PM on July 9, 2012
posted by verdeluz at 2:23 PM on July 9, 2012
If you're up for a bit of a road trip, check out the Yellow River Game Ranch or the Kangaroo Conservation Center (further away). Decatur Square is good for walking/eating/etc. You could park somewhere and get coffee, tacos, browse art, etc. I prefer the Buford Hwy Farmers Market to the DeKalb one these days, and I hear the Super H Mart is even better than that! The World of Coca Cola is fun if you're the slightest bit into pop culture (I know some people who are WAYYY into Coke and I am only an occasional soda-drinker but it was still fun to visit, I thought). And Stone Mountain could take up most of a day if not all. Oh and Six Flags and White Water of course, but those are much pricier.
I live in the area, if you hadn't guessed, so if you want more ideas let me know!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 3:05 PM on July 9, 2012
I live in the area, if you hadn't guessed, so if you want more ideas let me know!
posted by masquesoporfavor at 3:05 PM on July 9, 2012
Board game night? Up the cut-throattedness of the games as you get to know each other.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 4:46 PM on July 9, 2012
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 4:46 PM on July 9, 2012
Miniature golf?
posted by vitabellosi at 4:55 PM on July 9, 2012
posted by vitabellosi at 4:55 PM on July 9, 2012
I feel like this situation is exactly what bi-weekly game nights are for. Or, bi-weekly dinner parties or potlucks. Or Bike Ride Sundays, where the bike ride takes 20 minutes and the destination (ice cream shop? cafe?) takes an hour.
posted by Kololo at 6:20 AM on July 10, 2012
posted by Kololo at 6:20 AM on July 10, 2012
I agree with everyone else, show the new folks where to get cheap & neat stuff in ATL. Ikea and the Dekalb Farmer's market are great. Along the same lines of culture shock shopping: go to Super H Mart on the Perimeter, the Bufort Highway Farmer's Market on Hwy 13 or Junkman's Daughter & Criminal Records in Little Five Points, or the antique district in Norcross.
If the older folks enjoy cold beverages of the adult sort, go to Dekalb square (on the MARTA so as to not have to worry about driving) and let the kids play in the fountain while the adults have a beer at the Brickstore or a mixed drink at Iberian Pig or Square Pub.
Take a blanket and snacks and catch a concert at the Botanical Gardens. Take an afternoon to wander Oakland Cemetary and then grab food at Six Feet Under or Homegrown on Memorial Ave. Go see the Cyclorama and the Zoo.
Keep an eye on the Fresh Loaf blog at Creative Loafing and they'll keep you up to date on other fun, free, kid freindly stuff like movies at the Peidmont Park or events at Centennial Park.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 8:01 AM on July 10, 2012
If the older folks enjoy cold beverages of the adult sort, go to Dekalb square (on the MARTA so as to not have to worry about driving) and let the kids play in the fountain while the adults have a beer at the Brickstore or a mixed drink at Iberian Pig or Square Pub.
Take a blanket and snacks and catch a concert at the Botanical Gardens. Take an afternoon to wander Oakland Cemetary and then grab food at Six Feet Under or Homegrown on Memorial Ave. Go see the Cyclorama and the Zoo.
Keep an eye on the Fresh Loaf blog at Creative Loafing and they'll keep you up to date on other fun, free, kid freindly stuff like movies at the Peidmont Park or events at Centennial Park.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 8:01 AM on July 10, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
We wanted to see dolphins, not third-rate musical theater designed to traumatize toddlers.
posted by zamboni at 1:47 PM on July 9, 2012 [2 favorites]