Kid friendly spaces in the Atlanta airport?

May 18, 2018 4:11 PM

Are there any playgrounds or other kid-friendly spaces in the Atlanta airport? The directory and website have nothing, and while travel sites claim there are kid-friendly areas they are hopelessly vague. I would include more detail but I'm dictating this with my phone in one hand while I carry an ornery toddler in the other!
posted by Tehhund to Travel & Transportation around Atlanta, GA (3 answers total)

I go through ATL on the regular, and the big thing about it is - it's big. And stays pretty crowded for the most part. Here's two ways I would consider going depending on whether you think the path to peace is to keep your toddler busy vs. keeping them relatively chill...

busy: I'm sure you read this article, but to try to add some detail - the atrium they speak of does have a lot of little stuff to look at and roam around in. What they don't say is that this atrium is OUTSIDE the TSA secured area, so if you are arriving at this airport via plane and are killing time during a layover it's a big decision to venture out and deal with going back through the line.

The "backbone" of the airport that connects all the terminals T-E is underground, and they actually have some exhibits in these corridors, which depending on time of day are sometimes a little less bright, loud and frantic than the terminal corridors. There are a lot of pictures of ATL history to look at and interesting exhibits overhead. It's a LONG walk from one end of this to another, but there are also subway-style trains to take you back to where you need to be if they get tired of walking.

There are a lot of restaurants, and some of them are actually pretty good. I think it's A and D terminals that have some "sit-down" options where you can get an actual booth or table inside a restaurant, not just mall food-court style ordering and seating.

chill: If I had to keep a toddler busy for a long layover, and were hoping they'd sleep part of the time, I'd consider booking myself into one of the airport lounges like the Delta Sky club. They cost about $40 a head (less if you have an Amex) and they have wifi and snacks. So if your toddler is the type who will chill out if you can get him or her still with some books and toys, it's a much more comfortable environment than a airport departure "lounge."
posted by randomkeystrike at 4:59 PM on May 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

For chill space I have had good luck in the usually-empty airport chapel Concourse F.
posted by jessamyn at 7:22 PM on May 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yes, some of the walkways between terminals are big and open, and usually much less crowded, because it's a long walk. I can not think of ever seeing a kid specific space.
posted by bongo_x at 1:24 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]