50% off High Museum Tickets

What: 50% off Admission

Image by travfotos via Flickr

Where: High Museum of Art
When: Thursdays in March from 4 – 8 pm
Cost: Full Priced Admission is adults ($18), seniors and students ($15), children 6-17 ($11), under 5 (free) For the month of March college students with id get in for $5! Think they’d take my old college id?

The High Museum is one of my favorite attractions in Atlanta and a great place for kids, really. A few years ago, my then first grader went to a birthday party there and attended the Louvre Exhibit. To my surprise, my children LOVED it. I’m convinced it was because each had the audio tour. Boys will do anything if electronics are involved.

Since then I’ve discovered what a treasure trove this museum is for all ages. There isn’t enough room in this post for everything, so let’s focus on three things you can do on Thursday evenings.

If you haven’t already, the Terra Cotta Army is must see, especially if you have older children. You can read my post about this exhibit here. The Green Family Gallery is a great place to let the kids run around and play. My favorite activity though is the Discovery Backpacks available at coat check.

There are two versions of the backpacks, each with several lucite cards depicting a piece in the museum along with questions to ask and accompanying objects that make it hands on. For example, one card features a marble statue of a girl. You go to that floor, open your backpack and pull out the book “Escape from Pompeii.” Read the book in front of the statue, then answer the questions on the card. Questions like, “What do you think the weather is like?” Answer “Windy, her dress is billowing.” Then you pull out the blocks of wood and marble and discuss what the statue is made of. My 4 year old enjoyed this and I was surprised at how accurate his answers were. One activity asks kids to interpret a painting of two circles and a swish underneath. I saw suns, not very creative. My oldest saw two people hugging each other. I love that painting now and whenever I see it I think of him and smile.

In my opinion the backpacks are a stroke of sheer genius. They make the art more accessible and the museum less overwhelming, plus it adds that hands on element that kids (ok and adults) crave.