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American Girl has free activities today and Friday from 4-6 pm to celebrate 2103 Doll of the Year, Saige. Enter to win your own Saige on the Field Trips w/Sue American Girl Doll post.
This morning on the Field Trips with Sue segment of Better Mornings Atlanta, we focused on free activities in Atlanta.
Now that the holidays are over and the fiscal cliff diverted (somewhat anyway), if you’re like me, you over spent, over ate and now it’s time to pay the piper. Just because you don’t have a lot of extra cash, doesn’t mean you have to stay home.
Here are seven free Activities in Atlanta with kids, plus a giveaway for the 2013 American Girl Doll of the Year, Saige. If you are interested in more free activities in Atlanta, purchase 100+ Free Things to do in Atlanta at a 50% discount through Jan. 20. Here’s a bit of what you’ll find in the book.
Have Butterflies land on you at Callaway Gardens. Weekdays and non-holidays are free in January and February.
In our first Field Trips with Sue segment on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta (click the link to see the segment) we talked about:
- Booth Western Museum: The Booth has the largest permanent exhibit space for Western Art in the country. It’s a wonderful museum for all ages, including children. The museum has several ways to engage children in the museum including interactive ‘saddlebags’ with activities geared toward specific pieces. The Sagebrush Ranch is a children’s play area that allows kids to be hands on, playing on a chuck wagon or riding in a stage coach. Kids 12 and under are always free and the first Thursday of every month, the museum is entirely free from 4 – 8 pm.
- Dunwoody Nature Center: The Center is a fantastic place to let kids run around and work off all the holiday treats, plus it’s always free. It features woodland, creekside and wetlands hiking, with take and return cards to learn about plant and wildlife along the way. There is also a shaded playground and playhouse. For more learning, check out an I-Spy backpacks for a $10 fee. The backpacks include a parent guidebook with sample questions and activities for all ages from pre-school through high school. You’ll also find field guides, drawing materials, storybooks and games.
- Callaway Gardens: Callaway Gardens is free weekdays and non-holidays throughout January and February. There are lots of fun things to do and see at Callaway Gardens, such as witnessing butterflies emerging and taking flight in the warm, tropical Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center. While visiting, get outdoors for a little exercise on one of the many walking trails or meander through the Gardens on the Discovery Bicycle Trail (bicycles are available for rent or bring your own). January and February are also a great time to take on the challenge of TreeTop Adventure. Although there is a fee for this, you won’t have to pay the Callaway entrance fee as well, which you’d normally need to do.
Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s latest exhibit is based on the Magic School Bus series.
In our second segment of Field Trips with Sue on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta (click the link to see the segment) we talked about:
- American Girl Free Activities (and doll giveaway): American Girl is debuting their 2013 Girl of the Year with a host of free events at the North Point Mall Store. Today and Friday from 4 – 6 pm, girls can find out more about Saige, the new doll through drawing demonstrations, crafts and a scavenger hunt. Adults may also want to check out the Field Trips w/Sue blog for additional initiatives based on Saige’s interest in the arts. American Girl is giving out more than $45,000 in Arts based grants to elementary schools, and curriculum and activities to get kids interested in the arts.
- Young Eagles Flying – As a way to get kids interested in Aviation, the EAA chapter of Columbus, GA. offers Kids between the ages of 8 and 17 can their first Young Eagles Flight with a trained pilot the last Saturday of the month from 8:30 – 11:30 at the Flightways Center in Columbus, GA. Here’s what they learn:
- On the ground: The pilot explains what will happen during the flight. This might include talking about the airplane, reviewing an aeronautical chart (or map), identifying reference points during the flight, completing a careful “walk around” preflight inspection of the airplane, and identifying the parts that control the airplane.
- Just before take-off: The pilot helps kids buckle into their seat belt and describes the interior of the airplane, including the instrument panel.
- In the air: It’s a whole new view of the earth and sky. And, kids want, the pilot may let them take the controls! The flight lasts between 15 and 20 minutes.
- Back on the ground: There’s more time to ask questions about the flight. Kids receive an official Young Eagles logbook, which is signed by their personal pilot, and their name is added to a long list of Young Eagles in the World’s Largest Logbook.
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Zoo Atlanta Pass from Local Library:
Zoo Atlanta offers a free pass for check out at most Georgia public library branches. The pass is good for a family of four to visit the zoo and winter is the best time to try getting the pass. We’ve been able to secure this from our library before, but I’ve heard it’s exceptionally hard at some branches. The pass can be checked out for seven days and is available to each family one time during the year. Contact your library to see if it’s available or when it is due back. Libraries do not put holds on the library pass.
- Children’s Museum of Atlanta: The Second Tuesday of each month – Which is Tuesday, Jan. 8. Special hours are 11 am – 5 pm for Jan. 8 and go back to the normal 1 – 7 pm in February. The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is free as part of Target Free Days. Kids can enjoy the permanent exhibits or the last few weeks of the Magic School Bus Kicks up a Storm – learning about weather with the Frizz.
