Fernbank's NatureQuest is a nature lovers indoor playground

During the cold winter months, everyone heads indoors. For families looking for things to do in Atlanta with kids indoors, there are lots of options for every age. Here’s a list of twelve great indoor activities for everyone in your family from toddlers to teens. Even the adults will have fun. What are your favorites?

Waiting to get on the main court for the SkyMania session

1. SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park: This is the latest attraction for families in the Atlanta area and a great place for tweens and teens.

2. Indoor Water Parks in Atlanta: Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t go swimming. These indoor water parks offer water slides, lazy rivers and play structures. NOTE: This link is to a post I did last year. Check current times and prices with the location before visiting.

3. Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Nature Quest: I love this nature themed indoor playground for the under 8 set. There are so many things to explore, it will take your little one several visits.

4. Indoor Rock Climbing Gyms in Atlanta: We’ve visited Stone Summit Climbing Gym, which was great for kids. I know other folks who like Atlanta Rocks.

5. Silver Scream Spookshow: This quirky variety show followed by vintage horror flick is free for kids under 12. In 2012 the Silver Scream Spookshow will run every other month at the Plaza Theatre on Ponce de Leon in Midtown starting in February.

Sagebrush Ranch is the indoor playground at the Booth Western Museum

6. Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta: This indoor museum is a great place for kids to play and parents can feel good about knowing their children are learning at the same time. Check out their When I Am cards to find out exactly what they are learning. The video on this link gives you a great overview of the museum’s permanent exhibits.

7. High Museum of Art: I love the High Museum for Kids. Be sure to check out a Discovery Backpack and the Green Family Gallery. Toddler Thursdays are a great way to introduce your little ones to art.

8. Home Depot Workshop and Lowe’s Workshop: No matter what time of year, my boys love donning an apron and hammering some nails.

9. LEGO Mini-Builds: This free activity can get crowded, but for the LEGO fan, it’s worth it.

10. Booth Western Museum: This Cartersville museum has become one of my favorites for kids. They have lots of hands-on activities.

11. Tellus: Another Cartersville museum, this one will keep them busy for hours.

12. National Infantry Museum: This fantastic museum is in Columbus Georgia, but it’s worth the drive, especially if you have tween and teens. You can even shoot on the rifle range.

Atlanta

What: Skiing Near Atlanta at Beech Mountain, NC
Where: Beech Mountain North Carolina
When: Ski Season is officially
Cost: Ski and Stay Packages begin at $99 per person for weekday skiing

Last year, my family took a vacation to Beech Mountain Resort. It was the first time my boys had ever been skiing and they loved it. Beech is a great place for kids and adults to try out skiing or get themselves ready for a vacation out west. Here is a guide to a fun filled family ski vacation at Beech Mountain, NC, including plenty of time away from the slopes.

The FREE sledding hill in Beech Mtn.

Ski Beech Mountain: Beech Mountain Ski Resort has 16 trails and 95 skiable acres.  There are seven lifts including a high-speed quad lift to the top of the mountain. When snow is scare, the resort has 23 ultra high tech snow guns to keep the slopes white. Beech Mtn. is the highest ski area in the Eastern US with a peak elevation of 5,506 ft. It’s also a great place to enjoy some real wintertime fun without having to hop a plane out West. Click here for more information on skiing Beech Mountain, NC.

What to do at Beech Mountain Other than Ski

Community Sledding Hill at Beech Mountain: Next to the Beech Mtn. visitor’s center, tucked behind a split rail fence is the Beech Mtn. community sledding hill for kids 12 and under. Sledding on the hill is free and open Nov. through mid-March, but BYOS – Bring your own sled. If you don’t have a sled, rent one from Beech Meadows Ski Rental (two doors down from the visitors center) rental sleds are $5 a day. If you’d prefer, you can purchase a sled for $10-$20. In addition, Fred’s General Mercantile (short walk) also sells sleds for $10-$20 There are two sides to the hill, one seemed to have more bumps, while the second was a bit smoother. There is a referee who monitors the hill to make sure visitors are adhering to the 12 and under rule and manage crowds if needed. Parents are allowed to go down with their pre-schooler, but otherwise, this is a kid’s domain. There are even clean, warm bathrooms located in the visitor’s center next door.

The Magic Carpet - No walking!

Hawks Nest Snow Tubing Near Beach Mountain: The Beech Mountain Visitors Center is a great warm up to snow tubing at Hawksnest, the largest snow tubing park on the East Coast and only about 30 minutes from Beech Mtn. This former ski resort offers 20 lanes of snow tubing plus a zip line course. Click here for more on Hawk’s Nest Snow Tubing.

Shopping at Fred’s General Mercantile at Beech Mountain: No visit to Beech Mountain is complete without a stop at Fred’s General Mercantile. Fred Pfohl is an interesting fellow and you’ll find him a short walk from the community sledding hill at Fred’s General Mercantile. His motto is “If you don’t see it, ask for it… If we don’t have it, you don’t need it,” and he’s right. This store has everything from ski equipment (including rental clothes)to groceries and even items literally displayed in a kitchen sink. There are three floors of shopping, so make sure to check it all out. The bottom floor also includes a deli where you can get sandwiches or an awesome bacon, egg and cheese breakfast biscuit – with bacon cooked to perfection. Don’t leave without meeting Fred and his wife Margie. If you have any questions about Beech Mountain, they can help. In addition to his stint as Mayor, Fred was instrumental in bringing a FREE community sledding hill to Beech Mountain. He is also a major player in making Beech a year round vacation destination, having built several hiking trails in the area.

Archers Mountain Inn has hotel rooms and homes for rent

Where to Stay at Beech Mountain: Beech Mountain has a special $99 Stay and Ski package. That price is only good on the weekday’s, but would be perfect if your school has a winter break (or maybe spring break). We stayed at Archer’s Moutainside Inn, which offers the Stay and Ski package. Archer’s Mountainside Inn is located about half-way up Beech Mtn. It’s the perfect central location, close to both Beech and Sugar ski resorts. The Inn offers rooms and 3, 4 and 5 bedroom vacation home rentals. During the ski season, rooms start at $80 weekday and $110 weekends and homes start at $300 for weekday and $450 for weekends. We stayed in one of the vacation homes. The boys enjoyed the novelty of swimming in the hot tub with snow all around and loved having a nighttime snowball fight. The cabin itself was very nice and had three floors with the master on the main, two bedrooms downstairs and a loft on the third floor. A great set up to get away from the kids for a bit if you wanted. The bottom and middle floors have gas fireplaces that were a welcome sight coming in from a day in the snow. I was amazed at how even the heat was in the house too. Even with the freezing temperatures outside, it was toasty inside on all levels. The only improvement I’d suggest is an upgrade to the linens and towels and a few extra blankets, although the house was warm enough that we didn’t really need the extra blankets. The next time we visit, I might consider getting two of the larger Inn rooms, especially if we’re only there for a night or two. The price is about the same (maybe even a bit cheaper) and you could just walk to Jackalope’s for breakfast – which is included with the Inn rooms – but then we’d lose the hot tub and the space to spread out.

Words of praise on a pizza plate beech

Where to Eat at Beech Mountain: If you’re hungry after sledding on the community sledding hill at Beech Mtn., head across the street from the hill to the Brick Oven Pizzera. We’re a pizza loving family and this was pretty darn good pie. Don’t take my word for it though; see all the notes and messages left by former patrons hanging from the walls. For an upscale dinner with a gorgeous view, head back down the mountain less than a mile to Jackalope’s View. This mountainside restaurant is part of Archer’s Mountainside Inn, a group of lodge rooms and vacation homes. The restaurant has won the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 1999. The menu offers a tasty selection of fish, chicken, beef or pasta dishes with beautiful views of the mountains. Our waitress recommended the bleu cheese encrusted pork chop, which was exceptional. There is not a kids’ menu at Jackalope’s, however, the chef created a special kids pasta for my youngest who proclaimed it “the best pasta ever.” The restaurant also serves a full breakfast which is included in lodge rooms.

For more fun ski resorts near Atlanta, check out this post from Atlanta with Kid.

Beech Mountain

Photo Credit: http://ow.ly/8AVoN

What: Atlanta Braves Community Caravan
When: Jan. 27 – Feb. 9, 2012 (times vary by location and date)
Where: Across the Southeast Including Ga., SC, NC, AL and TN locations
Cost: FREE

The 2012 Braves Country Caravan, presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors is hitting the road January 27th thru February 9th. With more than 25 stops in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, the Braves will travel more than 3,000 miles and meet thousands of fans before the team heads to Orlando for Spring Training. To get a detailed list of who will be where, visit the Atlanta Braves website.

Atlanta Braves players, coaches, alumni, broadcasters, and team executives will make community appearances at children’s hospitals, schools, and military bases, and will host autograph signings at Academy Sports + Outdoors stores and Taco Mac locations throughout the Southeast. Check the schedule to see when we’ll be in your town, and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

Here’s some great photos of a stop last year in Macon from a blog called The World this Week.

Indoor activities for kids is a hot topic as the weather gets cooler and the rain continues to fall. Of course, giveaways for some of Atlanta’s hottest shows are big news too. We talked about both yesterday morning on the Field Trips with Sue segment on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta.

Here is a link to the giveaways to Atlanta area shows.(It takes a few minutes to load, so be patient) Be sure to register to win – we’ll be choosing the winners over the next two days. We talked about…

• Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus
• Laughing Pizza Red Carpet Movie Premiere
• Space! at the Center for Puppetry Arts
• MEMPHIS, at the Fox Theatre

Next we talked about indoor activities for kids in Atlanta. Including…

• 2012 Braves Country Caravan – see Field Trips with Sue later today for more information and a link to the schedule
• Stone Summit Climbing Gym
• Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta (note the link here goes to a post with Curious George. That was a previous exhibit, starting Feb. 4, it will be Clifford!) - Clifford Exhibit opens on Feb. 4 with a BOGO offer for Fulton County residents on opening day. Don’t forget, the second Tuesday of every month is Target Free Tuesday at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta from 1 – 7 pm.

Waiting to get on the main court for the SkyMania session. SkyMania is specifically for kids 11 - 15.

What: SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park
Where: 590 Old Peachtree Rd., Suwanee, Ga.
When:
Tuesday – Thursday 3 – 9 pm
Friday 12 – 9 pm, SkyMania (10 – 15 years old) 9 – 11 pm
Saturday 10 – 9 pm, SkyJam (ages 16+) 9 – 11 pm
Sunday 11 – 7 pm
Monday – Closed
Cost:  Prices start at $9 for 30 min. Most people will jump for 90 min ($17)
Photos: For additional photos, visit SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park on Field Trips with Sue on Facebook

SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park is not your backyard variety trampoline. That is unless your backyard trampoline has side walls to jump on, a dodgeball court, basketball net and a foam pit to jump into.

Last weekend I took a group of tween boys to SkyMania night at SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park to check the place out. SkyMania is a Friday night event especially for teens and tweens ages 10 – 15. SkyJam is a similar event held on Saturday nights for teens 16 and older. The program runs from 9 – 11 pm and includes 90 minutes of jumping, 2 slices of pizza and a drink for $16. A bargain given a normal 90 minute jump session is $17. And drop off is totally acceptable. If you have toddlers, a special toddler time is scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 – 11 am. Parents are asked to stay with the toddlers.

Shooting hoops at Skyzone. Court Monitors allow one person at a time to shoot.

SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park Facility
SkyZone  is located in a warehouse complex. There are four main jumping areas, a game section with air hockey, pool and video games for those that need a break from jumping, plus a parents lounge and various decks for viewing or snacking. Jumpers can either wear shoes provided by the facility or go barefoot, but just socks are not allowed.

• Main Court: The main court is 9,000 square feet and divided into 8 x 8 ft. squares, plus a few longer strips, so jumpers are not double jumping or crashing into each other.  There is also a small kid court off to the side that was perfect for my youngest to get his bearings before heading out into the masses of people.
• SkySlam: Two basketball nets are set up along trampolines. Try your hand at dunking on either the 10 ft. net or the 7.5 ft net.
• 

  The foam pit is 5 ft. deep. Climbing out is exercise too!

  Foam Zone: There are four lanes of trampolines that lead into a 5 ft deep foam pit. Just getting out of the foam pit is a workout in itself!

• Dodgeball Courts: There are two dodgeball courts and monitors do their best to ensure that kids of the same size are playing together. This was the highlight for all the boys, but also an area for improvement by the facility. Kudos to management for separating the bigger kids from the smaller ones. However, there was a larger crowd of younger kids and the system for switching people in and out was a bit random, resulting in some of our group complaining they had a hard time getting on the court. The court monitors were all very nice, so educate your children before they go to speak up if they can’t get on the court and let the monitors know they’ve been bypassed.

Court Monitors keep everyone safe.

Safety at SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park
Safety is a big concern for parents. SkyZone has court monitors at each station. Four in the main jump area, two for each dodgeball court, one at the foam pit and another at the basketball court. At the foam pit and basketball areas only one child goes at a time. The Dodgeball courts do their best to keep same size kids playing against each other and only allow 13 people on each side. The way the main court is separated into squares of individual trampolines discourages double bouncing. In addition, the facility only holds 147 jumpers at any one time, so although it can get crowded at the dodgeball court, it doesn’t feel too crowded on the main court and the lines are not overly long for the basketball or foam pit. In fact, it’s a welcome relief to stop bouncing for a minute. Walking after all that jumping makes your feet feel like lead boots!

Cleanliness at SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park
As soon as the kids were off the trampolines, staff was beginning to wash down the courts. Each night they spray the trampolines and pads with sanitizer and scrub them down. The foam pit is sprayed nightly and weekly the 5 ft pit is emptied and throughly cleaned. It’s a five hour job!

Trampolines and pads are sanitized and scrubbed every night.

SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park Tickets
As we’ve mentioned, SkyZone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park has a limited capacity of 147 people. Although they do accept walk-up ticket sales, often on weekends and holidays they are sold out prior to the session time through advanced sales. Especially while the facility is so new, I recommend securing your tickets before you go. The Friday we went, they had sold out by 11 am that morning.

Although we were provided a complimentary admission for the purpose of reviewing this establishment (as is common in the travel industry), we only recommend places we would stay and products we would use.

See Grave Digger the Legend at Little Caesars in Dallas, Ga

It’s time for Monster Jam Atlanta 2012! Atlanta is a great place to see the Monster Jam show because it’s generally shown on the Speed Channel and since it’s just one night, the trucks really do it up. Because it’s such a good show (and because we live in Georgia), Monster Jam at the Georgia Dome generally sells out. If you don’t have tickets for the Monster Jam Atlanta show on Saturday, Jan.14, get them now or you might be out of luck. You can find Monster Jam Atlanta 2012 discounts on the Monster Jam site.

If you can’t go to the show, or if you just want to get yourself pumped up for the event, here are some places where you can see Monster Truck Displays in Atlanta and meet the drivers. Bonus, these Monster Truck Displays are FREE!  For photos of Monster Jam Atlanta, visit Field Trips with Sue on Facebook. Go ahead and “Like” the page while you’re there.

What: Monster Magic
Where: Brandsmart, 400 Mt. Zion Pkwy, Stockbridge, 30236
When: Thurs., Jan. 12, 2012 from 3 – 7 pm

See Grinder at Advanced Auto Parts in Kennesaw

What: Grinder
Where: Advanced Auto Parts (Store #6540), 1660 N. Roberts Rd. NW, Kennesaw, 30144
When: Fri., Jan. 13, 2012 from 2 – 6 pm

What: War Wizard
Where: Advanced Auto Parts (Store #9672), 295 Glynn St., Fayetteville, 30214
When: Fri., Jan. 13, 2012 from 2 – 6 pm

What: Black Stallion
Where: Advanced Auto Parts (Store #6840), 3426 Clairmont Rd. NE, Atlanta 30319
When: Fri., Jan. 13, 2012 from 2 – 6 pm

The Party in the Pits allows fans to get up close and person with the trucks and secure driver autographs

What: Gunslinger
Where: Academy Sports and Outdoors, 1585 Scenic Hwy, Snellville 30078
When: Fri., Jan. 13, 2012 from 4 – 7 pm

If you are going to the show and have a ticket, be sure to pick up a  free Pit Passes at the Advanced Auto Parts or Metro PCS stores. Pit Passes are good for the Party in the Pits from 2 – 5 pm (but you must have an event ticket to use the Party in the Pits pass). During the Party in the Pits you can go down on the track, see the Monster Trucks up close, meet the drivers and get autographs. It gets very crowded at the Party in the Pits, so if you want autographs, especially for well known drivers like Dennis Anderson, be there when the doors open.

What: Tons of Fun Fitness Challenge
Where: Georgia State Parks
When: Begin now
Cost: $5 Parking Fee, Online resources available

The holidays are over and it’s time to get rid of those unwanted pounds and get fit (bathing suit season is around the corner you know:) The Georgia State Parks is encouraging everyone to get out and get fit and they’ve put together a new wellness program to help do it.

The new Tons of Fun Fitness Challenge features a website – TonsofFun.org — where Georgians can create an online profile to plan activities, track calories burned and document weight lost. The state’s goal is for citizens to lose one million pounds. Trainers and nutritionists will be available to answer questions online or during public programs.

Providence Canyon is part of the Georgia State Parks Canyon Climbers Club

The website also includes an event calendar with activities such as healthy cooking demonstrations, outdoor yoga classes and guided hikes. Make sure to check the Georgia State Parks overall calendar too, as there were some activities not listed on the Tons of Fun website that were on the main calendar for each park.

Look for more activities to come, including a program where you can borrow a dog for a hike. I love this idea. I’d love to have a dog, but am so busy that it just wouldn’t be fair to bring a pet into the family. With this program, I can get my pet fix without having to find him a place to stay when I go out of town.

For anyone who is embarking on a serious fitness program, the Tons of Fun website tools are a great way to track your efforts. Charts allow you to get a quick visual of your progress. For me, recording my food intake, exercise program and other health features every day would be a whole lot of work. I’d rather just take a longer walk.

However, the Tons of Fun Fitness Challenge does bring front and center how enjoying state parks in good for the body as well as the soul. Combine this program with the Get Outdoors Program already in place and you are on your way to better health. Get Outdoors includes several Clubs where participants pay a $10 fee to join then receive a prize for reaching their goal. Canyon Climbers is a challenge to hike four canyons in the state. Muddy Spokes Club challenges mountain bikers and casual cyclists to tackle 11 state parks and 68 miles of trails. The Park Paddlers Club offers an abundance of scenic waterways (22 miles in all) to explore, for both seasoned paddlers and wet-behind-the-ears beginners.

Atlanta Vacations

What: Free Admission to Callaway Gardens
Where: Callaway Gardens, Pine Mtn., GA
When: January and February 2012, 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: FREE
** Learn about more free things to do in Atlanta with Kids 

Callaway Gardens is about an hour and a half from downtown Atlanta and a great day trip, especially during January and February when admission is free! There are no coupons or special discounts to keep track of either, just show up.

Once you are there, enjoy the beautiful Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center. Make time for the Birds of Prey show. Shows are Monday through Sunday. The 3:30 pm free flight show is a favorite of my boys. (note the outdoor show is weather permitting). Bring your bikes, or rent them on site, the Gardens has more than 10 miles of bike trails. We just enjoyed walking from the Discovery Center to the butterfly house. The boys found turtles, cool sticks, watched fish in the creek and had a great time just running around.

photo credit: www.muscogeemoms.com

TreeTop Adventure Course
If you’re looking for more thrills, take in the TreeTop Adventure course. The TreeTop Adventure is a 60 – 90 minute ropes course that traverses nearly 1,500 feet horizontally and soars up to 30 feet aboe the forest floor. The course features five zip-lines ranging from 44 to 210 feet long. It also includes 19 more sections comprised of ladders, wires, logs, discs, netting and other suspended surfaces. The cost for the TreeTop Adventure is $30 per person, but you get a deal in that you don’t have to pay the additional garden admission that is required at other times during the year. Note that children must be at least 54 inches or taller to participate and there is a weight limit of 260 pounds.

Atlanta Vacations

It’s not too late to get away for the New Year’s holiday. Here are a few family friendly New Year’s Eve destination ideas. Have others? Let us know.

What: Family Friendly New Year’s Eve at Sandestin Golf and Beach ResortWhere: Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort
When: Sat. Dec. 31, 2011
Cost: Activities are free. Accommodations start at $135 a night.
Use the promo code FREE3 and a FREE New Year’s Even night with the purchase of two additional nights

My boys love going to Sandestin. Here is a post we did about summer travel to Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, as well as photos of Sandestin on Field Trips with Sue on Facebook. The beach isn’t only for summer though. Sandestin provides a way to celebrate the New Year in style with the convenience of being only an elevator ride away from home or a complimentary trolley ride away. In Sandestin’s Village of Baytowne Wharf, live music begins at 8 pm with The Benjy Davis Project featuring Hightide Blue, followed by Matthew Mayfield at 10 pm. The new year will be rung in with a spectacular fireworks display.

What: Snowball New Year’s Eve Celebration
Where: Great Wolf Lodge, Concord, NC
When: Sat. Dec. 31, 2011
Cost: Rates Start at $320 Kids eat free until March 29th (water park passes are included with your stay)

Or course Walt Disney World also does a fantastic family friendly New Year’s Eve. Beware, the parks will reach capacity on Dec. 31, so if you don’t like crowds, this might not be the day to go. However, they do have lots of activities to make your family new year’s eve memorable. Here’s an article from the Examiner that gives a good overview.

St. Regis Astor Ice Rink

I had a request recently from a Twitter friend asking what there was to do in Atlanta on Christmas Day. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, or you’re dying to get away from the family after the packages are unwrapped and the dinner dishes are cleared, here are some suggestions. Do you have a favorite place you go on Christmas? If so, share it with us.

Ice Skating in Atlanta
Atlanta has three fantastic ice rinks within the city. Here is an overview of Atlanta area outdoor ice skating rinks.  The Astor Ice Rink at the St. Regis and the Centennial Olympic Park ice skating rink are both open on Christmas Day. Click the links for information on each rink. For photos of the Astor Ice Rink at the St. Regis, visit Field Trips with Sue on Facebook (note these photos are from our visit in 2010)

I'd like to see the new Muppet Movie

Movies in Atlanta
When I was a kid, my older brothers would come home from college for Christmas. After dinner, they’d take me with them to the movies. Goldstar had a great deal recently for discount tickets to AMC Theaters. In addition, here is a list of cheap movie theaters in Atlanta – call first to make sure they are open on Christmas Day.

Bowling in Atlanta
A quick call to Brunswick Zone confirmed that all Brunswick Bowling Centers are open on Christmas Day. A perfect holiday outing. I contacted AMF Bowling Centers too and it’s up to the individual lanes to determine if they are open, so call before you go.

Hike the Falls for a great workout

Georgia State Parks
Why not work off a bit of the holiday gluttony with a hike in the woods. You can visit any of Georgia’s State Parks on Christmas Day. Try Sweetwater Creek State Park just east of Downtown Atlanta or Amicalola State Park north of Atlanta. We’ve also liked biking on the Silver Comet Trail or hiking to the Sope Creek Ruins.

Holiday Lights
Many of the holiday light displays in Atlanta are visible on Christmas Day, including the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Holiday Lights, Garden Nights which is open from 5 – 10 pm. We haven’t been to the Garden yet, but it’s on my list. I’ve heard this is gorgeous!

Atlanta