What: LEGO mini-build
Where: LEGO Store Discover Mills Mall
When: First Tuesday of the Month beginning at 5 pm
Cost: FREE (while supplies last)

In Feburary, I took the boys to Discover Mills mall for the LEGO mini-build. Discover Mills is in Lawrenceville, a bit of a haul for us intowners, but I have some LEGO lovers and I wanted to check out the new airsoft place too.

We arrived at the LEGO store about 5:05 pm. The line was already down the mall! When I asked the folks in front how long they’d been there, they said since 4:00 pm!! The LEGO attendant said they had people showing up around 3:15!!!

We’d already come quite a way, so we decided to wait. It took about an hour in line, but by my calculations, we would have waited the same hour if we’d gotten there earlier too. We had some nice folks around us so it really wasn’t a bad wait. One women told me they bring their homework and sit down and work on it while in line (wish I’d thought of that).

Once inside, you pick up your pieces and head to one of three tables where a LEGO employee assists the kids in putting together their creation. My five year old said he’d love to come back, but the 10 and 12 year old said it was fun, but they’ve check it off the list now.

The store itself is pretty cool too. There is a screen where you can scan a LEGO set box and it virtually builds it on the screen. As you move the box, the virtually built set moves. It was WAAYYY cool (or sick as the kids are saying these days).

Bottom line, take a look at the video to see if this is an activity for you. The only downside in my mind was the long wait, but if you aren’t strapped for time, why not, just come prepared. I also learned that the LEGO store does birthday parties, but you need to schedule them at least 3 – 4 months out. Across the mall is another great place, the Sling Shot Speedway, but that’s another post. We never made it to the Airsoft place.

Winner: The Winner of the Georgia Aquarium tickets is Fran B.! Congratulations. Send me an email at sue@fieldtripswithsue.com with your address and I’ll mail you the tickets.

We’re wrapping up the Field Trips with Sue Birthday Bash with a one year membership to the High Museum of Art! My boys are pretty excited for the upcoming exhibit The Allure of the Automobile opening March 21.(ok, so am I) The High has great family programs too. Our favorite field trip is still going to the High Museum and watching the gladiator show during a Target Family Fun Day. We went early to catch the first show and ended up staying all day to see every show! And I can’t talk about the High without extolling the wonders of the Discovery Backpacks. The best part about the High is the employees. They are smart, helpful, problem solvers and most of all, they seem to enjoy the exhibits just as much as the patrons. In a city with a lot of wonderful museums and attractions, good people set you apart and make me willing to wrestle with finding a parking place.

If you don’t win the membership, you can still have two ways to get in free this weekend. Fulton County residents are free the first Saturday of every month. Get there early and be prepared to wait in a line, but what a great deal. Bank of America customers get in free Saturday and Sunday and every first weekend of the month. It’s part of the Museums on Us program. If you aren’t a BofA customer, Sunday is half price in the Score Half Off Tickets promo.

I hope you’ll continue to comment on posts and give me your thoughts next week. I love hearing from you. If you’ve visited someplace great, let us know about it. We even welcome guest posts, and we’ll link back to your blog if you have one.

How to win the High Museum of Art Membership: We’ll announce the winner Friday morning, so become a subscriber of Field Trips with Sue via email (it’s FREE) and leave a comment below to let me know you want to win. That’s it.

Want an extra shot at winning? Follow @suerodman on twitter and tweet this: I want to win a membership @highmuseumofart in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

We’re entering the final week of the Field Trips with Sue Birthday Bash and our final week of presents. I hope you’ll continue to comment on posts and give me your thoughts next week. I love hearing from you. Up today, four tickets to the High Museum of Art.

As we said last week, you can use the tickets to enjoy Toddler Thursday. This week children are making silly seats! Find out how furniture can be fun and functional! Make a chair for your favorite imaginary friend.

Take your little sweeties to the High on Valentine’s Day for Second Sunday Funday. Delight in a dynamic artist demonstration, express your inner-artist in the open studio, and connect to different cultures through magical live performances. On Feb. 14, create a print with China’s lucky dragon symbol and a lantern just in time for Chinese Lantern Festival. Enjoy performances by the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company and Young Audiences artist Lisa Chyn.

Everyday fun can be had in the Greene Family Gallery, another great stop at the High.  Make sure to check out a Discovery Backpack when you visit too. These packs are one of my favorite things about the High and a great way to expereince the permanent pieces in the Gallery.

Or save your tickets and see the upcoming exhibit The Allure of the Automobile opening March 21. I know this is on our list.

How to win the High Museum of Art Tickets: We’ll announce the winner Tuesday morning, so become a subscriber of Field Trips with Sue via email (it’s FREE) and leave a comment below to let me know you want to win. That’s it.

Want an extra shot at winning? Follow @suerodman on twitter and tweet this: I want to win tickets to the High Museum in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

Winner: The winner of the Museum of Patriotism tickets is @atlnewf. Our second winner via twitter.

Stay tuned. Next week is our final week of Birthday Presents and we’ve got some great ones coming up. I just had to share this video from Liza Cardona. Liza won the tickets to the World of Coca-Cola and this is her daughter’s reaction when she told her. I guess Coke truly does Open Happiness. Thanks for sharing Liza, you made my day. I hope you and your daughter have a GREAT time.

Image via Wikipedia

Winner: It doesn’t appear that the feed went out yesterday so I’m extending the deadline to Win Tickets to the High Museum of Art. If you want to win tickets to the High, go to the post and leave a comment.

And Now for our Next Present: Today we’re also giving away tickets to Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. You can use your tickets to see the upcoming exhibit in the morph gallery, Cyberchase, The Chase is On! The exhibit begins on Feb. 13 and runs through June 6. Based on the Emmy award-winning PBS KIDS GO! TV series Cyberchase, the exhibit presents math in a fun, kid-friendly environment, allowing children to make use of their critical thinking skills and approach math with an investigative, positive attitude.

How to win the Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta Tickets: We’ll announce the winner Thursday morning, so become a subscriber of Field Trips with Sue via email (it’s FREE) and leave a comment below to let me know you want to win. That’s it.

Want an extra shot at winning? Follow @suerodman on twitter and tweet this: I want to win tickets to @ImagineItCMA in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

Winner: Congratulations to the World of Coca-Cola Tickets Winner Liza Cardona! Liza got an extra entry by sending a tweet. She’s our first winner via twitter. Liza send me an email at sue@fieldtripswithsue.com with your address.

Now for our next present: A four pack of tickets to the High Museum of Art. Use the tickets to enjoy toddler Thursday. This Thurs., Jan. 28 make life-sized self portraits. Trace your entire self on a giant piece of paper then decorate your cut-out from your nose to your clothes, all the way to your toes!

The Greene Family Gallery is another great stop at the High.  Make sure to check out a Discovery Backpack when you visit too. These packs are one of my favorite things about the High and a great way to expereince the permanent pieces in the Gallery.

Or save your tickets and see the upcoming exhibit The Allure of the Automobile opening March 21. I know this is on our list.

How to win the High Museum of Art Tickets: We’ll announce the winner Wednesday morning, so become a subscriber of Field Trips with Sue via email (it’s FREE) and leave a comment below to let me know you want to win. That’s it.

Want an extra shot at winning? Follow @suerodman on twitter and tweet this: I want to win tickets to the High Museum in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

Photo by Bill Vanderford

Are you ready for more presents this week? Up today, four tickets to the World of Coca-Cola.

Trivia about me, when I moved to Atlanta, my first job was at the World of Coca-Cola in Underground Atlanta. I always felt like I was taking a history of advertising class by working there (and I love all things advertising, my favorite TV show is Mad Men). Coca-Cola truly was a maverick in advertising – coupons, sports marketing, the use of celebrities, all  pioneered by Coca-Cola.

If you aren’t into advertising, you’ll still enjoy this interactive museum. There’s a great 4-D movie, a chance to get your picture with a giant polar bear and my children’s favorite, all the Coke products you can drink. The retail store is pretty awesome too and boasts lots of recycled and “upcycled” products. I’m still wishing for a Kathleen Plate necklace.

How to win the Tickets to the World of Coca-Cola: We’ll announce the winner Tuesday morning, so become a subscriber of Field Trips with Sue via email (it’s FREE) and leave a comment below to let me know you want to win. That’s it.

Want an extra shot at winning? Follow @suerodman on twitter and tweet this: I want to win tickets to the WOCC in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

Winner: Amy C. You are the winner of the Thomas the Tank Engine Train Pack. Please email me your address (sue@fieldtripswithsue.com). We’ll be back next week with more prizes, until then…

Nuclear Cowboyz at the Georgia Dome, Feb. 13
Atlanta Braves Community Caravan
Silver Scream Spookshow

The LEGO Store Mini-Model Lego Build at Discover Mills Mall (Info coming next week)
Atlanta Thrashers Open Practice
FTWS Ongoing Birthday Bash (lots of great prizes to come!)

Winner: Congratulations to the Callaway Gardens winner Brooke Werner McEckon! Brooke send me an email at sue@fieldtripswithsue.com with your address. FYI – All winners are chosen through random.org, I don’t actually pick the winners, I let the computer do that – the other way would be WAAYY too much pressure.

Now for our next present: We’re giving away a Thomas the Tank Engine Prize Pack. I know how much everyone LOVES Thomas and this is a GREAT package. Perfect Valentine’s Gift for that special little guy (or guys, there’s enough here to spread around.)

Here’s what’s included in the prize pack:
Talking Railway Knapford Station Set (Thomas Wooden Railway)
Join Thomas and his friends for an exciting stop at Knapford Station! This complete wooden set is a full layout destination pack that features exclusive engine recognition technology that allows Sir Topham Hatt to greet Talking Railway engines by name for hours of interactive fun! Hear Thomas, Percy and talk too!

Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails DVD
In this action-packed tale of friendship, determination and teamwork Thomas discovers an abandoned and broken down engine named Hiro from an exciting far away land. Fearing that he will be scrapped, Thomas enlists help from many friends including Victor, a new steam engine and Kevin, a new crane vehicle who both work at the spectacular Sodor Steam Works. But mishaps, mistakes and one boastful engine could foil their plans for a heroic rescue. Can the engine pals work together to help their new friend? Join the adventure and find out!

Repair and Go Station (Thomas Wooden Railway)
The Sodor Steamworks is ready for repairs! Lifte the engines with the crane to do a thorough inspection. Visit the repair stations to check the engines oil and replace and rest their wheels. After a visit to the Steamworks, the engines are ready to go! This is the newest destination on the Island of Sodor, as seen in Hero of the Rails!

Thomas Wooden Railway(tm) Engines: Victor & Hiro
Two of the newest engines on the Island of Sodor, Hiro and Victor help Thomas in his adventures in Hero of the Rails.

How to win the Thomas the Tank Engine Gift Pack: We’ll announce the winner Friday morning, so become a subscriber of Field Trips with Sue via email (it’s FREE) and leave a comment below to let me know you want to win. That’s it.

Want an extra shot at winning? Follow @suerodman on twitter and tweet this: I want to win a Thomas the Tank Engine Prize Pack in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

This train set is included in the Thomas gift set we're giving away this week.

Our winner is… Johanna! Congratulations Johanna. Email me at sue@fieldtripswithsue.com  your address so we can send the tickets. Several people said they had never been to the Center for Puppetry Arts, don’t delay, get tickets today. Included in the price of your show admission is create-a-puppet workshop and admission to the museum (which is worth a trip all by itself). They do a fantastic job and there’s free parking, right out back so it’s an easy place to get in and out. It’s also a great place for birthday parties. My son went to see the Shoemaker’s Elves last month and is STILL talking about it.

Up Next Week: Tickets to Young Frankenstein at the Fox Theater, Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Callaway Gardens and the World of Coca-Cola. We’ve also got an AWESOME Thoms the Tank Engine train pack that includes a DVD, train set and trains!