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

What: Free Bowling for Kids 12 and Under
Where: Brunswick Lanes and 300 Atlanta
When: June, July and August, September
Cost: FREE

Field Trips with Sue readers already know you can get Free Bowling at AMF Bowling Centers, but here’s more deals for free bowling at 300 Atlanta and Brunswick Lanes.

At 300 Atlanta (2175 Savoy Dr.), kids can pick up a 2010 Kids Club Card. It’s good for one free game & shoe rental every day this summer. Must be 12 years or younger to qualify. The card is redeemable Sun-Fri before 4pm and expires Sept. 7. For more information, call 770.451.8605.

Join Brunswick’s Bonus Zone and include your child’s birthday and receive free bowling coupons by mail. Brunswick will email the coupons for free games to your inbox each week. The coupons are good for June, July and August. Note this deal does not include shoe rental.

Gabe Wardell, Atlanta Film Festival

Whenever I do the Field Trips with Sue segment on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta, I look forward to seeing who is in-studio that day promoting events. This week, I met Gabe Wardell, executive director of the Atlanta Film Festival which is taking place this weekend. What a cool job.

The Atlanta Film Festival runs April 15 – 23. In addition to more adult fare, the festival has a partnership with KIDS FIRST! a project of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media to provide FREE kids programming. The festival also has a selection of teen movies as part of the Teen Screen programming. For specfic films, go to pages 153 – 157 of the Atlanta Film Festival program guide.

If you missed the Field Trips with Sue segments this morning, you can go to CBS Better Mornings Atlanta to watch them. Here’s a recap:

Earth Day Activities – Here’s the great list we mentioned from Atlanta with Kid
Atlanta Dogwood Festival – Adventure Base 100
Panola State Park Tree Climbing

National Parks Week
Mary Poppins Ticket Give-a-Way and Discounts
Kids Bowl Free program

What: Kids Bowl Free two games per day (must be under 15)
Where: Select AMF Bowling Centers
When: Generally May 24 – Sept. 18, but in Decatur the program began April 1 (check the actual location for specifics)
Cost: FREE (Add on up to 4 adults for only $24.95)

My kids love to bowl and it’s a great indoor activity when the weather is bad or it’s just too hot to hang outside. This summer at select bowling centers (read only outside the perimeter) kids can get a coupon to bowl two free games every day. Shoe rental is extra.

For adults that want to join in the fun, there is a special Family Pass. For a$24.95 one time fee, up to four adults can get the same 2 free games daily. That’s a fabulous deal for the whole summer.

If you plan to bowl quite a bit, you may want to invest in bowling shoes as well. I found a child’s pair for $29.99 at www.bowlingshoedepot.com.

Since the kids are out of school all week (mine don’t go back until Jan. 6!), I’m sure everyone is looking for something to do. Well here’s a few ideas for this week.

What: Bowling
Where: Brunswick Zone
When: Through Jan. 5
Cost: With the coupon $30 for 6

I signed up for coupons through Brunswick Zone’s website and received a coupon good for 2 hrs. of bowling, shoe rental, and pitcher of Coke for up to six people. That’s better than the GroupOn deal from this afternoon! I’m not sure you can sign up and get the coupon immediately, but you might want to call your local bowling center and ask. They also have holiday cards with a kids bowl free coupon on them. The holiday card coupon is good until Dec. 31.

What: Ride the Pink Pig
Where: Lenox Mall
When: Through Jan. 1
Cost: $3 for children of all ages, 2 for 1 coupon

The Pink Pig is a holiday tradition in my family. We made my brother, who moved from New Jersey last winter. come with us this year. If you haven’t made it to Macy’s yet, grab a 2 for 1 coupon online. Using the coupon turns 1 ride into 2, 2 rides into 4 or 3 rides into 6. You can’t split up the rides, each coupon is good for one person. Your Pink Pig ticket is also good for 25 percent off Georgia Aquarium tickets. So you can go from pigs to fish.

What: Radio Disney Noon Year’s Eve Party
Where: City of Smyrna Community Center
When: Dec. 31, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: Free

My kids love New Year’s Eve. If we were in town, I’d definately take them to the Radio Disney Noon Year’s Eve party. They’ll have a big dance party, games, contests and prizes. At noon there is a balloon drop and cider toast.

What: Free Bowling Coupons
Where: Online from Brunswick Zone

Image via Wikipedia

When: Coupons good through Nov. 24
Cost: FREE

I saw this fabulous deal on All Aboard Atlanta. Print out the coupons, then give them out to trick or treaters, or if your neighborhood passes around the “Boo” poem with a bag full of goodies, include a few free bowling coupons too. Of course if it keeps on raining in Atlanta, you just might want to print a sheet for the weekend.

I really should just buy the boys bowling shoes. That would make these free bowling deals a real no brainer. It looks like they might do a similar coupon for the holidays. If so, any idea where Santa could get a line on cheap children’s bowling shoes?