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

Garden Lights Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

What: Holiday Light Displays 2011
Where: Around Atlanta
When: Holiday Season 2012
Cost: See posts – some free, others have fees

One of my favorite signs that the Holidays are near is all the festive holiday light displays around town. Here’s a list of places to see beautiful Holiday Lights in Atlanta. Know others, even if it’s just a neighbor’s awesome display, leave a comment and let us know.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens: Garden Lights, Holiday Nights 2011
Dates: Nov. 19, 2011 – Jan. 7, 2012
Cost: $18.95 for adults, $12.95 for children 3 – 12
Info: A botanical-inspired light display throughout the 20-acre Midtown attraction. Visitors meander among garden displays – including giant snowflakes, fleeting bumblebees and a towering “praying Santa Mantis” while sipping hot drinks and listening to strolling carolers.

Centennial Olympic Park Holiday in Light 2011
Dates: Nov. 18, 2011 – Jan. 2, 2012
Cost: Free
Info: Different and unique every year, Holiday in Lights runs through the first week of January. The Park is open daily to view the lights from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., including Dec. 25, Christmas Day, and there is no charge for admission. The Holiday in Lights spirit is carried throughout the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus, which includes the Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park. While you’re there, save some time to go ice skating. And if you’re hungry, I can highly recommend a Googie Burger and the fresh cut fries are delicious.

Celebrate the Season with Atlantic Station 2011
Dates: Nov. 19 – Dec. 31, 2011
Cost: Free
Info: View 250,000 lights within an 8 block radius. While you’re there, gather around Atlantic Station’s grand 50-foot tall Christmas Tree and experience the magic of a realistic snowfall weeknights at 7pm, and Fridays & Saturdays, hourly 6pm-9pm and Sundays at 6 pm. (Snow is weather permitting) Dec. 19 is the official Lighting of Atlantic Station. The event runs 12 – 9 pm and includes an all-day celebration with live music, arts, crafts, delicious winter treats, fireworks, live reindeer and activities the whole family can enjoy! In addition, enjoy caroling through the park beginning Dec. 1 and a host of other ongoing activities like The Steel Mill Express.

Life College Lights of Life 2011
Dates: Nov. 21 – Dec. 31, 2011
Cost: $5 per car, $10 per van and $20 per bus
Info: More than 100 pieces displayed throughout the 1.5 mile drive through campus. The display of Santa and his sleigh stands over 65 feet high making it the tallest in the Southeast. There is a free petting zoo and pony and train rides for a fee. You can also have your picture taken with Santa for $10. Hours are Sunday through Thursday 6 – 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 6 – 11 pm.

Lake Lanier Islands, Magical Night of Light 2011
Dates: Nov. 18, 2011 – Jan. 1, 2012, 5 – 10 pm
Cost: Prices start at $40 for a pre-purchased car ticket. Vans and buses extra. Carnival rides and games are $20
Info: A seven-mile drive through tour of animated, festive, holiday light displays.  At the end of your tour, the Holiday Village awaits with carnival rides and games, pony rides and numerous holiday treats.  Warm up with a hot cup of cocoa or step inside Santa’s Workshop for some holiday shopping and a visit with Santa.

Georgia Gift of Lights
Dates: Nov. 18 – Jan. 1, 2012
Sun. – Thurs. 6-9 pm and Fri – Sat. 6 – 10 pm
Cost: $15 per car, $1 per person for buses with a minimum of $20.
Info: More than one million lights will make up the 1.5 miles of light displays. Some 120,000 people are expected to experience the inaugural season, taking in the lights and enjoying the festivities.

Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights 2011
Dates: Nov. 18 – Dec. 30, 2011
Cost: Prime Time: $22 adults and $11 for children and Value Dates: $16 for adults and $8 for children (under 5 is free, but must have a ticket) Same day tickets are $25 per adult and $12.50 per child
Info: With more than a dozen larger-than-life lighted scenes, Fantasy In Lights remains unique in that its scenes are custom-designed especially for Callaway Gardens–to celebrate not only the joy of the season but the wonder of nature in this idyllic setting. Drive your car or ride the Jolly Trolley to experience scenes like March of the Toy Soldiers and Snowflake Valley.  At Robin Lake Beach, enjoy Twas The Night before Christmas and The Nativity, light and sound shows enticing passers-by to stop, reflect and enjoy. November 20 is the March of Dimes Walk, the only day where you can walk through Fantasy in Lights. Several people have said this was their favorite day to go. Tickets for the March of Dimes Walk available by calling 706-660-0160.

A Stone Mountain Christmas 2011
Dates: Nov. 12, 2011 – Jan. 1, 2012
Cost: Ticket prices vary depending if you are adding on Snow Mtn. Look for discount tickets at Kroger
Info: More than two million twinkling lights. While you’re there, watch live entertainment shows, see the Polar Express in 4-D, watch a festive Christmas Parade, a special fireworks show and more. Here is a post we did last year reviewing Stone Mountain Christmas (includes photos, video and tips for a great experience). This year you can enjoy Snow Mountain as well starting on Nov. 25.

Christmas in Cumming 2011
Dates: Nightly Thanksgiving through first Friday after New Years
Cost: Donations to benefit Family Haven
Info: A celebration of Christmas through music and more than 250,000 lights. Six private homes decorated with nearly a quarter million lights, choreographed to popular Christmas music with a country music slant. Thanks to my friend Jenni for intro ducting me to this light display through her blog Forsyth County Ga., for Families. Visit their Facebook information page for information and tips.

The Village Green, Smryna
Dates: Nov. 29, 2011 – Jan. 1, 2012
Cost: Free
Info: The Village Green area around the Library, Community Center the the Veterans Memorial – along with the Market Village – are dressed in lights and holiday cheer through New Year’s Eve/Day. Jan. 29th is a Coming Home for the Holidays holiday festival from 5 – 9 pm

The Rock Ranch: A Country Christmas in Lights 2011
Dates: Dec. 6 – Dec. 31, 2011
Cost: Free
Info: A one mile drive-through display that pays homage to the joy and magic of the season.

Pettit Creek Farms Christmas Lights 2011
Dates: Call first 770-386-8688
Cost: $15 per vehicle for a drive-thru, $10 adults, $8 children for a hay ride.
Over one mile of Christmas Lights to drive through in Cartersville Ga. Live reindeer (Comet & Cupi) are there nightly.

John Meckley’s Family Xmas 2011
Dates: this website wasn’t updated at press time. Please check back.

Another great source for information on holiday lights is Atlanta with Kid. Amy has a great list of homes that go all out.

 

Atlanta

What: National Public Gardens Day
Where: Across the U.S. (see Atlanta area gardens including the Atlanta History Center in the post)
When: Friday, May 6, 2011
Cost: Free by downloading a voucher from Better Homes and Gardens

When my kids were little, they stayed with my parents while I worked. It was a wonderful gift for all of us. One of the fabulous things my parents taught my children was gardening. My dad always had a small vegetable garden and he’d leave the three string beans on the vine so the boys could pick them. My mom made a big fuss about how tasty string beans were right off the vine. I’m positive it’s why my kids eat string beans and other vegetables. In addition to vegetables, my dad planted flowers. Each spring, my boys came home with a bouquet for me, picked from my dad’s garden. (my cousin informed me that all flowers come with a kiss, which I highly recommend encouraging:)

You may not have green thumb grandparents nearby, but there are several public gardens that can inspire your little ones. Fri., May 6 is National Public Gardens Day and to celebrate, Better Homes and Gardens is offering a  down-loadable voucher for free admission to several gardens in Georgia including:

FREE Admission w/down-loadable coupon at:
The Atlanta History Center (includes museum admission)
Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain
Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville
Oak Hill & The Martha Berry Museum, Mt. Berry
Smith-Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw
State Botanical Gardens, Athens

Boy it was tough to get up this morning for the Field Trips with Sue segment on Better Mornings Atlanta. I’d gotten used to sleeping in a bit over the holidays. If you didn’t get up early enough to watch, here’s what we talked about.

In the 5 a.m hour (click here to watch)
Center for Puppetry Arts Free Musuem Days (we’ll be giving away tickets to The Body Detective next week, so check back with us)
Callaway Gardens Free in Jan. and Feb.
Dollar Days at Yellow River Game Ranch (FYI – this link goes to a post from last year – we’ll have an update next week)

In the 6 a.m hour (click here to watch)
Peter Pan (the upcoming play) Giveaway  – Keep watching FTWS for info on this
Arkenstone Paintball - This weekend is an airsoft weekend, paintball (and a post with video) coming next week
Beech Mountain Ski Resort, North Carolina (we’ll have more on Beech Mtn. and snowy fun coming soon)

What: Free Admission
Where: Callaway Gardens, Pine Mtn., GA
When: January and February 2011, 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: FREE

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. The birds of prey show is on hiatius, this year, so unfortunately, you won’t be able to see this great show during Jan. and Feb. 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.

What: Swaptember Deals
Where: Several Attractions in Atlanta
When: Sept. 1 – 31, 2010
Cost: Costs vary, see the flyer for complete details

If you are a member of the following Atlanta area attractions, you’ll get special deals during the entire month of September at all of the other attractions. Deals range from discounts to free admission. Participating attractions include:

Atlanta History Center/Margaret Mitchell House
Alliance Theatre
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
Callaway Gardens
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Shakespeare
High Museum of Art
Children’s Museum of Atlanta
Michael C. Carlos
Zoo Atlanta

If you weren’t up bright and early this morning to catch the Field Trips with Sue segment on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta, here’s a recap. If you’d like to see the segment, go to CBS Better Mornings Atlanta and search the more videos for Field Trips with Sue.

DragonCon Parade (Labor Day Wkend) (A must see, really)
Callaway Gardens Sky High Air Balloon Festival (Labor Day Weekend)
Ice Cream Festival at Piedmont Park (This Saturday!)

Georgia Aquarium Mommy & Me program ($25 for Mom (or Dad), 4 kids under 5 AND parking! Best deal going)
Lowe’s Build and Grow Workshop (This Saturday)
See Georgia State Parks FREE (All you need is a library card!)

Image via Wikipedia

The winner of the Callaway Gardens tickets is Elizabeth Smith! Congratulations Elizabeth, email me your address and I’ll send you the tickets (sue@fieldtripswithsue.com). Readers, check out Elizabeth’s blog. If you are looking for a good photographer, I think you’ve found one. Her photos are AMAZING!

Our Next Present: A four pack to the Georgia Aquarium. This has been one of our most popular giveaways.

Through Saturday, the Georgia Aquarium is celebrating the diversity of human accomplishments and abilities. During this four day event, Georgia Aquarium will showcase the talent and creativity of special guest performers  with various backgrounds and abilities.  Did you know that the Georgia Aquarium is completely wheelchair accessible? Even the touch tanks are built to allow wheelchair guests to enjoy the experience. For children with autism, the Aquarium offers a photographic preview. For visually impaired, there are realistic three dimensional representations of animals in each gallery, tactile elements at the education station and an audio exhibit about the belugas.

I don’t have a special needs child, but my mother is in a wheelchair and whenever she is with us, I think how incredibly hard it must have been before places were made wheelchair accessible. I think it’s wonderful that the Georgia Aquarium has made an effort to accommodate all visitors and has come up with ways to make the experience more meaningful for a variety of learning styles.

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

Image by The Suss-Man (Mike) via Flickr

Winner: Congratulations to the High Museum of Art ticket winner Laura K! Laura 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.

Now for our next present: Our prize today is four tickets to Callaway Gardens.

Although Callaway Gardens is free in January and February, you’ll want to go back in March and April when the azalea bowl is in full bloom. My children love the Birds of Prey show. I wouldn’t mind checking out the Callaway Gardens Spa. Hey, maybe leave the family home and head to Callaway with three friends.

How to win the Callaway Gardens Tickets: We’ll announce the winner Wed. 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 Callaway Gardens tickets in the Field Trips with Sue #FTWS Birthday Bash http://bit.ly/53XBco. Make sure you include the link.

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.