What: The Ugly Duckling
Where: Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. at 18^th, Atlanta, GA 30309
When: August 18 – Sept. 18, 2011
Tuesday – Friday (10 am, 11:30 am); Saturday (11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm) and Sunday (1 pm, 3 pm)
Cost: $16.50 includes show admission, Create-A-Puppet Workshop and all museum exhibits. See below for how to win tickets!
Half-Price Previews: Tuesday, August 16 and Wednesday, August 17 (10 am, 11:30 am) enjoy half price tickets
Give-Away: You could win a family four pack- See Below
Photos: To see photos of past Center for Puppetry Arts Events, Visit Field Trips with Sue on Facebook

Here’s a perfect show for the preschool set to enjoy before they go back to school in September. Based on the beloved classic by Hans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling follows a young bird who simply doesn’t fit in with the other ducks in the pond. Helped by some friendly forest sprites, the duckling sets out to explore the wonders of the pond. On his journey, he meets a cast of colorful characters, braves the changing of the seasons, and discovers his true self. With a beautifully created environment full of hidden musical instruments created by Klimchak, Atlanta’s percussionist extraordinaire, The Ugly Duckling brings to the stage Andersen’s transformative fable about life’s often bumpy road.

Create a Puppet Workshop and Museum Tour
Included in the full-price ticket cost is admission to the Create-A-Puppet Workshop, which is one of our favorite things to do. Patrons will create their own Ugly Duckling Marionette or pick up a Create-A-Puppet To-Go to continue the fun at home!

Save some time in your visit to meander through the Center’s permanent museum Puppets: The Power of Wonder, which includes three exclusive exhibits featuring the work of Jim Henson. My son loves to create his own puppet faces in the interactive portion of the museum. To learn how to see the Museum for free, check out my book “100+ Free and Cheap Things to Do in Atlanta with Kids.”

Win a family four pack of tickets to see the Ugly Duckling on August 20 at 1 pm? Each item is a new entry.
Post a picture of you and my book “100+ Free and Cheap Things to do in Atlanta with Kids” on Field Trips with Sue on Facebook. Let me know what you learned about the Center for Puppetry Arts. Don’t have a book? Order one from www.fieldtripswithsue.com/100free
Subscribe to Field Trips with Sue by email (and be sure to follow-up and verify your subscription)
Leave a comment: Let me know you’d like to win by leaving a comment below.
Like Field Trips with Sue on Facebook: Post something on the wall about the Puppet Show
Follow @suerodman on Twitter: Tweet - See the Ugly Duckling @ctrpuppetryarts @suerodman has a giveaway on Field Trips w/Sue
Email: Invite two friends to subscribe to Field Trips with Sue and join our Facebook community. cc: sue(at)fieldtripswithsue.com on the emails.

What: Dare Devil Dive Rollercoaster
Where: Six Flags Over Georgia
When: Open Now
Cost: Online Special, Everyone Pays Kids Price of $34.99. Going more than once, get a season pass. Prices start at $69.99 but hurry, prices go up June 6!
Discounts: Check Atlanta on the Cheap
Photos: For photos of the Dare Devil Dive, visit Field Trips with Sue on Facebook
Win Tickets: See below on how to win a family four pack

Last week as part of my CBS Better Mornings Atlanta segment I visited Six Flags Over Georgia to test out their new roller coaster, the Dare Devil Dive. I was pretty nervous going in. I’ve always loved roller coasters, but as I’ve gotten older and the coasters have gotten more ridiculously thrilling, I’m not as game as I used to be. Add to that that this coaster takes you up 10 stories straight into the sky (and I mean straight) then plummets down at 95 degrees, beyond vertical, I was quite apprehensive. But in the end, CBS producer Amanda Harley and I had a blast and rode it four times! If you’d like to see me screaming, here’s the video from CBS Better Mornings Atlanta.

Lockheed Martin F-22 Test Pilot Bret Luedke and Sue

The ride pays homage to World War II-era stunt planes and the daring aerial acrobatics of the pilots. Sitting next to me on my first test run was chief test pilot for Lockheed Martin’s F-22 program Bret Luedke. He said the ride is similar to flying a modern day fighter jet, with the exception that most jets will do an inverted drop, so you are forced INTO your seat as opposed to the Dare Devil Dive where you are flying OUT of your seat. Riders must be at least 48″ tall to ride.

In addition to the first plummet, Dare Devil Dive boasts three inversions, zero-gravity hills and high-speed turns.  The barrel roll in the middle turns you upside down. The ride soars at a blistering 52 miles per hour as it makes its way through 2,090 feet of twisted steel track. For all that action, it’s a surprisingly quiet and smooth ride. A couple of observations from our morning of riding:
1. For a faster ride, find the biggest guys in line and ride with them. Our car was noticeably faster each time we went, the operators pointed out the heavier the car, the faster it will go.
2. Ride in front. Amanda and I both preferred the front. It was a better view of the upcoming twists and turns and it felt like a smoother ride. Our last trip was in the back car and it felt more jerky. That said, some of the roller coaster enthusiasts that were riding as well liked the back best. They concluded that in the back car you came out of your seat a bit more on the plummet adding to the excitement.

Want to win a Family Four Pack of Tickets to Six Flags Over Georgia? Leave us a comment below and tell us your favorite Six Flags attraction. We’ll announce the winner on Monday,  June 6.

Want an extra shot at winning:
Twitter: Follow @suerodman and tweet me something about your favorite Six Flags ride.
Facebook: “Like” Field Trips with Sue and Leave a comment on the wall letting us know you want to win.

What: Shrek the Musical
Where: Fox Theatre
When: April 26 – May 1, 2011
Cost: Prices Start at $18 (Win Tickets here for opening night, Tues., April 26 at 8 pm) Tickets available at The Fox Theatre Box Office, www.ticketmaster.com or 1-800-982-2787
Discount:  With code FIONA, ticket buyers receive a $5 discount and a $5 donation is made by Broadway Across America – Atlanta to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

My kids love the Shrek movies. If yours do too, here’s a great way to introduce them to live theatre – go see a show they know and love.

Shrek the Musical tells the familiar story of a swamp-dwelling ogre who goes on a life-changing adventure to reclaim the deed to his land. Joined by a wise-cracking donkey, this unlikely hero fights a fearsome dragon, rescues a feisty princess and learns that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in fairy tales.

We’ve got a four pack of tickets to give away for opening night. If you’d like to win, below are several ways. Each is a new entry. We’ll announce the winner on Friday.

How You Can Win Tickets (for opening night Tues., April 26 at 8 pm)
Subscribe to Field Trips with Sue by email (and be sure to follow-up and verify your subscription)
Leave a comment: Let me know you’d like to win by leaving a comment below.
Like Field Trips with Sue on Facebook: Post something on the wall about Shrek the Musical
Follow @suerodman on Twitter: Tweet - Shrek the Musical @thefoxtheatre April 26 – May1 cc: @suerodman
Email: Invite two friends to subscribe to Field Trips with Sue and join our Facebook community. cc: sue(at)fieldtripswithsue.com on the emails.

Photo by Kathryn Kolb

What: Beauty and the Beast
Where: Center for Puppetry Arts
When: April 7 – May 29 (see site for times)
Cost: $16 includes admission to the performance, Create-A-Puppet Workshop and museum exhibit admission or Win Tickets below (April 9 at 2 pm)

Center for Puppetry Arts brings back its popular modern adaptation of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, artfully presented in a bilingual blend of Spanish and English.

The Center’s distinctive production takes place in an urban environment where Beauty and her mother run a beauty salon, owned by the tyrannical Doña Arruga. During a business deal gone awry, Beauty’s mother stumbles upon the Beast’s “lair”, a fantasy forest in the midst of the city. Obeying the Beast’s demands, Beauty goes to him in return for her mother’s safety. Although afraid of the creature she expects to find, Beauty realizes that beneath the Beast’s shaggy exterior, there is a loveable and lonely friend.

Photo by Kathryn Kolb

Representing the urban world in which they live, mops, rakes, pipes, wrenches and other “found” objects, make up the cast of characters.  Innocent Beauty, fiery Mama, power-hungry Doña Arruga, and the surprisingly sweet Beast embody their most identifiable characteristics from the objects of which they are made.  For those who have always wanted to see a cat boogie, a book rap, and two mops fall in love, entonces this is the perfect show!

Create-A-Puppet Workshop and Museum Tour
Included in the ticket cost is admission to the Create-A-Puppet Workshop, where visitors can create their own Cool Cat Hand Puppet or pick up a Create-A-Puppet To-Go Kit to continue the fun at home!

Investigate all kinds of puppets in the Center’s permanent museum PUPPETS: The Power of Wonder, which includes three exclusive exhibits featuring the work of Jim Henson.

How You Can Win Tickets (for the April 9, 2 pm show)
Subscribe to Field Trips with Sue by email (and be sure to follow-up and verify your subscription)
Leave a comment: Let me know you’d like to win by leaving a comment below.
Like Field Trips with Sue on Facebook: Post something on the wall about the Puppet Show
Follow @suerodman on Twitter: Tweet - See Beauty & the Beast @ctrpuppetryarts @suerodman has a giveaway on Field Trips w/Sue
Email: Invite two friends to subscribe to Field Trips with Sue and join our Facebook community. cc: sue(at)fieldtripswithsue.com on the emails.

What: Burn the Floor
Where: Fox Theatre
When: March 22 – 27, 2011
Cost: Tickets start at $13 Through Ticketmaster or the Fox Box Office

If you’re a “Dancing with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Dance” fan, you might want to check out the Broadway show Burn the Floor next week at the Fox Theatre. Several “So You Think You Can Dance” and even an “American Idol” alum are in the cast.

The show is a dance spectacular showcasing every form of dance from the Lindy, Foxtrot and Charleston to the Cha-Cha, Salsa and even the Waltz.

Want to win one of two pairs of Tickets to see Burn the Floor on either Tues., March 22 or Wed., March 23? If so, leave a comment below letting me know your favorite dance. We’ll announce the winner on Monday.

Want an extra shot at winning:
Twitter: Follow @suerodman and tweet me your favorite dance.
Facebook: “Like” Field Trips with Sue and leave a comment on the wall letting us know you want to win (and your favorite dance).

You can also enter to win tickets to Burn the Floor at My Busy Children.

What: Opening Weekend
Where: Six Flags Over Georgia
When: Saturday, March 19 or Sunday, March 20, 2011
10 am – 8 pm on Saturday, 10:30 am – 7 pm on Sunday.
Park is open weekends until May 27 and daily for Spring Break April 2 – 10
Cost: Tickets are just $20.11 w/ the donation of 6 or more food items to MUST Ministries – a local food pantry
See photos of Six Flags on Field Trips with Sue on Facebook

The 44th season at Six Flags Over Georgia is kicking off this weekend.  Here are the Top 5 Reasons to get over to Six Flags now…

1. The weather is cooler – so you won’t feel like passing out waiting in line for Superman
2. You won’t be waiting in line for Superman, or any other coaster – as crowds are a lot smaller this time of year
3. Tickets are just $20.11 (if you donate food) – you can’t beat that, even with a Groupon or a two for one ticket on the coke can (or get a season pass for $49.99)
4. You’ll be doing something good for those less fortunate by donating 6 or more food items to MUST Ministries (ideas: canned fish, ham, beef, jelly, dry milk, beans, rice – see a complete wish list at www.sixflags.com)
5. If $20.11 is still too much, Field Trips with Sue is giving away a Family 4-Pack good this weekend!

Want to win a Family Four Pack of Tickets to Six Flags Over Georgia THIS WEEKEND March 19 or March 20? Leave us a comment below and tell us your favorite Six Flags attraction. We’ll announce the winner on Friday.

Want an extra shot at winning:
Twitter: Follow @suerodman and tweet me something about Six Flags opening and/or your favorite ride.
Facebook: “Like” Field Trips with Sue and Leave a comment on the wall letting us know you want to win.

New This Summer (but won’t be open for this weekend)
Dare Devil Dive roller coaster, a thrilling experience that takes riders up a 10-story vertical lift before plummeting down a beyond-vertical first drop.  Dare Devil Dive will open in late spring.  A live web-cam of the construction as well as a video animation of the ride can be found online at sixflags.com. I watched it and there is no way I’ll be going on this ride.

Show Stoppin’, a high-energy musical showcase highlighting contemporary hits across all music genres and Soda Shoppe Sweethearts, a show that takes guests back to the era of poodle skirts and classic radio hits.

What: Barney Live in Concert – Birthday Bash!
Where: Philips Arena
When: Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm
Cost: $15 – $45

The first show I ever took my boys to was Barney. I still remember my middle son, who was about one standing in the aisles pointing at the stage repeating “Ba” over and over and then he decided to storm the stage and go meet the purple dinosaur. Luckily, I could still run faster than him.

Well, Barney is back for a birthday bash in a brand new, interactive, live stage concert, featuring more than 25 fun and upbeat sing-along tunes including favorites, such as “Mr. Knickerbocker”, “Dino Dance”, Baby Bop Hop” and “Rock ‘n Roll Star”. You’ll be singing and dancing in the aisles with your favorite purple dinosaur and his friends Baby Bop, BJ and Riff. It’s a fun filled show all about sharing, caring and friendship.

Want to win tickets? Field Trips with Sue has a Family Four Pack up for grabs. If you’d like to win a four pack of tickets, leave us a comment below.

Want an extra shot at winning:
Twitter: Follow @suerodman and tweet me that you’d like to win tickets to see Barney at @philipsarena on April 7.
Facebook: “Like” Field Trips with Sue and Leave a comment on the wall letting us know you want to win.

What: The Body Detective
Where: Center for Puppetry Arts
When: Jan. 20 – March 13, 2011 (Super Sleuthing Detective Days Saturday, January 22 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, January 23 from 12 – 5 p.m.)
Cost: $16 includes admission to the performance, Create-A-Puppet Worksop and museum exhibit admission or Win Tickets Below

Someone has discovered a living, breathing body in Bodytown, and Detective Sam Flat Foot is hired to find out who is responsible. On this mission, Sam hustles with the local muscle, bones up on the skeletal system and rides the bloodstream into the heart of the city in order to assemble his “body” of evidence. The show starts at the Five Senses Nightclub, before traveling through the dark alleys and side streets of the skeletal system, the bloodstream, all the way up to the “brains” of the operation!

Create-A-Puppet Workshop and Museum Tour
Included in the ticket cost is admission to the Create-A-Puppet Workshop, where visitors can create their own Singing Skull Rod Puppet or pick up a Create-A-Puppet To-Go Kit to continue the fun at home!

Investigate all kinds of puppets in the Center’s permanent museum PUPPETS: The Power of Wonder, which includes three exclusive exhibits featuring the work of Jim Henson.

Super Sleuthing Detective Days (Sat., Jan. 22 – Sun., Jan. 23, 2011)
Little flatfoots are invited to take part in three special activities designed to teach about the systems of the body. Visitors can play the “I Spy Museum Stake Out” game, crack open a case file and discover their very own detective identity in the “Detective Name Game”, or see how they measure up in the “Spine Up, Line Up” photo op. There will also be a Healthy Children Initiative resource table onsite, where guests can pick up some helpful handouts about healthy eating and living from community health partners. Costumes are encouraged.

How You Can Win Tickets
Subscribe to Field Trips with Sue by email (and be sure to follow-up and verify your subscription)
Leave a comment: Let me know you’d like to win by leaving a comment below.
Like Field Trips with Sue on Facebook: Post something on the wall about the Puppet Show
Follow @suerodman on Twitter: Tweet - See The Body Detective @ctrpuppetryarts @suerodman has a giveaway on Field Trips w/Sue 
Email: Invite two friends to subscribe to Field Trips with Sue and join our Facebook community. cc: sue(at)fieldtripswithsue.com on the emails.

What: Win Cool prizes like a 5 Night Stay at any of the Paradise by Marriott resorts
When: Contest goes until Dec. 13
Where: Contest is open to anyone world-wide
Cost: A Donation to Passports with Purpose

Tis the season for giving, and if you’re looking for a good cause with some truly fantastic prizes (we’re not talking return address labels here), check out Passports with Purpose, a project of the travel-blogging community for the past several years. PwP is 90% of the way to its goal of $50,000 with a week left to go.

By donating as little as $10, you can help build a community in India, and throw your name in the hat for a number of interesting prizes. There’s a wide variety of prizes available, including a five-night stay at any of the Paradise by Marriott resorts that is being sponsored by Best Family Travel Advice, where you can ask your family-travel related questions and seasoned travel bloggers (yours truly included) will provide advice.

Passports with Purpose runs through December 13. I made my donation already – how about you!

What: Skating Party at Centennial Olympic Park
When: Wed., Dec. 8, 2010 7 – 10 pm
Where: Centennial Olympic Park Ice Rink
Cost: Skating is $7 but you can win tickets to the party here!

I love ice skating and it’s even more fun when you do it with a group of friends. On Wednesday, join Field Trips with Sue at a skating party sponsored by my friends at Atlanta Events, and Like Atlanta. If you’ve never been, take a look at this video I did of the Centennial Olympic Park’s ice rink.

The invitation is below, but if you’d like to win 4 tickets, here’s what you need to do (each action is a new entry, so enter as many times as you like)
Suscribe to Field Trips with Sue and leave a comment below (Be sure to activiate your subscription. You’ll receive an email after registering and you’ll need to click on that link to complete your registration) If you’re already a subscriber, just leave us a comment below.
Like Field Trips with Sue on Facebook and leave a comment.
Follow @suerodman on Twitter and tweet me if you want to win the tickets
Send this post in an email to two friends who might be interested and cc: sue(at)fieldtripswithsue.com so I can count your entry.

If you don’t win, feel free to join us anyway. It will be a great time!