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: Embrace a New York State of Mind
Where: High Museum of Art
When: Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, 12 noon – 5 pm
Cost: Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for Seniors, $11 children age 6 – 17 and free for under 6, All Activities included

Instead of fighting with the throngs of shoppers at the mall the day after Thanksgiving, why not grab the extended family for a day trip to New York City – no plane tickets needed, just visit the High Museum of Art for the Embrace a New York State of Mind event. During the event, guests can check out the new “Picasso to Warhol” exhibit and view highlights from MoMA’s collection, or make modern masterpieces to take home and view performances for the entire family.

Start the afternoon with one of two workshops. Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse are the inspiration for the first workshop on paper-cut mobiles. If JacksonPollack is more your style, contribute to a collaborative painting for the High and make a smaller one to hang on the wall at home.

Take in a performance. Amy Handler from AM1690′s The Kids Are Alright will be spinning tunes all day. At 2:15 and 4 pm Already Taken, a rock band whose members are all under 16 takes the stage. At 3:15 pm, Laughing Matters performs an interactive improvisational modern-art game show – sure to make you giggle. If you’d rather be in the show, film your own screen test during the Warhol Screen Tests between 1 and 3 pm.

It’s programs like these that make me love the High Museum of Art. They do such a great job putting together programs of interest to kids. If you don’t think you know enough about art to take your kids through the museum, tag along on a guided family tour. Tours for Nov. 25 are at 2, 3 and 4 pm.

No matter when you go to the High Museum, you’ll want to stop in the Greene Family Gallery with your little ones. For older pre-schoolers and through tweens, check out a Discovery Backpack from the coat check. It’s a fantastic way to bring the museum to life for kids – and adults.

What: Target Family Thursdays
Where: Woodruff Arts Center
When: September 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2011
Cost: Free!

The Woodruff Arts Center is inviting families to Target Family Thursdays to experience free activities from its four divisions: the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum and Young Audiences, September 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be a wide range of interactive experiences that the entire family can enjoy
including theatre performances, storytelling, arts and crafts, films,
workshops and lots more.

Scheduled activities during Target Family Thursdays include:

• A Child’s Garden of Verses – a highly interactive multi-sensory performance for very small children and their grown-ups presented by the Alliance Theatre.

• Toddler Thursdays – Parents and their children are encouraged to look at works of art at the High Museum of Art and learn a new way of looking at the collections through letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.

• flashART- a great opportunity to allow teens to express their creativity. flashArt is a drop-in art-making workshops for high school students at the High Museum of Art.

• Acting Workshops- kids of all ages can learn the art of acting by participating in workshops led by the Alliance Theatre.

• Into The Woods- collaboration between the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Alliance Theatre. The Alliance Theatre’s first play of the 2011-2012 Season, Into the Woods, is a fractured musical that includes references to classic fairy tales including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.

• Family Friendly Films- a selection of films will be available for families to enjoy throughout the day.

For a full schedule of activities and to register for Target Free Thursdays, please visit http://www.woodruffcenter.org/target.aspx

What: Blue Line: A Teen Only Night
Where: High Museum of Art
When: Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, 7 – 11 pm
Cost: Free for teens 13 – 19

I LOVE this idea! As a fairly new parent of a teenager, I’m so excited about the new teen program at the High Museum. I would much rather have my teenager hanging out at the High Museum than one of those teen night clubs I’ve heard about recently.

Radcliffe Bailey's Windward Coast

In addition to viewing the works in the museum, teens can cheer on local bands, Lotus Slide, Not Time for Tears, and Notes on Napkins, as they compete to win the High’s very first Battle of the Bands. Creative types can participate in art workshops, or read your poetry in the coffee house. In addition, the High’s Teen Team will lead a special tour of Radcliffe Bailey’s exhibition, Memory as Medicine.

The entire program was planned with teens in mind by an all teen advisory group that worked at the museum this summer. The event is free for teens ages 13 – 19 but you must present a valid ID upon entry – instead of being carded to make sure you’re 21, the High is carding to make sure you’re under 19. Examples of valid ID: copy of a Birth Certificate or passport, school ID, learner’s permit, driver’s license or an ID card.

The event is a drop off event. Parents aren’t allowed (well, they are highly discouraged from coming at least). Don’t worry though, the museum has hired extra security for the evening to ensure the teens are well monitored.

Friday is New Year’s Eve. If you’re looking for something to do with the kids, here’s a few ideas:

What: Hands on the High
Where: High Museum of Art
When: Dec. 26 – Dec. 31, 2010 1 – 4 pm
Cost: Free with Admission
Drop into a design workshops this holiday season and draw inspiration from Dalí or from your own dreams.

What: Noon Year’s Eve
Where: Children’s Museum of Atlanta
When: Dec. 31, 2010, 11:30 am
Cost: Free with admission
Children can make a crown and march in a parade. Those who wear pajamas receive $1 off admission.

What: Smithsonian Magazine’s 6^th Annual Museum Day
Where: 1,300 locations throughout the US
When: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010
Cost: FREE!

The High Museum and the Center for Puppetry Arts Museum are two Atlanta museums  participating in the Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day. They’ll join participating museums and cultural institutions nationwide to open their doors free of charge to all visitors who download the Museum Day Ticket .

Visitors who present the official pass will gain free admission for two people to participating museums and cultural venues, there are about 40 participating museums in Georgia. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. Listings and links to participating museums’ and sponsors’ sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

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

What: Blue Star Museums
Where: Across the US
When: May 31, 2010 through Sept. 6, 2010
Cost: Free

What a fabulous way to say “thank you” to our military.. free museum admission. Until Labor Day, Sept. 6, active military AND their families are invited to visit more than 900 museums in all 50 states, for free! It’s a program called Blue Star Museums and it’s a partnership between Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts.

In Georgia, participating museums include:
CDC/Global Health Odyssey Museum, Atlanta, GA
Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, GA
Chieftains Museum, Rome, GA
Currahee Military Museum, Toccoa, GA
Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA
Heritage Sandy Springs Museum, Sandy Springs, GA
Hickory Hill, Thomson, GA
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
Madison Museum of Fine Arts, Madison, GA
Marietta Museum of History, Marietta, GA
Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Old Governor’s Mansion, Milledgeville, GA
Robert Toombs House, Washington, GA
Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, GA
The Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum, Atlanta, GA
The Columbus Museum, Columbus, GA
The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, Augusta, GA
The Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA

Editor’s Note: Because of a comment I received on this post, I wanted to add a link to a post I did on the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Ga. This museum is free and a wonderful tribute to our military.

The kids are almost out of school and the days are getting longer, which means it’s time for summer movies! There are lots of places around Atlanta to catch FREE outdoor movies. Here is a list of several locations, if you know others, tell us. Movies generally begin at dusk, but most locations have pre-movie activities too. Click the links for additional information on what you can bring and other activities in addition to the movies. Thanks to Rana Cash, Atlanta Bargain Hunter for a great starter list.

Atlantic Station: Movies at the Market
May 20: Shrek  The Third
May 27: A Hard Day’s Night
June 3: The Karate Kid
June 10:The Great Race
June 17: Back to the Future
June 24: Mamma Mia!
July 1: Grease
July 8: Singing in the Rain
July 15: Men in Black
July 22: The Philadelphia Story
July 29: Dirty Dancing

City of Kennesaw’s Outdoor Movie Series
June 12: Monsters vs. Aliens
Oct. 2: TBD

East Cobb Park
June 25: Wizard of Oz
Check the website for additional shows

Flicks on 5th (Free Popcorn here, Yeah! Here’s a post I did in 2009 that includes info on parking)
June 9: Sherlock Holmes
June 16: The Hangover
June 23: The Blind Side
July 7: The Hurt Locker
July 14: Fantastic Mr. Fox
July 21: Hot Tub Time Machine

High Museum of Art
May 28: American Graffiti

Johns Creek: Newton Park
June 5: TBD
July 10: TBD
Sept. 4: TBD

Mall of Georgia: Movies Under the Stars
May 29: Hook
June 5: Planet 51
June 12: Field of Dreams
June 19: The Tooth Fairy
June 26: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
July 4: Transformers
July 10: The Blind Side
July 17: Fantastic Mr. Fox
July 24: Back to The Future 3
July 31: Alvin and The Chipmunks The Squeakquel

Piedmont Park: Screen on the Green (Here’s video of last year’s Screen on the Green at Centennial Olympic Park)
May 27: National Treasure
June 3: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
June 10: Dreamgirls
June 17: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
June 24: Jurassic Park

Roswell: Riverside Park
May 29: Fantastic Mr. Fox
July 17: The Blind Side

W Perimeter Hotel: Dive-In Movie
June 1: St. Elmo’s Fire
June 8: Sherlock Holmes
June 15: Invictus
June 22: Mommy Dearest
June 29: The Hangover
July 6: Transfomers 2
July 13: The Lovely Bones
July 20: To Wong Foo
July 27: The Blind Side

1. Center For Puppetry Arts Museum – The Center for Puppetry Arts offers world class puppet shows and a fantastic museum of all kinds of puppets including a recently acquired collection from Jim Henson. The Henson display includes, Big Bird and Bert from Sesame Street, Kermit and the Swedish Chef from the Muppets, and others from various commercials, tv shows and movies done by Henson. The museum is FREE each Thursday from 1 – 3 pm. For a list of puppet shows, visit www.puppet.org. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll see.
2. Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta – The Second Tuesday of every month is Target Free Day and the Museum is free from 1 – 7 pm. Exhibits include a life-size John Deere tractor, wooden trains, moon sand station, UPS truck, water play area and more! There is also a section just for the crawling set, with soft walls, mats to climb on, over and under, musical instruments to play and even a water bed.
3. Home Depot Workshop - The first Saturday of every month, Home Depot sets aside a corner of the store for kids to hammer and glue a wooden craft. We’ve made treasure boxes, flower pots, fire engines, and airplanes to name a few. Kids get an apron and the craft they make all for free.
4. Lowes Build and Grow Workshop – On select Saturdays, Lowe’s offers kids a similar workshop to the Home Depot. Lowe’s provides all the materials, hammers and gives each child a kid sized apron. Visit the website for specific dates and projects.
5. Kids Day at the Thrashers – The Thrashers offer Kids Day where tickets are free for kids with a paying adult. Upcoming Thrashers Kids Days are March 7 and 14.
6. Fulton County Free Days at the High Museum – The first Saturday of every month, Fulton County residents can visit the High Museum of Art free. Think this isn’t a place for your toddler? Think again. Here is video of the Green Family Gallery and Toddler Thursdays. While you are there, check out a free Discovery Backpack too.