• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Free Family Fun in Atlanta

Saturday mornings until noon in the spring and summer, the Urban Green Market takes place at Piedmont Park. It's a fun and reasonably priced place to eat a breakfast featuring Georgia-grown produce, baked goods and specialty foods. From here, 18 miles of sidewalk connect Piedmont Park to the Georgia Institute of Technology, through the suburbs of Atlanta, and all the way to Stone Mountain Park. Pedestrians, bikers and rollerbladers are welcome. You can stop and see the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum (404/865-7100) and later, have lunch in the city of Decatur.

Year-round activities at the Centennial Olympic Park include free regular musical performances and Fountain light shows, where music and special effects are synchronized over the Olympic rings.

Turner First Thursdays offer self-guided tours of downtown galleries that go on the first Thursday of each month. Your family will appreciate that the galleries offer complimentary appetizers and beverages. Self-guided tours are also available year-round, without charge, at the Georgia State Capitol.

Also free of charge and well worthwhile is the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, where you can join a tour of his birth home, the church where his father preached, or his tomb. It's open daily year-round.

More History & a Meal for Under $10

There is much history in this Southern city. Downtown, where the Underground Atlanta's History Tour takes participants around many historic buildings, is a good place to begin; tickets are $7.

The famed Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum has the world's largest diorama painting that revolves around viewers. It depicts the1864 Civil War of Atlanta. Admission year-round is also $7. The Atlanta History Center ( 404/814-4000 or visit ) in Buckhead teaches children the basic skills that were needed to operate a farm more than 150 years ago. There are also animal sculptures and a ca. 1910 mansion.

For a memorable Sunday brunch, you can try the all-you-can-eat gourmet pizza and salad at MidCity Cuisine or as many authentic tacos as possible at Sala-Sabor de Mexico. Still affordable and a real name-dropper when you get home is Ted's Montana Grill (yes, Ted Turner), which offers bison burgers as well as grilled cheese sandwiches and chili.

A Deserving, Child-Friendly Place to Stay

I stayed at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center (404/659-0000) in the heart of Atlanta. It offers good service and deserves its four-diamond designation. There are plenty of child-friendly amenities such as suitcases filled with games and books, a goodie bag during check-in and menu choices prepared especially for young visitors. Parents are also provided a list of top family attractions, local emergency numbers and a Safety-1st Aid Kit that includes a night light. The Omni has an upscale ambiance without too high a price, and summer weekends are top values.

If your family is looking to experience Atlanta from a local's point of view, visit www.georgiafamilymagazine.com to learn about family-friendly events and other activities you can do during your stay.  Georgia Family is a free, monthly magazine that is distributed throughout the state.  Pick up a hard copy as you explore the city for other ideas.

For more information, contact the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (404/521-6600). [Photos courtesy of Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism.]