Trip Itinerary - family with 5 yr old girl & infant (Atlanta: appointed, hotels)

[MovingToWhere?]

We are planning a two night trip to Atlanta at the end of the month on a Friday/Saturday leave Sunday. I have read a lot of threads and did research on the various attractions. It appears the locals do not recommend staying downtown (see the thread from a few months ago in citydata) near the Aquarium/WOC due to the lack of other walking attractions and food.

It will be a family of four with a 5 year old girl and a infant. We will not be able to pack too much into the days and will probably have to take a break every 4 hours for feedings.

My only MUST see is the Aquarium and a cocktail at the Sundial restaurant.

I think we may be able to fit another 2 or 3 stops into the trip. The other items that I thought might be worthwhile are:

• Children's Museum
• Ferris Wheel
• Stone Mountain
• Center for Puppetry
• Inside CNN Studio Tour
• Legoland Discovery Center
• World of Coke
• Zoo

I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback on another 2 or 3 things to fill the itinerary.

In regards to lodging, my family prefers a suite type layout. I generally look for Residence Inns or Embassy Suites. That being said the Embassy suites near the Aquarium is full during my stay. I was planning to book the Residence Inn until the feedback I saw in other threads about the location non- ideal and the parking premium.

I'd appreciate any restaurants for family recommendations as well. So far I have heard good things about:

• Fat Matt's
• Buckhead Diner
• Mary Mac

Thanks in advance!

[junimar]

Your list sounds like a great start. I'd add The Fernbank Museum of Natural History (not to be confused with the Fernbank Science Center.) The special exhibitions there tend to be great for adults and kids alike.

MLK's birthome is also a nice, kid-friendly site.

Check out Piedmont Park.

You might consider the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead. You might also look into whether there's a show at either the Aliiance Theater or Fox Theater that might appeal to you. I'd also look into whether there's a kid-friendly exhibit at the High Museum of Art or the small but often worthwhile Museum of Design Atlanta across the street.

On food, there are oh so many options. Based on the three you cite, it sounds like you want a budget-friendly relatively unique experience. Some other places that qualify are Tamarind Seed (a little more expensive than the places on your list but not outrageously high end), West Egg (great Southern breakfast especially), the Highland Bakery in the Old Fourth Ward (same); and Flip Burger. Consider getting a dessert at Cafe Intermezzo while people watching on Peachtree.

On accomodations, there's a new Hyatt Place in Midtown that I suspect is at a similar pricepoint as an Embassy Suite. Good location.

[junimar]

Oh, and if you have time, I might take a little walk down the Eastside Trail of the Beltline to get a sense of the city, and to see a bit of art. You may even consider taking a detour on the trail to the Jimmy Carter Library/Museum.

[lastminutemom]

As a mom, I would recommend that the Children's Museum be tops on your list after your must sees. It will be very appropriate for your 5 year old and an easy place to take the baby. Does your daughter play with Legos/duplos? If not, I might skip that for this trip.

If the weather is nice, I think the Zoo (unless you have a great one at home) is also an easy choice. Stone Mountain would be easy as well, if the weather is good.

CNN Tour would bore your 5 year old.

Puppetry Center can be great but the baby will need to be quiet or taken out. The above suggestions of the Alliance or Fox simply won't work for a family with small children, unless there is a family performance. (And again, fussy babies have to be removed even if it is a kid friendly show.)

What time of day will you arrive in ATL on Friday?

[dblackga]

A second vote for Fernbank Museum of Natural History. The Atlanta History Center is probably just a tiny bit too old for your 5 year old -- you'd probably enjoy it, though. The Swan House, next to the History Center, is a lovely, old-fashioned restaurant for "ladies who lunch" -- not too many men venture there :-) -- with a nice gift shop. The CNN tour -- your child is too young, and she probably isn't familiar enough with CNN to make it even mildly interesting.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden would be a wonderful, restful place to visit -- they even have a great "children's garden".

You might want to consider the Residence Inn or Embassy Suites in Dunwoody. You would be able to take MARTA to the Aquarium (a few blocks from Peachtree Center), and if you went out to Fernbank, you're close to 285.

Stone Mountain Park is having their Pumpkin Festival -- the park is fun, and the festival will have a lot of seasonal activities.

Be aware that that weekend is also the Atlanta Pride Festival, as well as Georgia State vs. Troy State at the Georgia Dome, which may be one reason you're finding it hard to get a hotel downtown.

Check out the Atlanta Visitor's Bureau website for LOTS of suggestions: Atlanta Events Calendar - Search Upcoming Events in Atlanta

There's almost too many restaurants to name!

[AtlJan]

My husband and I have kids this age, and what we've found is that the children enjoy just being outside and being together with us. An inchworm on a stick is novel to a five year-old, after all! They get stressed out by lines and crowds, getting in and out of the car, and being told not to touch, don't run away etc. So all I'm saying is, remember that you don't have to stand in line and buy a ticket for something to be fun! My children enjoy our neighborhood duck pond more than a trip to the Aquarium.

I'd say spend a day exploring Piedmont Park, eat lunch at Willy's that is basically in the park, walk over to Botanical Gardens, bike ride along the Beltline and stop for a King of Pops popsicle and bike back. My six year old finds this absolutely magical! She loves to ride her bike all over Piedmont Park, actually. You could rent/bring a burley if your child is not an independent rider yet. . .Then cap it off with a swim in the hotel pool. Then go back and do it again! My kids love to eat at the same breakfast place, go back to the same park, etc. when we are on vacation. Routine is so important to them. They get burned out if we do too much--and enjoy familiarity over novelty.

What's the reason for your trip? If it is to see family, then spend time with them over all the rest!
Enjoy!

[deacongirl]

Botanical gardens has cute scarecrow exhibit.

[gumboula]

I have two kids about the same age apart (now 7 and 3) and have spent lots of time at all the attractions you mention. It is going to be a quick trip and you don't want to spend time lugging kids in and out of the car and trying to find your way around the city (which really isn't easy). So I would actually disagree about not staying downtown near the Aquarium. I would stay at any of the hotels right near Centennial Olympic Park and focus on what is close. Nowhere in Atlanta is a very walkable, but getting on the highway for anything is no fun at all.

My ideal itinerary would be:

Friday - Aquarium, all day. See the dolphin show and the Nemo movie. Eat lunch there. It has a kid friendly food court. The restroom has a good nursing area, plus upstairs is overflow seating which is often a quiet place to feed a baby. Go back to the hotel and rest. Late afternoon/early evening take the kids to the Centennial Olympic Park playgrounds that are right across from Pemberton Place (location of aquarium, World of Coke, etc.), then cocktails at Sundial and dinner downtown.

Saturday - Zoo Atlanta, all day, if you are up for a quick drive. Get there as soon as it opens. Eat there (also good, kid friendly food). Go back to the hotel and rest. Late afternoon/early evening ride the Ferris Wheel. Then take the MARTA train somewhere for dinner. You can get off at Arts Center and have a number of options of places to eat in walking distance. And just getting on the train for a quick ride is fun for a five year old. If you have a good zoo at home, then replace the zoo with the Children's Museum. The Children's Museum will only fill a few hours, though. So I would replace the Ferris Wheel with the High Museum in the afternoon (take MARTA to Arts Center and stay in that area for dinner). Looks like the Alliance Theater (which is adjacent to the High) has a Theater for the Very Young performance at the end of the month, so you may want to work that in.

You can get a CityPass to cover the high priced items above (CityPASS® Official Site - Save up to 50%: New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Southern California, Seattle, Houston, San Francisco, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Hollywood) and check out the website for downtown things to do: Central Atlanta Progress | Atlanta Downtown Improvement District.

And my opinion on some of the other ideas (from the perspective of someone used to hauling around kids):
Stone Mountain - too far to be worth the drive for such a quick trip
Center for Puppetry Arts - not infant friendly
Inside CNN Studio Tour - not kid friendly
Legoland Discovery Center - small and in a mall, definitely not worth a special trip
Fernbank - love it, but too far for such a quick trip
Atlanta History Center - kids are too young, plus very out of the way
Botanical Garden - fun, but not iconic for a trip to Atlanta
World of Coke - my seven year old begged to go and was so disappointed, thumbs down from me

Honestly, I wouldn't seek out any special restaurants. Anything worth a special trip is not going to be very kid friendly. Fat Matt's is not the best BBQ around; Buckhead Diner is really fancier than you think when you hear diner, and not worth a special trip to Buckhead; Mary Mac's would be an OK choice for the kitsch factor, but not much else.

[AtlJan]

Atlanta Pride is Oct 12-13 (mostly in Piedmont Park) so if you are coming at the end of the month, you should be fine.

If you are going to the Aquarium, plan on some good outdoor time in Centennial Park. There is a playground and lots of space to run around. . .my children love the park there more than the aquarium itself.

[residinghere2007]

I have a 5 year old, the Children's Museum, zoo, and Fernbank would be the best choices for other activities IMO. I do like Piedmont park but Centennial Park is across the street from the Children's Museum and they have a great playground my 5 year old loves. It is also right next to the Aquarium so if you wanted to you could do that and both of the other attractions in one day.

Fernbank has dinosaur bones. My 5 year old loves them and the new play area because the simulated water on the ground "splashes" when you walk through it and she is fascinated by it. We have a zoo membership and go there often. It is right next to Grant Park if you want to visit there and do another two-fer in one day.