This past week we FINALLY decided to take the plunge and go on a family trip. I’m not going to lie, leading up to the trip I was a ball of nerves. Even though Shawn and I are fully vaccinated, Raelynn obviously isn’t so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. We knew we didn’t want to go anywhere that wasn’t within driving distance but we also wanted a change up from the traditional Florida beach scene.
So, we set our sights on Atlanta, Georgia! I’ve been to Atlanta more times than I can count growing up, but Shawn had never been. To be honest, Shawn and I are super easy to entertain when we’re out of town. Give us a good restaurant and an area to people watch and we’re pretty much set LOL.
We hadn’t been on too many vacations with Raelynn though. Pre-COVID, any time we went out of town was to visit family. So I didn’t know what to expect when it came to entertaining a toddler on vacation, especially while taking COVID precautions. In the end though, it wasn’t bad at all! Raelynn enjoyed being in a new city and exploring new things! So much so, that she’s already asking when are we going on our next vacation lol!
This trip definitely came with it’s set of obstacles that I’ll explain later in a quick thoughts post, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Like Raelynn, I’m already thinking about our next family getaway lol!
So if you’re headed to Atlanta soon with some little ones, here are 5 family friendly activities I would recommend doing!
5 Family-Friendly Activities in Atlanta, Georgia
Explore Battery Park
Planning this trip, one of the main things I was worried about was accommodations. I’ve always been SUPER picky about hotels but to throw in COVID was a whole new ballgame. After some extensive “google research”, I stumbled across the Omni Hotel at Battery Park.
The hotel itself was honestly perfect. The staff was super kind and I had absolutely no complaints about our room. The icing on the cake though, was being connected to Truist Park/Battery Park and having access to a ton of restaurants, shops and even a splash pad directly downstairs.
There are a ton of spots in the area for you to sit down and simply take in all the views and activities. Raelynn’s favorite location was a fielded area outside of the stadium where you could watch the baseball game live on a big screen. For her, the icing on the cake were the fireworks after a home run. We aren’t even baseball fans but this was still a really cool experience.
If you find yourself in the area, game day or not, I highly recommend checking it out!
Georgia Aquarium
Checking out the Georgia Aquarium was the focal point of the trip for us. I had been to the aquarium (and LOVED it) a handful of times so I was really looking forward to taking Raelynn.
Due to COVID precautions, it is advised to purchase your tickets online ahead of time by picking a time slot. We opted to go at 9 AM as soon as they opened in hopes of beating the crowds. Which as much as we’re not a “first thing in the morning” type of family, I see why so many people are! It took us a total of 3 hours to go through the entire aquarium. This included catching a dolphin show that Raelynn was OBSESSED with.
Although it wasn’t my first time visiting the aquarium, I fell in love with it all over again. The aquarium alone is definitely worth the trip especially if you or someone in your family loves animals.
Admission is right under $36 per person 3 and up. While booking your tickets you can also add on different behind the scenes experiences as well!
Ponce Market
Ponce Market definitely wasn’t on our radar going into the trip. We actually stumbled on this gem while running an errand and catching up with a family member and I am so glad we did! I don’t really have too many words to describe this place because it’s nothing like anything we’ve visited before. It’s essentially an indoor/outdoor market filled with local small shops, TONS of restaurants and a sprinkle of major retails we all know and love.
The whole entire trip, I told Shawn I wanted to go back. Unfortunately we didn’t make it back, but next time we’re in the area it’ll probably be on the top of our to do list.
There was an area on the roof of the market called…well…”the roof” (lol) that I’m really bummed we didn’t get to check out. I’ve heard a TON of good things about the area that seems too good to skip out on!
Historic MLK Sites
Out of all the times I’ve visited Atlanta growing up, surprisingly, I’ve never had the opportunity to check out the MLK sites. This is definitely one of those family activities in Atlanta I personally think everyone should do at least once. I’m a huge history nerd so it was cool immersing ourselves in the work of the legendary Martin Luther King Jr..
Unfortunately, due to COVID, pretty much all of the buildings were closed. But considering Raelynn is super young and won’t remember visiting the area during this specific trip, I’m sure we’ll be back eventually!
Centennial Park
This last spot on our list we actually didn’t make it out to. I’ll link more information about the park and area if you’re interested!
Our original plan was to hang out here after spending time at the aquarium. As I mentioned earlier though, obstacles arose that put us slightly on a time crunch. But we were able to take pictures outside of the aquarium for a quick second and in the background you can see the Ferris wheel!
BONUS: The Yard
Not exactly a thing to do, but still a favorite during our time in Atlanta. This super cute and fun milkshake bar was right up our alley!
If you do decide to check The Yard out, I’d recommend walking over after visiting the aquarium to avoid the headache of paying for parking more than once. Also, unless you just want more than one souvenir jar, you can definitely share one jar among 2-3 people. I shared a jar with Raelynn and Shawn ordered a jar on his own and neither milkshake was done by the time we were ready to go! Luckily, there was large sink in the front of the restaurant where we were able to rinse out our jars to take home!
That wraps up my list for five family friendly activities in Atlanta Georgia! On the way home we actually took a couple of hours to explore Savannah Georgia as well (~3 hours southeast of Atlanta). So look out for another post all on our day trip.
XO
Michelle
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