What to Do in Atlanta with Kids
Looking for the best things to do in Atlanta, Georgia with kids? You're in the right place!
Before this summer, all I really knew about Atlanta was that it was the worst traffic to drive through on our way from Florida to Wisconsin (or vice versa).
But all that changed when I had a chance to visit Georgia's capital with my kids. My extended family was vacationing in the mountains of northern Georgia for a week of togetherness and relaxation, and one of my 5 sisters was flying into Atlanta a few days into the trip. We decided to make a day of it when we went to pick her up.
Since I'm the travel writer of the group, I was in charge of mapping out our itinerary. I was a little over-ambitious about what we could all fit into our day, and I definitely didn't account for the traffic coming into the city (rookie mistake), so we got a later start than I had hoped.
Despite my miscalculations, we ended up having a wonderful time exploring Atlanta. I will admit that we definitely stuck to the tourist attractions because we were limited on time.
This is an overview of a few can't-miss spots in Atlanta, and I'll try to throw in a few items that we wanted to see but ran out of time for. You can certainly try out those items yourself if you're staying longer than a day!
And if you're road-tripping to Atlanta, don't forget to check out these posts to help you keep your kids occupied in the car:
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What to Do in Atlanta with Kids
There are so many things to do in Downtown Atlanta with kids, it's hard to choose what to add to your itinerary! Here is my list of the best things to do in Atlanta that I think the whole family will love.
World of Coca-Cola
This was our first stop in Atlanta, which ended up being the perfect place to park our car while we explored the city for the day.
Once inside, the tour began inside the Coca-Cola Theater with the film Moments of Happiness, which followed multiple groups of people through some of the happiest or most thrilling moments of their lives. Sure, it's kind of just a giant commercial for Coke, but I was actually almost in tears by the end of the film. I blame it on my kids - I was never this sappy before becoming a mom.
Anyway, once the film is over, you're free to wander about the World of Coca-Cola checking out the exhibits, memorabilia, and displays. I wanted to stop and read through everything, but I was also chasing a 14-month-old and trying to keep a 2-year-old occupied, so I felt a little rushed. On the plus side, there was plenty of space for them to wander and explore.
The best part of the World of Coca-Cola is the tasting room at the end. My 5-year-old was in seventh heaven. Guests can sample over 100 flavors of soda from around the world, with dispensers spread out in a large room. Yes, I cringed with every tiny cup of soda she filled up, thinking of all. that. sugar, but it is an experience she still talks about months later. So worth it, right?
World of Coca-Cola is included in the Atlanta CityPass which can save you more than 40% of some of the most popular attractions in Atlanta. Whenever we visit a larger city, we always make sure to check if they have a CityPass (like on our trip to Chicago), and find it to be so worth it to be able to visit all of the top sites!
Centennial Olympic Park
This sprawling park in the middle of the city was built for the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta. My kids loved the 2 playgrounds found right at the entrance thanks to the roller slide, bongo drums, and armchair swings.
If you keep walking past the playgrounds, you'll get a beautiful view of the Atlanta skyline, which served as the perfect Instagram spot for family pictures. Lastly, you'll come upon the Fountain of Rings splash park where water fountains are set to music multiple times a day, and kids can play in the water to cool off during hot summer days.
I would have happily spent way more time at this park if we weren't trying to cram so much fun into our day! Bring a picnic lunch, grab an ice cream, and stroll through the park. It's nice to experience the green space in the heart of the city, or run through the splash pad on a hot day!
This is one of the more fun things to do for toddlers and little kids in the city, and it's absolutely free to do!
Georgia Aquarium
My middle child is obsessed with sea creatures, especially sharks, so I knew we had to make a stop there. One thing you need to know is that the Georgia Aquarium is vast, so plan on taking a few hours here if you want to see everything! This is the largest aquarium in the United States and the 3rd largest in the world!
Our favorite exhibit was the Ocean Voyager gallery, mainly because of the 4 whale sharks and giant manta rays swimming above us in the acrylic underwater tunnel. My son was in absolute awe of the gigantic creatures, and I actually was, too! We've been to quite a few aquariums, and this moment specifically stood out to us.
You'll definitely want to bring your kids to the Aquanaut Adventure exhibit which is interactive and has educational activities to keep them busy! Also, check out the Tropical Diver gallery for mesmerizing jellyfish and a brightly colored coral reef. There are so many interesting interactive exhibits that make this one of the best aquariums in the United States.
Of course, there are multiple options for interactive experiences at the Georgia Aquarium, such as penguin or dolphin encounters, feeding beluga whales, swimming with the whale sharks, or even diving with the whale sharks. Naturally, these experiences cost extra, but if you've got the time and money, they seem truly memorable.
There are tons of unique souvenirs to find in the gift shop where you can finish your visit.
Georgia Aquarium is included on the Atlanta CityPass and is a must-visit attraction for the entire family.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a space where families can enjoy collections of plants and curated gardens in the heart of the city. Cross the Flower Bridge to get to the Lou Glenn Children's Garden where kids can climb on a playground, play in the splash pad, and even discover carnivorous plants like a Venus fly trap!
There are plenty of special events year-round at the botanical garden, so be sure to check the schedule to see if there is any programming your kids would be interested in!
This is one of the best places to take your kids for an educational and fun day in the city.
The Botanical Garden is found in Piedmont Park, so after you're done perusing the gardens you can explore the many paths and picnic areas in the park.
Get Some Ice Cream
We visited Sub Zero Nitrogen Atlanta since it was located close to Centennial Park. This is a fun experience where your ice cream is frozen using liquid nitrogen, and it tastes amazing! We had a blast stopping here for a frozen treat with the kids, and would highly recommend it!
Some other locations to get a sweet treat include:
The Yard Milkshake Bar for larger-than-life Instagrammable ice cream creations
Sweet Stack Creamery where you can get an ice cream sandwich made with donuts
Butter & Cream for small batch ice cream in some creative flavors!
Buckhead Neighborhood
Our last stop in Atlanta was a visit to the affluent Buckhead neighborhood. We loved driving through the winding neighborhoods of sprawling mansions and plantations. It's a truly beautiful and peaceful area of the city. Try Atlanta Memorial Park for a great place to take a walk if your kids need a break from the sensory overload of the downtown area.
You can also shop and eat in Buckhead Village, the Rodeo Drive of Atlanta. There are plenty of upscale shops and fancy restaurants, so if your kids are a little older and you're not worried about them having a meltdown in the middle of an expensive store, then this might be fun to check out!
Zoo Atlanta
Zoo Atlanta is one of the best family activities to add to your itinerary if you're visiting with younger kids. See everything from giant pandas to blue-throated macaws and everything in between, or enjoy an interactive experience like the Warthog Keeper Talk or the Orangutan Feeding, or pay extra for animal encounters such as feeding an elephant.
Zoo Atlanta is another option on your Atlanta CityPass, so if it's on your list of things to do in Atlanta along with the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium, be sure to purchase it before your trip!
SkyView Ferris Wheel
Another unique thing to do in Atlanta is the SkyView Ferris Wheel in Centennial Park where you can get skyline views of the city from a private gondola on the Ferris wheel. You can fit up to 6 people per gondola, which should be enough space for most families.
It reminds me so much of the London Eye, which we did just before sunset on our first night in London!
There are no age limits for Skyview Atlanta, so even if you have young children you can still enjoy this fun Atlanta experience. You can book your tickets ahead of time here!
Other Things to Do in Atlanta with Kids
All in all, I thought Atlanta was a wonderful city with lots to do. So much to do, in fact, that I could have used another day there to try everything on my list! Here are a few spots we wanted to visit that we ran out of time for. Perhaps we'll be back soon to check it out!
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta
LEGO Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza looks like a smaller version of LEGOLAND Florida. It's an indoor play space with a family-friendly ride, a DUPLO building center, a playground, a Miniland (just like in the LEGOLAND theme parks, and even a VR experience! There's plenty of family fun to be had at LEGO Discovery Center.
Read my Tips for Visiting LEGOLAND Theme Park here!
Children's Museum of Atlanta
The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a great way to spend a rainy day. Kids can learn through play with hands-on exhibits from continents around the world to a play kitchen and both science and art areas.
Stroll the Atlanta Beltline
Atlanta Beltline is an outdoor space that seeks to take 22 miles of unused railroad tracks and turn them into a way to connect the different neighborhoods of the city. You can walk or bike on your own or even take walking tours or biking tours of the beltline! The website even offers itinerary ideas for how to use the different trails on the Beltline.
Center for Civil and Human Rights
The Center for Civil and Human Rights (part of the CityPass!) is a museum and human rights organization that highlights the civil rights movement along with the ideas and artifacts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This would be a really educational place to take elementary age kids, middle school kids, or high schoolers.
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame (part of the CityPass!) would be the perfect place to take sports lovers in your family. Kids can test their skills on the indoor playing field, and you can take in all of the exhibits about College Football and some of the most memorable players through the years.
Eat at Ponce City Market or Krog Street Market
These are fun places to stop with tons of food options, as well as space to spread out and eat in a community setting
Day Trips from Atlanta
Chattanooga and Rock City Gardens
Chattanooga is located just over the border from Georgia and is a very easy 2-hour drive from Atlanta. Chattanooga itself is a super family-friendly city with an aquarium, plenty of beautiful parks, and riverfront views or the chance to ride a riverboat!
I would highly recommend visiting Rock City Gardens at Lookout Mountain. We stopped here on our move from Florida to Wisconsin with our 4 kids, and got to enjoy some incredible views! You can walk through some narrow passageways like Needles Eye and Fat Man Squeeze, visit a lookout point where you can see 7 states on a clear day, walk on a suspension bridge, or stop by Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village, which the kids loved!
This is not really a stroller-friendly attraction, so if you have babies or toddlers as I did during our visit, be sure to bring a baby carrier!
Read my tips for visiting Rock City with Kids here!
North Georgia Mountains
As I mentioned, we visited Atlanta as a day trip from our cabin in the North Georgia Mountains. This was the perfect setting for a multigenerational extended family getaway. There are so many vacation rentals to choose from in the area, and you can go hiking, kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming, or do any number of outdoor activities!
Our cabin was in the town of Big Canoe, which is very small, but there are a lot more accommodation options in nearby Blue Ridge!
Depending on where you stay, these mountain cities are anywhere from 1-2 hours away from Atlanta.
Savannah
If you're spending some time in Georgia, make sure to head to Savannah for the day. Savannah is a charming southern city with it's dripping Spanish moss and lush green city squares! It's very walkable and a great mix of history, beautiful architecture, and family fun.
We really enjoyed stopping by Forsyth Park with toddlers, and I personally loved walking around the stunning neighborhoods full of colorful historic homes.
Here are my tips for experiencing Savannah in a day!
Nashville
Why not combine a side trip to Music City with your family getaway to Atlanta? There is no shortage of live music, Country Music culture and history to learn from, incredible food, and some great parks for kids.
We took our kids to Nashville on one of our long drives from Florida to visit family in Wisconsin and spent a weekend there. Our kids loved the Old Town Trolley tour, the Country Music Hall of Fame, going to a honky tonk on Broadway Avenue, and getting the most incredible donuts from 5 Daughters Bakery.
We also crossed the pedestrian bridge to get some incredible family photos with the Nashville skyline in the background and then followed it up with a picnic in Cumberland Park overlooking the Cumberland River.
This was truly one of the most memorable trips we have taken as a family, and I highly recommend visiting with your kids!
Nashville is just under 5 hours from Atlanta, but in my opinion, it's well worth the trip!
Read What to Do in Nashville with Kids here!
Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Our kids absolutely LOVED Gatlinburg, Tennessee! It's a gateway city to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and a really fun family vacation destination.
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was a huge hit with the whole family, and we loved seeing the views from atop the Gatlinburg Space Needle. You'll definitely want to stop at Anakeesta, an outdoor family adventure amusement park with zip lines, shopping, playgrounds, and a mountain coaster. You take an aerial tram up into the mountains where the adventure park is located.
You can easily take a scenic drive into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is free to enter. Simply drive from the main parkway in Gatlinburg straight up into the mountains to enter the national park. You can get out and walk to some of the viewpoints, or take a family hike on one of the many trails.
The drive from Atlanta to Gatlinburg is just over 4 hours. Read my Family Travel Guide to Gatlinburg here!
Planning Your Trip to Atlanta
Remember, if you're going to visit multiple attractions, you'll definitely save money by grabbing a CityPASS, so make sure to check it out here! It could save you up to 44% on attractions depending on how many spots you visit during your time in Atlanta.
How many days do you need in Atlanta?
3 days should be enough to visit many of the top attractions in Atlanta and truly experience all the city has to offer. We only had 1 day to visit, and it was not nearly enough to check everything off our list!
Where to stay in Atlanta with kids
As I mentioned above, we stayed in the North George Mountains during our visit, but there are so many family-friendly hotel options within Atlanta.
We've recently gotten into travel hacking as a way to make travel more affordable, and Hyatt hotels are some of the best options for booking hotels for the lowest amount of points. We use this credit card (great for beginners) to rack up points that transfer to Hyatt.
The Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead is more of a luxe experience for families, while Hyatt Place and Hyatt Housetypically have more space for larger families and serve free breakfast.
Explore all of the incredible hotels that Atlanta has to offer and find the best fit for your family.
What to Know Before You Travel with Kids
Here are some of my top blog posts to help you plan your travels with young children! Whether you're flying, driving, or trying to figure out what to pack, there's something here for you.
Tips for Flying with Toddlers and Little Kids Without Losing Your Mind
Ready my whole Plan a Trip series to help take you from saving and budgeting to itinerary planning!
What did I miss? What do you love doing with kids in Atlanta?
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Emily Krause is a Wisconsin-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
Read more about our family and how we got started in the world of travel blogging here!
