Known as "The Big Peach" and "City of Trees," Atlanta, Georgia, may be one of the most fun, family-friendly cities in the South. The bustling metropolis is a family playground, with attractions for kids of all ages, including Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Center for Puppetry Arts and Imagine It! children's museum. You can even explore the city beneath its streets at Underground Atlanta, six below-ground blocks that have been transformed into a festive marketplace with more than 100 specialty shops.
The Southeast's largest theme park, Six Flags Over Georgia, in the Atlanta suburb of Austell, offers 100 acres of rides, games and live entertainment. Brave the 11-story Batman the Ride, a 2,700-foot-long coaster that will propel you at 50 mph through two vertical loops. The park has 10 additional thrill rides and dozens of other attractions, including Monster Mansion and the whitewater adventure Thunder River. Six Flags also offers more than 20 attractions for small children, including the Riverview Carousel, Thomas the Tank Engine and Tweety's Tree House. The park hosts parades and Looney Tunes shows, as well as concerts, with past performers such as Third Eye Blind, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan.
Six Flags Over Georgia
275 Riverside Parkway S.E.
Austell, GA 30168
770-948-9290
sixflags.com/overgeorgia
Located in Midtown, this three-story Tudor estate housed the apartment where novelist Margaret Mitchell lived from 1925 to 1932, during which time she wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Gone With the Wind." Operated by the Atlanta History Center, the House offers tours of the mansion and Mitchell's apartment within the home, which she affectionately referred to as "The Dump." Make sure to stop by the "Gone With the Wind" film exhibit, as well as the Margaret Mitchell gift shop. The Literary Center hosts programs featuring Southern authors, as well as creative writing classes for adults and children.
Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
979 Crescent Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-249-7015
margaretmitchellhouse.com
Minutes from downtown Atlanta, this outdoors-themed amusement park offers fun for the whole family. High in the trees, navigate the country's largest adventure ropes course. Board a 1940s open-air locomotive and travel five miles along Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad, or get a bird's-eye view of Atlanta on the Summit Skylift, which transports passengers 850 feet in the air. Additional attractions include mini golf, a 4-D journey to the center of the earth, an antebellum plantation, museums and much more. You can even spend the night at Stone Mountain Campground, which offers 431 campsites, 202 of which have full RV hookups. At the grounds you can swim in the heated pool, barbecue at picnic areas and pick up groceries and firewood at the on-site general store.
Stone Mountain Park
1000 Robert E. Lee Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
800-401-2407
770-498-5690
stonemountainpark.com
This downtown attraction, located alongside Centennial Olympic Park, is the world's largest aquarium, with more than eight million gallons of water. At the aquarium, you can get up close and personal with cold-water fish, river fish, horseshoe crabs, stingrays, sea stars and many more underwater creatures. In the "Ocean Voyager" exhibit, observe whale sharks and manta rays, or see one of the largest living coral reef exhibits at "Tropical Diver." Georgia Aquarium regularly hosts family sleepover events, with special programs, sleeping mats, dinner and breakfast provided.
Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker St.
Atlanta, GA 30313
404-581-4000
georgiaaquarium.org
