Spend some time in the South! Atlanta, GA!

My friend Jamie and her family at the aquarium

Atlanta is a huge city and the weekend my family and I spent there on our trip to Florida just wasn’t enough time! We definitely plan to go back when we have more time. There is so much to see and do!

The Georgia Aquarium is one of the best aquariums I’ve ever been to. This aquarium has a lot of marine life that other aquariums don’t have, like dolphins, beluga whales, and whale sharks.  You can also see a dolphin show that’s pretty good. You will definitely need a full day to get through this aquarium. There is a restaurant for lunch, but you might want to bring your own snacks. I made each member of our party carry their own bottle of water and we refilled them in the water fountains. This aquarium is super crowded so get there early!

If you are visiting Atlanta, it’s a must that you catch the Fountain of Rings show, which plays four times a day, year round, in Centennial Olympic Park. If it’s summer, make sure your kids wear bathing suits because they will insist on getting in the fountain and nothing you say will convince them otherwise.

Olympic Park

When you are done walking around the park (or before if you’re planning to get wet) stop in at Googie’s and enjoy an All American Burger made right. They have more than just burgers and it’s all delish! Milkshakes, fried chicken sandwiches, fried pickles, yes lots of fried stuff, but it won’t kill you every once in a while, right?

When I say puppet show, you think little kids, right? Well yes, but The Center for Puppetry Arts has shows for kids, teens, families, and adults. This is truly a unique experience, I’ve never heard of anything quite like it. Before the performance you can walk through a little museum that was really neat and there were some interactive games for the kids. The performances themselves are entertaining and engaging for the audience and really done well. We all enjoyed it! After the show kids can make their own puppet souvenir and the best part is that it is included in the ticket price. Bonus!

There are some amazing restaurant choices in Atlanta, but after we left the puppet show we went to Baraonda for a yummy wood-fired pizza! We were fortunate to grab an outdoor table on a beautiful night and had a great time. The restaurant is classy, but kid friendly, with a nice wine selection for a tired Mom and Dad.

We loved seeing Panda’s at the Atlanta Zoo!

There is a zoo in every major city and let’s face it, you want to do something different on vacation, right? I can’t help but tell you about zoos because they are different in every city! That’s what is so great about them! They all have something unique to offer, new adventures to be had, and animals that other zoos might not have. The Atlanta Zoo has panda bears, including a red panda. That’s reason enough to visit in my opinion. They also have these little Asian otters that might have been the cutest little things I’ve ever laid eyes on.

We stayed with friends when we were in Atlanta but there are some great hotels throughout this massive city. I found what looks to be a really nice family resort just south of the city. You might want to look into Lanier Islands.  The Westin also has several downtown hotels if you want to stay closer to downtown. We are hoping to visit Atlanta again in the fall and when we do, we will most likely consider staying at one of these establishments.

We were extremely disappointed that we didn’t visit The World of Coca Cola. Coke is by far my favorite beverage in the world! We also didn’t have a chance to spend the day at The Atlanta History Center, which is in Buckhead, just northeast of downtown. It’s 33 acres of Georgia history. Next time I go, I hope to write in depth posts about these two amazing attractions. Stay tuned for more on Atlanta, we definitely want to go back!