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Not-To-Miss Events
Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? Enter the neighborhood of 123 Sesame Street at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Kids will feel like they’re a part of the show as they explore everything from Oscar’s Newsstand to Gina’s Day Care Center. You won’t want to miss the Hands-On Minds-On Playground, where learning is fun. Adults and kids 2 and up, $11. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive, Atlanta. 404-659-5437. www.imagineit-cma.org. The
Umbilical Brothers in Speedmouse Fans of the Noggin TV series "The Upside Down Show" will recognize Shane Dundas and David Collins, performing here as the comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers. The pair whoop, mime and flip their way through sight gags, stunts and silliness during Speedmouse. Adults, $20-$30; children, $20. 349 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta. 404-894-9600. www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu
That lovable, oversized pooch Clifford and friends come together to help Emily Elizabeth put on a musical revue with her best friends. Memorable songs and familiar characters will enchant the entire family as the cast from Birdwell Island learns about teamwork and friendship. Tickets $10-$35. 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta. 404-817-8700. www.foxtheatre.org
April 10 marks the 95th anniversary of the doomed maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Nearly a century later, Atlantans are flocking to the Atlanta Civic Center to tour "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." Upon our arrival, we were given replica boarding passes, one for each member of our party. The tickets bore the names and information about actual Titanic passengers, and we were told we could check a passenger list at the end of the exhibit to see whether "we" survived. (We did.) The first item on display is a single alarm bell, hanging in the center of a darkened room. The lookout’s bell was rung to warn of the iceberg – too late, as everyone knows. More than 300 artifacts rescued from the ocean floor are on display, along with stories about some of the passengers and crew and photographs from the period. Mixed in are re-created rooms from the ship, including a luxury stateroom, cargo hold and captain’s deck. It only took us about 45 minutes to make our way through the exhibit, pausing to read the informational placards and check out the various items on display (a piece of coal from the engine room caught my 2-year-old daughter’s eye – probably because they are roughly the same size). We ran our hands over the cold, wet "iceberg" as it would have appeared that starry, moonless night in the north Atlantic. The "Big Piece" of hull towered above us, giving a small impression of what it must have been like to approach the ship at the dock. A nearby artifact box let us actually touch a piece of the metal hull. – MA
Hamada Japanese 3895 Cherokee St. NW, #290
-Tiffany Capuano
Scoop on Classes: Pricing and session length vary from location to location. We visited the Buckhead location, which offers 20 weeks (one class a week) for $350. Extras: Family Fun Nights, Parents Survival Nights, birthday parties, and summer and holiday camps. Good to Know: You can schedule your child to attend one class for free.
1-800-992-1976
If your kids spend too much time in front of the TV or computer, it’s time to get them up and moving. The Little Gym, a child-centered workout haven, could be the answer. In a bright, colorful setting, The Little Gym makes exercise, teamwork and self-discipline fun via its classes in gymnastics, sports skills, karate and dance. Even parents can get in the act with parent-child classes for infants. When I visited the Buckhead location, I noticed that The Little Gym teachers have a knack for bringing out the best in children. With boundless enthusiasm and positive affirmations, they motivate even the most reserved students to try new moves. In a class called Giggle Worms, for ages 4 to 5, my daughter couldn’t stop smiling, despite her initial reluctance to participate. She enjoyed playing the group games and using the child-sized gymnastics equipment. In this relaxed, noncompetitive environment, kids develop their motor skills while simultaneously boosting their self-esteem, enhancing their ability to get along with others, learning to follow directions, and practicing personal responsibility. At the end of each class, an instructor updates the parents on their children’s progress. Most classes last 60 minutes, but the time flies. Kids are active during the whole class, learning and having fun at the same time. Watching TV could never be this exciting! – Beth Balga
Hike of the
Month:
– TC Beyond Atlanta:
Riding the Rails
Thomas the Tank Engine is ready
to roll into Chattanooga, Tenn.’s Tennessee Valley
Railroad Museum. The Day Out with Thomas 2007: All
Aboard Tour includes a 20-minute ride with Thomas, a
photo op with Sir Topham Hatt, a Thomas & Friends
Imagination Station complete with arts and crafts,
storytelling, live music and video viewing. You
haven’t seen Thomas until you’ve climbed aboard the
25-ton replica of everybody’s favorite train engine.
Take the tour April 27-29 and May 4-6. The train
ride leaves the station every hour, rain or shine,
between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 for
ages 2 and up and are available from www.tvrail.com
or 866-468-7630.
A full-size replica of the engine made famous by author Watty Piper pulls into the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Bryson City Depot in Bryson City, N.C., this month. Train rides, characters from the book, musical entertainment, games, petting zoo, toy store and more await riders of all ages. Tickets are $16 for ages 2 and up, and include the train ride and a full day of activities. Reservations are encouraged for the rail tour, which takes place April 6-8 and 13-15. Departure times are Fridays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 10:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:45 pm. and 3:30 pm. For more information or tickets, call 800-872-4681 or visit www.gsmr.com. – Mary Abreu
Where to Take your Preschoolers
this Month: The idea of taking your easily excitable, hands-on toddler into an art museum may send a shudder of fear down your spine, but the High Museum of Art welcomes that bundle of creative energy every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Toddler Thursdays, in the Museum’s Greene Family Educational Center, are a treat for the preschool set, and educational too! Little ones are encouraged to explore the displays and make works of art to add to your private collection. Children are admitted free with the purchase of museum admission.($15, adults; $10, kids 6-17; under 6, free.) No registration is necessary, and families are encouraged to drop in and stay as long they like. 1280 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4444. www.high.org. – Cynthia Curtis Bugs in the Garden Disco with Baby |
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Clifford the Big
Red Dog Live!
What’s on the menu: Like most Japanese
restaurants, steak, chicken and seafood are the main
courses, with side accompaniments of rice (fried or
steamed) and fresh vegetables. At Hamada, varieties
of sushi also are offered. The meal begins with a
bowl of chicken broth and salad and ends with a
scoop of ice cream.
Kids
Get a Fun Workout at The Little Gym
Day Out with
Thomas 2007: 
The Little Engine
That Could: