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Not-To-Miss Events
Join in all the excitement taking flight at this air show featuring spectacular aerobatic performances. Browse through exhibits and check out restored antique airplanes on display from the Vietnam era and World War II. Children can jump around on inflatables, make crafts and enjoy rock climbing. Free admission. Parking, $3. 2000 Airport Rd., Atlanta. 770-936-5440.
Meet Emma Roberts, star of the upcoming family mystery adventure "Nancy Drew," which opens in theaters nationwide on June 15. Register to win a $500 gift card and other great prizes! Free. Arrive early, first come first served. Line for entry closes at 12:30 p.m. North Point Mall, Center Court (Near The Gap). 1000 Northpoint Circle, Alpharetta.
Decatur Beach Party Break out your best flip-flops and Hawa2iian shirt and get down with 60 tons of sand on "Ponce de Leon Beach." Enjoy live music and the children’s area with boardwalk games, arts and crafts from 5 until 9:30 p.m. When the Beach Party ends at midnight, everyone is welcome to load up the sand and take it home for a sandbox, garden or playground. It is free! Adults: $10; children 12 and under free (limit two per paying adult). 101 E. Court Square, Decatur. 404-371-9583. Jammin’ in June: A Family Fun Day Enjoy an afternoon of family field day fun in the park. Toss water balloons, compete in a wacky costume obstacle course and put your athletic ability to the test in a three-legged race, dizzy bat race or over-under relay. Kids can bring bathing suits to splash around in the water fountains. There will be free ice cream for children under 12. Spread out a picnic and enjoy a live concert by The Daddy A Go Go Band. Sponsored by North Metro JCC. $15 per family. Register online or at the door. 3578 W. Lawrenceville St., Duluth. 678-948-4007. www.atlantajcc.org/northmetro.
This summer, grab
More Summer Movie Fun, at a Theater near you!
Come all ye lords and ladies to the finest olde tyme faire! The Georgia Renaissance Festival ends June 3, but there’s still time to head south for a visit with Atlanta’s own royalty. Older kids will enjoy exploring some of the swashbuckling shows while younger ones will love the petting zoo and other kid-friendly attractions (some activities aren’t free). Jugglers, acrobats, avian tricks and the always-popular maze are among the highlights. Tickets are $16.95 for adults, $8.50 for kids 6-12, and free for kids 5 and younger. Buy tickets at the gate or online. The Georgia Renaissance Festival is open 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through June 3. It’s located at 6905 Virlyn B. Smith Rd., Fairburn (I-85 Exit 61). www.garenfest.com
Atlanta Botanical Garden Somehow, a nearly 18-foot-tall praying mantis isn’t nearly as scary rendered in wood as it might be were it an actual living insect. It is, however, daunting in its sheer size, making adults feel a bit like a giant alien has arrived in the backyard. It’s a fitting welcome to guests at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, where the exhibit “David Rogers’ Big Bugs & Killer Plants” is on display through October. In addition to the towering mantis, look for a sleek butterfly, a bee headed toward its hive (my favorite) and a trio of enormous ants that serves as a little role reversal, as well as a few more of their insect brethren. What the killer plants lack in size they more than make up for in their dietary habits. Pitcher plants, Venus flytraps and more can be found throughout the gardens, along with helpful information about what they are and how they eat. Together, the bugs and plants provide an ecology lesson that’s great at showing the interdependence of living things. Unlike some past exhibits, the bugs are strictly for admiring from afar – no touching allowed. It was tough for my daughter to understand that she couldn’t get closer to them, and I had to keep her from climbing into the exhibit. On the other hand, the plants are a little more interactive, with special education zones set up so guests can get hands-on with the carnivorous greenery. Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta Admission: Open Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Drop-in kids’ classes:
There also are plenty of activities for kids that tie into the exhibit. My 2½-year-old daughter donned butterfly wings and antennae to collect “pollen” (tennis balls) from the “flowers” (mini traffic cones) just like bees do. For younger kids, it’s worth it to be there for storybook time in the Children’s Garden (10 a.m., first and third Wednesdays), where they can be entertained by stories with bug and killer plant themes. Buggy Back Packs are available daily from the admissions desk, giving families self-guided activities they can do during their visit. (Free; leave driver’s license as a deposit.) Weekends provide some of the best opportunities for family fun. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, guests can take part in all kinds of activity stations set up near the Aquatic Plant Pond, including crafts, costumes – even petting a hissing cockroach. Not for the weak of stomach are insect cooking demonstrations, slated for the first Saturday of the month. Chef Ryan Cobb whips up recipes featuring ingredients like mealworms, crickets and grubs at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Try them if you dare! – MA Off the
Beaten Path: Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum Inc.
If You Go: Check online or call for the hours “The Spirit of Delta” is open. This is the best part and you don’t want to miss it. Also, as a safety precaution, make sure you accompany your children when they climb up the stairs into “The Spirit of Delta.” The steps are very high, and there are spaces large enough on either side of the railing for a young child to slip through.
If you’re part of the Delta Air Lines
family, the Delta Air Transport Heritage
Museum is no secret. The rest of Atlanta has
been missing out on this little piece of
Delta pride. Although it requires a little
planning, it’s the place to go if your kids
love anything to do with airplanes,
airports, cool airplane stuff…well, you get
the idea. Since this museum is inside Delta’s highly secured headquarters, you will need to call ahead of time to let the museum know the names of everyone in your party and the date and time you wish to visit. The museum will then add your names to the security checklist and you will be required to show photo IDs upon entrance. – KW 
Climb a Tree As children, my brother and I spent countless hours in trees, climbing and building forts. It’s been years since I have climbed a tree (unless you count rescuing an errant child), but that was exactly what my 10-year-old daughter, Savannah, and I did on a recent trip to Tree Climbers International (TCI), located near Little Five Points in Lake Claire. We began our Beginner’s Climb by being fitted with a helmet, similar to the type used in bicycle riding, then we were strapped into harnesses. Foolishly, I declined the cotton gloves. I would later pay with a small rope burn. What to Know Before You Go Tree Climbers International holds Beginner’s Climbs the first and third Sundays of the month (weather permitting) from 2-5 p.m. Reservations are not required, but groups of six or more should call ahead. Cost: $15 per person. All equipment is supplied; all you need
is loose clothing (T-shirt and long pants
recommended) and light shoes. Climbers are
welcome to bring cameras to capture the
experience for posterity. Ready to
go climb a tree?
Climbers choose to ascend ropes of differing heights, attached to a 90-foot-tall white oak tree. TCI recommends climbers be at least 5 years old due to the basic coordination and strength issues involved in the activity. I have a 5-year-old and know that it may be a stretch for most children that age. Our instructor, Tom, hooked us onto our rope. We were given basic instructions as we went. The harness system assisted us as we shimmied up the tree. We climbed out onto branches – called “limb walking” – hung out in the harness, and swung in the tree on the rope with the assistance from the instructor. I was a little cautious about the climb, but I soon got the rhythm and was up into the tree. Surprisingly, Savannah had a little more trouble. She has no hesitation climbing rock walls and our magnolia tree, but I had to convince her the rope was there to catch her and, worst case scenario, she would fly like Peter Pan through the air. While she got up on wobbly legs, she was not as keen on the limb walking as I was. The descent was smooth and effortless, thanks to the “magic knot” co-owner Peter Jenkins tied. By the time I was back on my own two feet, I felt free and a bit tired, like a good workout. While Savannah chose one more rope to try swinging (her favorite part of the outing), I borrowed a bird identification book for some bird watching. Besides the usual songbirds, we also saw an emu and heard an agitated chicken. It was hard to believe we were in the center of Atlanta with all the wildlife around us. – Amy Ney
Where to Take your Preschoolers
this Month: In June, trot across the globe learning about our friends in different parts of the world at Imagine It! Children’s Museum of Atlanta every Saturday at noon. Experience the rich cultures of the Middle East, Africa, China and Japan through dancing, singing, arts and crafts and more. Free with museum admission: $11; children under 2, free. 275 Centennial Olympic Park Dr. NW, Atlanta. 404-659-5437. – Deanna Mingo |
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Good Neighbor Day Air Show
Free
Georgia Renaissance
Festival
Exhibit:
Museum Hours: Mon.-Fri.,
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some exhibits – including
“The Spirit of Delta” – have special hours;
check website for details. 