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Not-To-Miss Events
MY LITTLE PONY
LIVE! “The World’s Biggest Tea Party” Join Pinkie Pie and seven of her charming Ponyville friends for an
interactive musical that features plenty
of singing, dancing and audience
participation. In this live show,
Ponyville’s finest trot onto the stage
and use their colorful imaginations to
host the biggest party of the year.
Tickets cost between $12 and $34. The
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is
located at 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway in
Atlanta. Call
Atlanta Opera Family Day Open your child’s eyes (and ears) to the magic and wonder of the opera. Designed for children in elementary school or younger, activities include stage combat demonstrations, make-your-own-instrument, an interactive costume shop and operatic performances. Admission is $5, and children under 3 get in for free. Emerson Hall is located at 4484 Peachtree Road in Atlanta. For more information, call 404-261-1441..
Get excited about Earth Day at the CNC. Meet Captain Planet, make a frog terrarium, paddle a canoe on the pond, listen to a kids version of “An Inconvenient Truth,” and try out a variety of all natural snacks. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children 3-12 and free for kids under 3. The CNC is located at 9135 Willeo Road in Roswell. Call 770-992-2055, ext. 3 for more information. Yaraab Shrine Circus,
Carnival and Flea Market Yaraab Shrine Circus, the largest Shrine circus in North America, features top circus talents from around the world with daredevil acrobats and entertaining acts. Be sure to check out the carnival midway, which offers over 40 carnival rides for the whole family including plenty of rides for youngsters. To top it all off, a giant flea market filled with furniture, toys, clothes and more will be open from April 26-May 4. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for children and parking is $3. Jim Miller Park is located at 2245 Callaway Road in Marietta. Call 770-425-2331 for more information. 
Paintball Atlanta Hours: Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Half day sessions are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. Waivers are required for anyone under 18, and can be downloaded on the website. Pricing: includes semi-auto marker, full face mask/goggles and field fee. Full day, $30; half day, $20; upgraded marker, $10 extra. Additional fees include paint and air. Paint Pricing: $6/100; $25/500; $80/2,000. Air Pricing:
CO2, $3/7-9 oz.;
Get Dirty at Bundle up (even if it’s 80 degrees) if your kids are craving a day of crazy fun on the paintball field. The layers offer protection when you get shot with pellets, which are yellow at Paintball Atlanta. For kids who have never played before, Paintball Atlanta has an orientation area; there the staff makes sure the rules are understood and checks equipment to make sure the CO2 cartridges are firing correctly. There are seven courses at the Alpharetta field, but all aren’t open at the same time. For tween boys, this place is a dream, except for the strict refs who make sure kids keep their protective gear on and in place. “To me, the importance they place on safety was the best part,” says Alpharetta mom of two boys, Amy. Close shooting is also off limits to eliminate injuries.
The final verdict: the boys were muddy and covered with paint, but had a great time. And, do they want to go back? Yes! Fernbank Museum of Natural History 767 Clifton Road
NE Hours: Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m. Admission: Adults, $15; students, $14; kids 12 and under, $13. Extras: Journey Into Amazing Caves, an IMAX experience that explores this dark habitat, is an additional cost.
Exhibit: Fascinated by the dark and nocturnal creatures? Then you’ll love Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s newest exhibit, In The Dark, which runs through May 4. Dedicated to exploring all that is nocturnal, this exhibit offers visitors a hands-on experience into the deep world of darkness. Families learn how many animals and insects use darkness for their survival. From owls with keen night vision to cave-dwelling species that lose pigmentation, parents and kids discover how these creatures have adapted to the darkness and thrive. Kids will discover the adaptations of cave-dwelling species, like the cave cricket, and its use of fine hair-like structures to collect information within its dark habitat. Families also learn how some species that live deep in the ocean produce a bioluminescence, which lights the dark waters. In the museum’s Education Alley area, families interact with games, puzzles and other hands-on activities related to dark environments. Visitors can see a Madagascar hissing cockroach, which spends most of its life in darkness, as well as make words in Braille, a system that enables visually impaired people to read and write. Children can try their hand at fitting a block into its exact shaped hole – in complete darkness. This special booth is outfitted with a night-vision camera that lets onlookers watch outside the booth as parents and kids alike struggle to get the block to fit. Whether underground, in caves or deep in the ocean, this exhibit teaches families the importance of darkness to so many creatures, and gives families the opportunity to explore an incredible world that exists in the dark. – Tiffany Capuano
Transplant your budding gardener to “Dig It! With Dad,” a weekly Daddy and Me program that explores the life cycle of a plant, as well as what they need to grow big and strong. Kids and dads will enjoy botanical learning activities, stories and crafts, such as making a birdhouse. The program takes place on Sundays from 2 p.m.-3 p.m. throughout April and is intended for children 2-6 years old. Cost is $11/person; reserve your space by calling 404-527-3693. Imagine It! is located at 275 Centennial Olympic Park Dr. in Atlanta. –Kyle Garrett |
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Sunday,
1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Earth Day Kids Fest
Most paintball
fanatics are older teens and young adults.
You have to be 11 to play (waivers are
required). Kids are placed on teams to play
games like “capture the flag.” “The boys
loved it – they had to work together with
teammates to not get shot, capture the flag
and take it to their home base,” says Amy.
The boys also liked the courses that
included trees because “it was more fun to
hide and made it more real life or army
like,” she says.
Rug Rat Romps: