40+ Ways to Keep Your Cool This Summer
Escape Atlanta’s heat with these fun “hot” spots.
Table of Contents
Shake Things Up
Stop in for a milkshake and stay awhile in cool surroundings. Try Shake Shack in Buckhead and Perimeter Mall, Shakeaway in Cumming or Steak ‘n Shake, with locations all over metro Atlanta.
Get Ice Cold
Lace up a pair of ice skates and do some laps around the rink – even a novice can master the basics and have fun. Try one of these locations: the Alpharetta Family Skate Center, Center Ice Arena in Sandy Springs, Ice Forum in Duluth or Kennesaw, The Ice in Cumming and Marietta Ice Center.
Glow in the Dark
Indoor mini-golf courses that glow-in-the-dark are cool in all respects. Two to try are Lunar Mini Golf in Sugarloaf Mills Mall in Lawrenceville and Monster Mini Golf in Marietta. Glow Galaxy in Norcross has mini-golf as well as a lot of other glow-in-the-dark entertainment.
Spend a Day at the Museum
Pick one of Atlanta’s fun museums and spend the day at play. In fact, with so many to choose from, pick one for each week of summer. Some museums offer family discount days or free days. Three special exhibits you’ll want to see are Blue Man Group-Making Waves at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Mammoths and Mastodons at Fernbank Museum of Natural History and Painter and Poet: The Wonderful World of Ashley Bryan at the High Museum.
Splash Indoors
No need for sunscreen at an indoor water park, where features like water slides and water play structures keep kids moving. Three to try are Bethesda Park Aquatic Center in Lawrenceville (search Aquatics), Bogan Aquatic Center in Buford (search Aquatics) and South Cobb Aquatic Center in Austell (go to Aquatic Centers under Directory).
Play with a Puppet
Take the kids to a puppet show at the Center for Puppetry Arts and stay for a “create a puppet” workshop or a visit to the museum. Cinderella Della Circus is being produced through July. The Roswell Summer Puppet Series continues through July 22. The shows are staged by traveling puppeteers and the lineup this year includes “Pinocchio,” “Robin Hood” and “Beauty and the Beast” among others.
Go for a Spin
Hop in a vehicle for indoor go-kart racing at K1 Speed in Duluth, Slingshot Entertainment and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games or get behind the wheel at Tiny Towne-Drive Safely and have fun while learning the rules of the road.
Get Wet
Our list of the best splash pads, water parks, fountains, pools and more will keep the kids cooled off.
Climb the Walls
Kids can have hours of fun testing their stamina and skills on a rock climbing wall. Try one of these: Adrenaline Climbing in Suwanee, Atlanta Rocks! In Atlanta, Stone Summit Climbing and Fitness Center in Atlanta and Kennesaw or Wall Crawler Rock Club in Atlanta.
Skydive Indoors
If your kids are not old enough to do the real thing, but are after an adrenaline-boosting experience, the new indoor skydiving facility called iFLY will let them have a taste.
Go Roller-Skating
Skating is good exercise and is great fun for all ages–check out our list of roller-skating rinks complete with their summer specials.
Jump on a Trampoline
These indoor trampoline parks let you jump to new heights. Some even have foam pits and balls to play with.
Road Trip to a Water Park
This list of road trips close to home includes some awesome, over-the-top water parks with slides and rides to wow your kids.
