Free Fun September
Table of Contents
Woodruff Arts Center: Target Family Thursdays
The Woodruff Arts Center’s Target Family Thursdays program offers a range of interactive experiences for the entire family, from theater performances to storytelling, arts and crafts to acting workshops. The program includes: A Child’s Garden of Verses, a performance for very small children and their grown-ups presented by the Alliance Theatre; Toddler Thursdays, where parents and children explore art works at the High Museum of Art through letters, colors and shapes; flashART, a drop-in art-making workshop for high school students; acting workshops for kids of all ages; and Into the Woods, a musical by the Alliance and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with references to classic fairy tales. Must pre-register for some performances and activities. For a full schedule of events and to pre-register, visit woodruffcenter.org/target.aspx. 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta; Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22. 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Waffle House Museum
This museum is the site of the very first Waffle House, built in 1955. Waffle House has since grown into an iconic American restaurant with over 1,600 locations in 25 states. This restaurant has been restored to look and feel like the original diner, and the rest of the museum features Waffle House memorabilia from the past 54 years. 2719 East College Ave., Decatur. For more information, visit wafflehouse.com/our-story/waffle-house-museum. Free tour Sept. 10, noon-3 p.m. Call 770-326-7086 to schedule tour on a different day.
The King Center
The King Center is the national memorial honoring Atlanta’s favorite son, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the legendary civil rights leader of America’s nonviolent movement for equality and peace in the 1960s. The center features books, films, photos, displays, historic items and much more to educate visitors about his life and philosophy of nonviolence. You can also visit the crypts of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, a civil rights icon in her own right. 449 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta; 404-526-8900; thekingcenter.org. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park holds a free live fire demonstration for visitors using authentic Civil War artillery. After the show, hike in the park, visit the museum, or have a picnic in one of the specified areas. The park also offers a self-guided cellphone audio tour. Visitors dial the tour number, enter a three-digit stop number, and listen to the accompanying information via their mobile phones. 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr., Kennesaw; 770-427-4686; nps.gov/kemo/index.htm. Artillery demonstration: Sept. 4-5, 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m. Park open from dawn until dusk.
Mayfield Dairy Farms
Take a few hours to indulge in one of life’s simplest pleasures – ice cream – and learn all about where milk comes from. The free tour of the Mayfield Dairy factory starts with a short film of the company’s history and explains how the fresh milk makes it from cow to fridge. Then watch how those signature yellow jugs are made. Kids can even “milk” a life-sized replica of a Jersey cow. The tour wraps up at an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Make sure to bring some pocket change. A fresh scoop costs $1.50-$3.50. 1160 Broadway Ave., Braselton; 888-298-0396; mayfielddairy.com. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; no tours Wednesdays.
– Alexi Wilbourn