Like the colored eggs in a child’s basket, metro Atlanta’s Easter events differ in shade and substance. Be it egg hunts, glasses of seasonal spirits, or a sunrise climb with a spiritual payoff, everyone in the family can find something to hop about.
Eggstravaganza at Callanwolde
Prize-filled eggs continue to be the big sell at Eggstravaganza, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s seasonal search.
Kids bring their own baskets and scour the chromatic flora-lined grounds for plastic eggs packed with candy and the ever-elusive three golden prize eggs. Ages 3 and younger hit the grass at 11:15 a.m., ages 4-6 at 11:30 a.m. and ages 7-12 hunt at 11:45 a.m. Why should eggs get all the color? Face painters bedeck willing tots for $5 each. The latter get to meet and greet with the Easter Bunny, and roll up their sleeves for arts and crafts.
Guests try their hands at carnival games, which cost tickets. Tickets are 25 cents each, and kids score five tickets with each paid admission. The Atlanta Braves will have a presence with games and more, and Atlanta Hawks mascot Harry the Hawk hangs with fans. While the spring chickens play, parents peruse the bake sale and its alley of desserts. The offspring can shoot for sweets by participating in the cake walk ($5).
Eggstravaganza may sell out, and organizers suggest ordering tickets online in advance. No event parking will be available at Callanwolde. Adults can find paid parking ($5) and free shuttle service at Emory University Briarcliff Campus.
10 a.m.-noon April 19. Ages 12 and younger $12 advance; $14 at the door. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. Park at Emory University Briarcliff Campus, 1256 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338, www.callanwolde.org.
Two egg hunts at Serenbe
A pair of Easter events crack open courtesy of Serenbe Playhouse, each with a decidedly different audience.
The lawn at the Inn at Serenbe plays host to the Family Easter Egg Hunt. Dorothy (Skylar Nicholson) and Toto from the upcoming Serenbe Playhouse production of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” will make a special appearance. After the hunt, mom and dad can spring for attraction tickets good for face painting, inflatable activities, photos with the Easter Bunny, pony rides and more. Kids also can nibble on cotton candy and popcorn while parents have a specialty cocktail.
The night before, those drinks come out in force. The Naughty Egg Hunt is for the 21-and-older set. Both femme and buff bunnies are hosts for the evening, offering libations — think high-octane carrot juice, among others — and prize-laden games for guests. It all takes place outdoors, including the starlit dance party with DJ Yvonne presiding. The $25 admission includes two complimentary drink tickets.
Naughty Egg Hunt: 8-11 p.m. April 18. $25. Family Easter Egg Hunt: 11:30 a.m. April 19. $5 per child. Inn at Serenbe, 10950 Hutcheson Ferry Road, Chattahoochee Hills. 770-463-1110, www.serenbeplayhouse.com.
Easter service at Stone Mountain Park
Back in the spring of 1944, a youth group from Stone Mountain First United Methodist Church trekked to the top of Stone Mountain on Easter morning to see the sunrise. Seven decades later, folks of all ages continue the tradition by hoofing it to the apex of the world’s largest hunk of exposed granite for a nondenominational service.
Although the service doesn’t begin until 7 a.m., park gates swing open at 4 a.m. Summit Skyride, the cable cars that go from the base of the mountain to the top and back again, also begin hauling guests at 4 a.m. It costs $9 for adults and $7 for kids ages 3-11 for a round-trip Skyride ticket or $5.50 one-way.
Those wishing to walk to the top can begin the climb near Confederate Hall, adjacent to the park’s West Gate. The one-mile walk to the top remains free of charge.
Would you rather stay grounded? A simultaneous service takes place at the base of the mountain on Memorial Lawn.
Organizers suggest allowing extra time, because the event typically draws crowds. Don’t forget to bundle up, especially if you opt for tackling the mountain.
7 a.m. April 20. Free. $10 parking per vehicle; free for church vans and buses. Stone Mountain Park, 1000 Robert E. Lee Drive, Stone Mountain. 770-498-5690, www.stonemountainpark.com/events/Easter-Sunrise-Service.aspx.
More Easter events
The Kirkwood Family Find: An Easter Egg Hunt. 10 a.m. April 19. Free. Bessie Branham Park, 2051 Delano Drive N.E., Atlanta. www.facebook.com/TheKirkwoodFamilyFind.
Acworth Egg Hunt and Spring Festival. 11 a.m. April 19. Free. Cedarcrest Church, 4600 Cobb Parkway, Acworth.
City of Riverdale's Annual Easter Egg Hunt Extravaganza. 10 a.m. April 19. Free. Riverdale Town Center, 7200 Church St., Riverdale. 770-909-5300.
Egg Scramble. 10:30 a.m. April 19. Free; registration required (see the church's website). Eastside Baptist Church, 2450 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta. www.ebcfamily.org.
Easter Eggstravaganza. Noon April 19. Free. East Cobb United Methodist Church, 2325 Roswell Road, Marietta. www.eastcobbumc.org.
Easter Egg Eggstravaganza. 2 p.m. April 19. Community Achievement Center, 4522 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. 404-214-7400.
RELATED
Browse Easter music, dramas, dining on our Atlanta calendar
A recipe for Easter brunch from Lure restaurant in Midtown Atlanta
About the Author
