Say hello to autumn: Things to do with your grandkids this week

Get out and about to welcome autumn in metro Atlanta with your grandchildren. You have low-key and big-energy options to choose from this week:

Credit: Charles Seabrook

Credit: Charles Seabrook

A quiet nature walk at Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, free admission, 2580 Pine Bluff Dr., Decatur.

Turkey Tail bracket fungus, chestnuts, and great egrets are some of the 300 species of plants and animals you and those eagle-eye grandkids might spot on a casual hike through the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve.

The privately owned 28-acre set aside includes wetlands, forests, and ponds that provide habitat for frogs, beavers, and multitudes of songbirds and waterfowl.

Autumn brings changes in wildlife and the landscape that you can discuss with toddlers and elementary-school-age grandkids, or you can stroll along in companionable silence with older kids.

Bring plenty of sunscreen and water to drink, a well-charged cell phone for photos, and binoculars if you have them.

40th Annual Duluth Fall Festival

9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1., free admission, Duluth Festival Grounds, 3142 Hill St. NW, Duluth.

Spend all day or an hour or so at this vibrant small-town festival that welcomes fall whether the weather cooperates or not.

Events include a parade with marching bands and fire trucks on Saturday with streets closed at 9:45 a.m. and concert acts at 6:30 and 8 p.m.

Sunday kicks off with an 8 a.m. 5K that’s a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race.

Throughout the day are all the fall-favorite booths, food trucks, and music adults and kids of all ages could ask for.

You can feel good about any expenditures, too, since proceeds go towards restoring and maintaining the historic downtown area.

Halloween glassblowing demonstration

1-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, free, Decatur Glassblowing, 250 Freeman St., Decatur.

Stop by the Decatur studio to watch a glassblowing demonstration with a pumpkin theme. It may inspire you to join a class later in the season — or to purchase glass art with a fall theme.

Anyone under 18 must attend with a legal guardian and be supervised at all times due to the extreme heat and precision involved in glassblowing.

RSVP on Facebook here.