Go ahead, smell the roses! Or get your hands dirty, or do both with these garden-centric activities that appeal to grandkids and their green-thumb grandparents.
Stroll the grounds at The Carter Center
6 a.m.-9 p.m. all week. Free admission. The Carter Center, One Copenhill, 453 John Lewis Freedom Parkway, NE, Atlanta.
Meditate, stretch your legs, and get home garden inspiration walking the grounds of The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
Highlights include a rose garden featuring the coral Rosalynn Carter rose and some 40 others, a Japanese garden with waterfalls representing the former president and first lady, and an undisturbed native oak forest.
Take advantage of the dawn-to-dark hours to make a quick stop before school or ahead of other activities on the weekend, or pack a lunch and enjoy it at the picnic tables. The museum involves a modest entrance fee, but strolling the gardens is free.
Make a wooden flower planter at The Home Depot
9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 6. Free. Various locations.
As they do each first Saturday, The Home Depot conducts a skill-building workshop for future DIYers at their stores. You can watch older kids participate or lend a hand to younger kids.
This month’s project is a flower planter, and instructors will also cover how to plant seeds.
You can walk in, but it’s a good idea to sign up for In-Store Kids Workshops beforehand at your local store since supplies are limited.
Credit: Foodwell Alliance
Credit: Foodwell Alliance
Soil Festival 2023 at Maddox Park
11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, May 6. Various activities and sessions are $5-$25. Maddox Park: 115 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy., NE, Atlanta.
Reconnect with where your food comes from and experience Atlanta’s local food movement at the 8th Annual Soil Festival hosted by Food Well Alliance and WABE. Atlanta Botanical Garden’s own Moe Hemmings and Brandon Brones will be featured speakers for the event.
Now in its 8th year, the Soil Festival celebrates urban farming and our local dirt. They’ll help you and your grandchildren make the link between soil, growing and eating on the local level.
Hands-on cooking demos, composting, and gardening lessons are the main appeal, but plant to spend a while there to enjoy the food vendors and kids’ activities.
This event may even encourage the young set to start eating homegrown and local vegetables; who knows? They taste better when you’ve watched them grow or picked them yourself.
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