If you have guests visiting for the holidays, then you may be feeling pressured to show your visitors a good time. But there’s enough stress to go around during the busy season, and planning an outing shouldn’t add to it. The good news is there are plenty of fun and thrilling attractions around the city to impress your out-of-town company. Whether they want to do something festive, touristy or more exclusive to the city, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlights eight great options.
Toys R Us Adventure
Though the famous franchise shuttered stores last year, Toys R Us makes a return in partnership with Candytopia for a fun-filled immersive experience—just in time for the holiday season. Redefining what it means to be a Toys R Us kid, the exhibit offers families plenty of photo-worthy moments throughout their seven “playrooms.” Delight in a different playful motif, such as their life-size “Paw Patrol” tower, their jungle-meets-Jurassic safari adventure or their confetti blizzard room. Each room is already saturated with colors and soundtracked with lively music, so when you add in toy chests overflowing with complimentary candy, you now have the setting for a true kid-friendly frenzy. Plus, Atlanta is only one of two U.S. cities to host this limited-time experience, so your out-of-town guests will be in for a real treat.
Daily through Jan. 5 (and closed on Dec. 25). $20 for children and $28 for adults. Lenox Marketplace in Buckhead, 3535 Peachtree Road NE Suite 100, Atlanta. toysrusadventure.com. (Hours vary.)
Snow Mountain
Just because your guests are down South for the holidays doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a snow day. Snow Mountain promises a daily production of more than 360 tons of snow—even on Georgia’s warmest winter days. This epic winter playground offers “cool” adventures for the whole family. Young kids will enjoy the SnowZone, where they can build snowmen and tube down smaller bunny slopes. And thrill-seekers can opt to hit the faster, 400-foot hill slopes, where visitors can ride single, double or large family-sized tubes. Yet, true adrenaline chasers will enjoy the park’s new Dare Devil Plunge track, where tubers plummet from a steep three-story-high drop into a 150-foot tunnel of lights. With a separate ticket or combo pass, guests can also check out the Stone Mountain Christmas attractions, which include a sing-a-long train ride, live performances, character meet-and-greets and more.
Select dates through Feb 23. Prices start at $34.95 for a two-hour snow tubing session and access to the SnowZone. 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain. 1-800-401-2407, stonemountainpark.com. (Hours vary.)
Miracle Bar
Who says the kids are the only ones who can have fun? Just for the 21-and-up crowd, this world-famous Christmas pop-up bar returns to Atlanta to make your “spirits” bright with an array of fun, festive cocktails. Discover handcrafted menu favorites like their Gingerbread Flip and Christmas Carol Barrel. With locations at Monroe, Highland and Sipping Santa at Bon Ton (Miracle Bar’s holiday tiki-bar-themed equivalent), guests can get immersed in an overload of Christmas lights and holiday jingles. The experience can certainly enchant your out-of-town visitors, but note that wait times can get crazy for parties over four as it’s a very popular attraction. Since reservations are not accepted, try arriving at 6 p.m. to put your party’s name and number on the list, then doing dinner or another activity in the area for a couple of hours until your table is ready.
Hours vary by location. Select dates in December. Free to enter. Miracle on Highland: 240 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta. Miracle on Monroe: 931 Monroe Drive NE, Atlanta. Sipping Santa at Bon Ton: 674 Myrtle St. NE, Atlanta. miraclebaratlanta.com
Centennial Olympic Park
Year-round the park is already a top tourist attraction, but this holiday season, the park and its neighboring spaces are packed with new interests and more activities for your out-of-town visitors to enjoy. Even if you’ve already been, area favorites such as the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the College Football Hall of Fame offer special holiday programming, which can breathe new excitement into return visits. For example, World of Coca-Cola guests can sample seasonal flavors like Gingerbread Coke and Sprite Butter Toffee, and aquarium guests can sign up to have breakfast with Santa.
But there's also the free-admission Atlanta Christkindl Market in Centennial Park, where visitors can peruse the German-inspired holiday market for authentic seasonal foods, crafts and more. Also in the park, neighboring the market, is the Chinese Lantern Festival. Here, attendees will find nightly entertainment, vendors and more than 25 artisan-crafted lanterns. Furthermore, extend visiting loved ones the opportunity to take a spin in the SkyView Ferris wheel, which is decorated for the season.
Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave., Atlanta. 404-223-4412, gwcca.org/centennial-olympic-park. (Prices and hours of operation vary per attraction, so check individual websites for more information.)
License to Chill Snow Island at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
For another winter wonderland experience, head to Margaritaville at Lanier Islands. Make it a full day of fun at their real snow playground and snow tubing course. Margaritaville proudly boasts that their Parrot Mountain snow tubing slide (which nearly spans the length of two football fields at 575 feet) is one of the fastest snow rides in North America. Snow Island also includes carnival rides, an ice skating rink, inflatables, photo opportunities with Santa and holiday-themed concessions. And while you’re there, consider sticking around after 5 p.m. to see the Magical Nights of Lights drive-through light show—a time-honored Georgia tradition.
Select dates through Feb. 23. Without access to rides, License to Chill Snow Island is free to visit before the opening of Magical Nights of Lights at 5 p.m.; Magical Nights admission is required for access to Snow Island after 5 p.m. Margaritaville at Lanier Islands, 7650 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. 470-323-3440, lanierislands.com/margaritaville.
The VOID at the Battery Atlanta
If you’re struggling to get your gamers out of the house after they’ve already opened their new tech gifts, then this might be your best bet. With only 11 other U.S. locations, the VOID at the Battery Atlanta takes virtual reality gaming to new heights with their highly immersive adventures. You can opt to enter the land of Jumanji (and, of course, try to save it) or fight along Marvel Avengers to protect the world from impending disaster.
Open daily except Dec. 25. Starting at $29.95. 800 Battery Ave., Suite 120, Atlanta. 470-298-9214, thevoid.com. (Check website for available time slots.)
Holiday Movie Nights and Holiday Afternoon Tea at the Waldorf Astoria
For the first three Saturdays in December, the Waldorf Astoria is hosting free holiday movie nights. (Due to limited space, attending guests must register in advance at waatl.com/movie-reservation.) Enjoy hot chocolate while watching classics like "A Christmas Story" or "Elf." Additionally, throughout the month of December, the property will put a holiday spin on its signature afternoon tea service. Expect to indulge in fun seasonal flavors, such as gingerbread and sugar plum teas along with mulled wine and eggnog bread pudding. And on the first two Saturdays of the month, visitors can make reservations to have tea with Santa.
For movie nights: 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Free. For afternoon tea: 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. seating on select dates through Dec. 28. $30 per child and $72 per adult. Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead. 3376 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-995-7500, waatl.com/festive.
Skate the Sky at Ponce City Market
Think back to your favorite holiday movie; a good old-fashioned day of ice skating just seems like one of the most idealistic ways to spend a winter day with loved ones, right? So, for the ultimate experience, take your guests to the rooftop of Ponce City Market to skate the sky. The 3,500-square-foot ice skating rink overlooks the Atlanta skyline. Furthermore, general admission to the rooftop and ice skating rink also includes unlimited carnival games and rides at Skyline Park. And for more fun and Instagram memories, rooftop goers can reserve private outdoor igloos. Here up to six guests can sip on hot and cold cocktails and nibble while lounging in one of the cozy, faux fur-adorned domed igloos.
Select dates through Jan 5. $15 for adults and $8 for children plus rooftop admission. The Roof at Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta. 770-999-1530, poncecityroof.com. (Hours vary, so check its website for rink hours; Fridays and Saturdays are 21 and up after 5 p.m.; igloos are only for patrons 21 and up).
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