15 family-friendly things to do in metro Atlanta this weekend
If you’re looking for something to do with your family in this holiday weekend following Christmas Day, consider attending the Lemon Street Classic, an annual basketball showcase that also honors Marietta’s Black history. Or if you’d like to explore a creepy escape room together, head to one of Escape the Netherworld’s themed experiences.
Check out the following 15 family-friendly things to do in metro Atlanta this weekend:
We Shall Overcome: African American Stories From Civil Wars to Civil Rights
This Oakland Cemetery tour explores the lives and accomplishments of African Americans who fought to overcome the effects of slavery and discrimination to help shape Atlanta’s history.
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Sunday. Adults $12, seniors 65 and up and students 5-17 $6. Oakland Cemetery, 374 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta. 404-549-8932.
Explore and expand your knowledge about caring for wildlife with a tour of Zoo Atlanta’s Rollins Animal Health Center. You’ll learn about the care the Zoo’s veterinary team provides, including the presenting issue, diagnosis and treatment.
12:55-1:40 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $20. Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-624-9453.
The 15th year of the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s festive light displays features new music and choreography.
Friday-Sunday, plus additional dates. $46.95-$61.95. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. 404-876-5859.
The 6th Annual Lemon Street Classic showcases high-level basketball from Georgia and the nation and also honors the legacy of the area’s only school for Blacks during segregation.
Saturday, plus additional dates. One-day tickets $22, students $12, three-day tickets $55. Marietta High School, 1171 Whitlock Ave. NW, Marietta. 770-428-2631.
Funk Cake, which combines the traditional elements of a rock band with the sound of brass instruments, and high-energy musicians Davis & the Love perform in this Homegrown Georgia Songwriter Series concert.
8 p.m. Saturday. $30. Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, 117 N. Park Square, Marietta. 770-293-0080.
If you didn’t get to see the Atlanta Ballet perform “The Nutcracker” before Christmas, you’ll have two more days to take in the dance.
Continuing 2 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. $46.35 and up. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2852.
Choose a creepy escape room theme as you work together to solve a puzzle. Some surprise elements may startle you, but there are no actors in the rooms to scare you. Most rooms are designed for ages 7 and up, but parents should use discretion. Alien Terror is the most intensive room and is recommended for ages 12 and up.
Continuing Friday-Sunday, plus additional dates. $31-$37 per person. Escape the Netherworld, 1313 Netherworld Way, Stone Mountain. 404-999-3722.
Bring kids age 6 and up for a 30-minute walk through Fernbank Forest with a ranger.
11:30 a.m.-noon Saturday. Included with general admission of $23.95-$27.95. Fernbank natural history museum, 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta. 404-929-6300.
Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductees Mothers Finest, who have been described as “too funk for rock, too rock for funk,” will play two shows at Eddie’s Attic.
6 and 8:30 p.m. Friday. $41.73 general admission, $50.62 table seating (minimum of four). Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976.
Learn about the Apollo 8’s 1968 Christmastime mission in a “Talking Tech” presentation led by NASA Solar System Ambassador John Baumbusch.
2-3 p.m. Saturday. $17.24. Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, 5000 Commerce Parkway, Roswell. 770-695-0651.
Bring kids 13 and up and paint a Frozen Aurora Lake scene together to take home.
3-5 p.m. Friday. $40-$50 per person. Painting with a Twist, 11770 Haynes Bridge Road, #801, Alpharetta. 470-294-0051.
Bring the kids to meet characters, stroll through storybook-themed rooms, watch actors and puppets perform, make crafts and more.
Friday-Sunday, plus additional dates. $19.17 and up. North Point Mall, 1000 North Point Circle, Alpharetta. 770-740-8636.
The Gwinnett County Black Chamber of Commerce hosts a Kwanzaa event celebrating the Kujichagulia principle of self-determination. It includes a program, a giveaway of Black books, Black culture games, prizes, networking and Kwanzaa dishes.
1-4 p.m. Saturday. $12.51 ages 13 and up, $7.18 ages 6 to 12. Gwinnett County Public Library — Duluth Branch, 3180 Main St., Duluth. 404-590-4716.
See “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,” a movie about how the young apprentice of an eccentric toy store owner learns to believe in herself and her friends.
2 and 6 p.m. Friday. $2. The Eagle Theatre, 5029 W. Broad St., Sugar Hill. 770-945-6929.
Marshall Charloff & the Purple xPeRIeNCE
This Prince tribute group is in its 15th year of performing nationally and internationally, reaching more than 1 million audience members. Members aim to deliver his music on the highest level while respectfully paying homage to his costuming and likeness.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. $28-$88. $5 parking. Gas South Theater, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 470-639-8243.
