15 family-friendly events in Atlanta this weekend
Looking for something to do this weekend with your family in metro Atlanta? The Gwinnett Stripers are hosting a Preseason Party with free hot dogs and sodas (while supplies last), on-field batting practice experiences and more baseball fun. Or head to Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighborhood for a colorful Lanta Gras parade and festival.
Check out the following 15 family-friendly things to do in metro Atlanta this weekend:
View krewe-decorated floats in the parade and enjoy a festival with food trucks, special New Orleans restaurant items and music from bands including Big Sam’s Funky Nation and Squirrel Heads.
Noon-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. Free admission. Festival in Kirkwood neighborhood’s “downtown.” Parade starts at Bessie Branham Park, 2051 Delano Drive NE, Atlanta and rolls south toward Hosea L. Williams Boulevard in the heart of Kirkwood.
Camp indoors on the field at the College Football Hall of Fame and get after-hours access to the Hall and hands-on activities as well as dinner, a late-night snack and a grab-and-go breakfast before you leave in the morning.
6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28-8 a.m. Sunday, March 1. $199 for up to five campers, $25 for each additional camper. College Football Hall of Fame, 250 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. 404-880-4800.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
The Tony Award-winning play — part of the Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta series — features the friendship between Harry Potter’s son Albus and the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, which sparks a journey that has the power to change the past and the future forever.
Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1, plus additional dates. $49 and up. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 855-285-8499.
Join in an evening of food and fellowship as you sample tasting menus that celebrate history, flavor and tradition. Celebrity chef G. Garvin, chef-restaurateur at LowCountry Steak in Midtown, will serve as a guest judge.
6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. $40 general admission, $240 table for six. Smyrna Community Center, 1250 Powder Springs St., Smyrna. 770-434-6600.
Music meets the cosmos in this collaboration with the musicians of the Classical Remix Music Festival at the Fernbank Science Center planetarium. The curated playlist includes music from “Star Wars” as well as pieces such as Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” and Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”
7-8:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. $35 general admission, $5 students with student ID. Fernbank Science Center planetarium, 156 Heaton Park Drive, Atlanta. 678-874-7102.
Black History Month Beacon Walking Tour
Take a walking tour of important sites throughout the Beacon Hill area that was once a thriving Black neighborhood in Decatur. Former residents, descendants and youth scholars will lead the tour and tell stories that illuminate the area’s enduring legacy and the ongoing efforts to preserve its land and history. Food will be provided.
Noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. $20, free for students and Beacon descendents. Meet at Beacon Municipal Complex, 420 Beacon Place, Decatur.
Take part in this Pan-Asian New Year celebration with a Lantern Festival, craft booths and food and merchandise vendors. The event is a fundraiser for Asian American Voices for Education.
1-6 p.m. Sunday, March 1. Admission $10 adults, free for under 18. Ebster Recreation Center, 404 W. Trinity Place, Decatur.
Participate in this chip-timed race to benefit Care for Cops, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to the families of officers who were lost in the line of duty.
8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. $35. Suwanee Town Center, 330 Town Center Ave., Suwanee. 470-219-5027.
Cauley Creek S’mores and Night Hike
All ages are welcome for an evening of fun and games in Johns Creek followed by s’mores and a short hike along Cauley Creek Park’s trail. You’re asked to bring your own flashlight and may also bring a picnic or snacks.
5-7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. Free. Cauley Creek Park, 7255 Bell Road, Johns Creek. 678-512-3200.
Visit a Tucker eatery you’ve never been to before or chow down at one of your favorites to score special Restaurant Week deals. Participating restaurants include Ford’s BBQ, Baraka Shawarma, El Taco Nacho and Cakes Castle.
Continuing through Sunday, March 1. Participating restaurants throughout Tucker.
The Roswell Theatre Company presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” a musical that brings the classic fairy tale to life.
Continuing 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. $10-$20. Roswell High School, 11595 King Road, Roswell. 470-254-4500.
Experience a day of learning and wellness with featured talks from physicians, practitioners and wellness leaders, a marketplace, a healthy happy hour with food and smoothies and free mammograms (from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. Free admission. Johns Creek Baptist Church, 6910 McGinnis Ferry Road, Johns Creek. 770-495-0545.
Get ready for the Gwinnett Stripers’ new season with complimentary hot dogs and soda (while supplies last), mascot meet-and-greets, self-guided tours of the field, on-field batting practice for a $10 donation to Children’s Miracle Network and kids’ activities such as face painting and inflatable games.
Noon-3 p.m. Sunday, March 1. Free. Advance online ticket reservations required. Coolray Field, 2500 Buford Drive, Lawrenceville. 678-277-0300.
Enjoy cultural education, vendor booths with historical and cultural merchandise, music, food and more.
1-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. Free. Shorty Howell Park, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth. 770-822-8840.
On the Stage Children’s Theatre presents “The Outsiders,” adapted from the popular book by S.E. Hinton, that’s seen through the eyes of Ponyboy, a “greaser” caught up in battles between his friends and the have-it-made rich kids. Intended for audiences 13 and up, it contains mild language as well as simulated violence and death, so viewer discretion is advised.
7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. $13-$65. Eagle Theatre, 5029 W. Broad St., Sugar Hill. 678-765-2244.
