Even with the exhilarating natural beauty in the Atlanta area, you may find it simpler to entertain your grandchildren indoors in a controlled environment – especially the rambunctious ones.
April is a great month to expand your repertoire to include outdoor adventures. When the kids have fun, they’ll encourage you to schedule more time outside and the habit can carry into an active summer in Atlanta.
Here are ideas to start with this week.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Kids Village at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival
Noon-9 p.m. Friday, April 12; 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, April 13; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, April 14. $5 donation. Oak Hill 12th St entrance, Piedmont Park, 1322 Monroe Dr., Atlanta.
While the larger Atlanta Dogwood Festival with its music and art vendors is also a blast, you may want to concentrate on entertaining the young ones at the Dollywood-sponsored Kids Village. That area of the festival offers kids the chance to help paint murals, make masks and paper butterflies, and jump around on inflatables. Toddlers will adore the Atlanta Parent’s play area, especially the age-appropriate crafts and Teddy Bear Hospital.
This is a grand way to introduce young ones to Piedmont Park so be on the lookout for reasons to come back and enjoy the trails all summer.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Paces Mill Trail
5 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. $5 parking. Paces Mill Trail, 444 Cobb Pkwy, Atlanta.
Part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, the trail at Paces Mill offers a wide variety of paved paths to bike or walk along the river. For more ambitious families, you can launch canoes from Paces Mill, too. It’s a wonderful place to initiate a healthy lifestyle and it’s not usually overly crowded outside of summer months.
Woofstock Ellijay
11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, April 13. $5 donation for parade and costume contest. Downtown Ellijay, 10 Broad St., Ellijay.
Friends of the Gilmer Animal Shelter sponsor this outdoor “doggone tie-dyed good time.” The pet parade and dog adoption event encourage attendees to wear their hippie attire, and Ultimate Air Dogs will entertain with a dock diving competition. It’s a great chance to get the kids out of the house, bring along your dog if you have one, and dress up in your disco-era garb. The parade is fun even if you don’t own a pet to enter in the ‘70s-themed costume contest. But be prepared to fend off pleas for adoptable animals — they are ridiculously cute.
