The ritzy neighborhood of Buckhead has plenty of world-class entertainment destinations for Georgia’s families, from awesome toy stores to exciting outdoor activities. So pack up the stroller, load the kids in the car, and get ready to head out on an adventure. Here is your ultimate guide to the seven best local attractions for kids of all ages.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center
Since they hit stores in 1949, millions of kids — and adults — have dived headfirst into the Lego craze. These interlocking toy bricks inspire creativity and offer endless hours of fun. Atlanta’s LEGOLAND Discovery Center on Peachtree Road Northeast offers Buckhead families the chance to discover this spectacular toy in numerous ways. Explore this ultimate indoor playground and family-fun center featuring 10 build zones, amazing displays, two rides, an innovative 4D cinema, family attractions like Pirate Adventure Island, and of course, a gift shop.
This store is stuffed with awesomeness like a miniature replica of Atlanta’s top attractions and cafe to stop for lunch. Sign up for a Master Model Builder workshop and get loads of tips from the pros. Everything at LEGOLAND is kid-sized and designed with preschoolers ages 3 and up in mind.
Medieval Times
Image via Flickr by RMTip21
Experience a show unlike any other at Medieval Times. Located on Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville, everyone in the family will delight in thrilling battles of steel and steed as they unfold before your eyes. You’ll be awestruck by swordplay, games of skill, horsemanship demonstrations, and falconry. Watch as brawn and metal unite inside the stone walls of this replica 11th-century Spanish castle. Who will be your family’s favorite champion? The humble and loyal Black and White Knight or perhaps the renowned champion of those less fortunate, the Blue Knight?
Wait until the kids find out they can eat with their fingers here at Medieval Times. After the show, feast on a four-course, utensil-free meal. Dig into Queen Maria Isabella’s favorite dishes, including roasted chicken, garlic bread, herb-basted potato, sweet buttered corn, tomato bisque soup, and a scrumptious dessert.
Blue Heron Nature Preserve
Blue Heron Nature Preserve off of Roswell Road Northeast in Atlanta is a natural haven in this bustling urban environment. Wander through this 30-acre nature preserve along the 3-mile Blueway Trail, past a creek, and among many varieties of wildflowers. Keep your eyes open for wildlife, including monarch butterflies as they flutter through the Blue Heron’s certified butterfly garden.
The Preserve’s professional installations will spellbind art lovers of all ages. Visit during the winter months to celebrate native trees or discover the small gallery in the middle of the park. It’s a lovely spot that showcases new, environmentally oriented works every quarter, including breathtaking sculptures and charming, colorful murals.
Young school kids will also love the environmental education opportunities at Blue Heron. It currently offers exciting virtual programs such as “What is a Reptile?” presented by The Amphibian Foundation. The preserve is open daily from dawn until dusk, and parking and entrance is always free.
Center for Puppetry Arts
Image via Flickr by Roller Coaster Philosophy
Get ready to rethink everything you know about puppets with a trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts. It’s located in Atlanta’s Midtown’s arts district on Spring Street Northwest and offers family-friendly live shows, workshops, museum-quality exhibits, and events. Even parents will feel like a kid again, thanks to the country’s largest organization dedicated to puppetry. And everyone in the family will love the holiday-themed events and exhibits and even classes on this history and creation of puppets.
Sign up school-aged children for special workshops, such as “Lessons in Native American Cultures with Puppetry.” Participants will learn about the Eastern Woodlands, Plains, and Southwest Native American cultures. After the presentation, kids get to create their own hand puppet based on the Hopi people’s Kachina figure.
Kazoo Toys
Kazoo Toys is so much more than your typical neighborhood toy store. For nearly a decade, this full-service shop has been inspiring imagination and creative play while offering mom and dad a delightful toy shopping experience. Located on Roswell Road in Buckhead, Kazoo Toys provides kids and parents with one of the area’s best selections of high-quality toys, games, puzzles, and creative playthings for all ages, from babies, preschoolers, elementary kids, tweens, and teens, plus sensory toys for children with unique needs.
Georgia Aquarium
Embark on a voyage to the Georgia Aquarium and learn all about its fascinating underwater residents. This downtown public aquarium located on Baker Street Northwest is home to thousands of creatures from hundreds of species, like whale sharks, alligators, and penguins, all swimming happily around in more than 10 million gallons of water.
It touts seven major galleries where you can get up close and personal with a behind-the-scenes experience. How would your kids like to meet a bottlenose dolphin face-to-face? Everyone in the family will have the opportunity to participate in a training session and touch and feed these friendly creatures. Or you can explore the aquarium from home with a guided virtual tour. This program brings all of the sights to you as you sit back and enjoy the extensive galleries and behind the scenes areas without ever leaving your couch.
Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
Throughout the year, you can enjoy the hot Georgia heat by cooling off at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands Water Park in Buford. Hit steep slides, chill out in the wave pool, or get into a tube and travel down the rapids.
When the weather turns colder, don’t let winter keep you and your family inside. Escape to Margaritaville at Lanier Islands for holiday festivities and adrenaline-spiking activities like snow tubing and ice skating. Embrace the spirit of the season, and enjoy this special time with family and friends while you get in on some good old fashioned snow play.
This list of the best kid-friendly things to do in Buckhead was brought to you by Crème de la Crème of Buckhead. Whether you love indoor play or frolicking outdoors, there’s a perfect family-oriented activity for you. Which attraction will you hit up first? Let us know your favorites.