If you find yourself stuck in the house with the kids on a gray or rainy day and are looking for a fun indoor getaway, Alpharetta and nearby Atlanta provide an array of entertaining activities to share with your children. Our Crème de la Crème team has come up with several ideas for things to do on a gray day in Alpharetta.

Topgolf

Top Golf by Vlad Busuioc is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0

Tee off no matter the weather at Topgolf. You’ll discover three floors of climate-controlled playing greens, with unique family-friendly play and lessons. Topgolf has games for all ability levels, making it easy for your kids to enjoy playing. It also has a restaurant and bar with executive chef-driven cuisine featuring American classics, shareable dishes, desserts, and unexpected creations. There’s a rooftop terrace with fire pits if it’s gray but not rainy, along with Wi-Fi and big-screen TVs throughout the building. Get your golf on at 10900 Westside Parkway.

All Fired Up

At All Fired Up, you and your kids can create your own painted clay creations. All Fired Up has a great range of fun kids’ pieces and 700 different items that you can paint and personalize. These paintable items include plates, bowls, cups, and handy household and kitchen items. Follow your creative imagination, or get inspiration from idea books, stamps, and stencils. They don’t charge by the hour, so you can take your time creating and painting at All Fired Up.

After you’re done painting, you leave your item at All Fired Up, and they’ll overglaze it and fire it in a kiln so that it will be food-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe and leave you with an item you’ll be able to use. You’ll return to the studio a week later to pick up your creations and take them home. Get ready to paint the gray away at 53 S. Main St.

Main Event

For a variety of indoor fun all under the same roof, head to Main Event with your kids. They have arcade games, bowling, laser tag, gravity ropes, and billiards. If you and the kids work up a thirst and get hungry while playing, you can head to Main Event’s full-service restaurant. Here, you can order wings, burgers, and pizza, and adults can enjoy their signature handmade cocktails. Get in on all the fun at 10700 Davis Drive.

Dave & Buster’s

For an arcade adventure with so much to see and do, make a beeline to Dave & Buster’s for family fun. Enjoy playing classic games such as Skee-Ball, Pac-Man, and Pop-A-Shot. Their Million-Dollar Midway is also home to a bevy of new games, such as Top Gun: Maverick, Star Trek coin pusher, and virtual reality games. They also have billiards and bowling.

You can take a break from playtime at Dave & Buster’s full-service restaurant and bar, which includes a kids’ menu of favorites such as crispy chicken bites, cheeseburgers, pizza, buttered noodles, pretzel dogs, and mac and cheese. Get in the game at 6500 N. Point Parkway.

Georgia Aquarium

Just a short drive from Alpharetta lies a magical marine world at the Georgia Aquarium. Hundreds of animals make their home at the aquarium, including whale sharks, beluga whales, seahorses, jellyfish, otters, manta rays, stingrays, California sea lions, dolphins, seals, and many more. For an add-on fee to regular admission, you and your children can participate in up-close animal encounters with penguins, harbor seals, sea lions, dolphins, sharks, and rays. There are also options for swims and dives with gentle sea creatures or a daring cage dive with sharks. Daily sea lion and dolphin shows are included with regular admission.

For a small additional fee, you and your kids can have a once-in-a-lifetime experience taking the Behind the Seas Tour. You’ll get a closer view of the animal exhibits, with a topside view of the tanks. Other exciting aquarium experiences include guided virtual tours, sleepovers for kids or the whole family, the Megalodon shark jaw exhibit, and a virtual reality simulator. There’s also a restaurant, snack bar, and aquarium store with souvenirs, books, and plush toys. Children ages 2 and under are admitted free to the aquarium. Heed the call of the sea at 225 Baker St. NW in Atlanta.

Sky Zone 

For a one-of-a-kind active play place, check out all the attractions at Sky Zone. You and the kids can play together, or you can watch as they enjoy trampolines, ultimate dodgeball, the Foam Zone, the Ninja Warrior Course, and the Warped Wall. They can jump, spin, flip, play, and more. There’s also sky slam basketball, a high-flying version of the classic game, with trampolines and hoops of different heights. You can even have fun while freestyle trampoline jumping and sky jousting with foam lances.

Try out the SkyLadder, a precarious ladder with a soft foam landing if you fall off. There’s also the SkyLine, which is a test of balance and steady steps, but not to worry if you fall — you’ll have a soft landing. You can bring your little ones to the Toddler Zone, with special attractions like smaller trampolines. For older kids, there’s the Megaverse VR play experience, with various games, including 2092: Murray’s Getaway, SWAT, Dinosaur Island, Carni Chaos, MegaBall, The Witching Hour, and Corridors of Horror. Take to the skies at 1425 Market Blvd., Suite 100-A, in nearby Roswell.

Bowlero

For a bowling alley with more than just bowling, stop by Bowlero. This fun spot has 40 bowling lanes, billiards, and an arcade with fun games for the whole family. Their excellent bowling lanes are out of the ordinary, with stunning black lights, soft lounge seats, and massive HD video walls where you and the kids can catch everything from classic family films to music videos and live sports. You can shoot hoops in the arcade or play games, including Mario Kart, the World’s Largest Pac-Man, and Jurassic Park Arcade. Bowl and more at 785 Old Roswell Road in Roswell.

As you can see, there’s no reason to stay cooped up at home with restless kids on a gray or rainy day. Our Crème de la Crème of Alpharetta team invites you to grab your umbrella and head out on the town to any one of these fun destinations. You’re sure to have a great time with your kids and chase all the gray and gloom away.