Kid Friendly Membership Guide.
One of the major reasons we chose to relocate to Atlanta was to have more activities for Rowan. We moved here when he was about 5 months old, which is a really interesting time to keep a baby entertained; they’re not quite a potato anymore but aren’t really mobile enough for a lot of children’s activities. But in an effort to get him out of the house everyday not just with running errands and trips to the grocery store we decided to fully dive into all of the experiences Atlanta has to offer.
Sharing our membership guide to Atlanta, for kid and baby friendly places to go and my tips for getting the most out of your membership and money.
Children under the age of 3 are free and they offer six different levels of membership. For us, the basic companion membership works just perfect, and for $119 for two adults for the year, it’s well worth it compared to $32 per adult for a one time visit. We live close by, so it’s fantastic to just pop in for 45 minutes to an hour once a week and if it’s too hot or crowded, we never feel bad about ending our visit early.
Pro Tips: There is ample parking around the perimeter of Grant Park especially on the side streets off of Cherokee Ave near the zoo’s entrance. Save money on parking by walking over from Grant Park neighborhood. As a pass holder who doesn’t always need to make it a full day, head on over at last entry time and enjoy the last hour and half before the grounds close with way less crowds. Or, if you can get there first thing when it opens, usually the animals are much more active, because they’re being fed for the first time of the day and it’s typically a little cooler.
A dual membership to the gardens will do you just fine if your child(ren) are under the age of 3. For $105 for two adults for the year you get your moneys worth within two visits. You also get two adult guest passes to be used within the year as well. The beautiful thing about this pass, is that you can visit with your membership, but can also bring an adult with you as well with your membership, so it’s great when you have folks visiting you in Atlanta as well.
While the Botanical Gardens may seem like an unexpected place to think about as child and baby friendly, it’s a great place to change up your walk and is stroller friendly, there is a large, grass meadow in the middle of the gardens perfect for laying and hanging on a blanket, and it also has a kids area complete with a playground and splash pad. They also have ongoing kids activities like story time that happen on a weekly basis.
Pro Tips: The gardens are located in Piedmont Park, so you can also avoid paying for parking by parking anywhere alongside the park, and walking to the gardens. Piedmont is such a pedestrian friendly place to stroll it just adds to a great afternoon. Or pack a picnic and enjoy hanging out in the park for a bit before or after your visit.
A fun way to escape those extra hot Atlanta days, the Georgia Aquarium in the heart of downtown. Membership here is a little pricier at $85 a person for the year, but kiddos under the age of 2 are free. One of the most impressive aquariums I’ve visited featuring all your underwater favorites from dolphins to otters to beluga whales. This is a very fun pass to have, but honestly may not renew next year unless Rowan expresses a very large new interest in underwater creatures - sometimes navigating downtown can get a little crazy so it’s a little less convenient for a pop-in on a hot afternoon.
Pro Tips: The aquarium parking lot is pricey and sometimes traffic can be super backed up - not to mention if you’re rolling with a stroller the elevator waits can get extremely lengthy. There are some pay for the day lots alongside Luckie St that you can find for closer to $10. If you have a pass I would avoid going on the weekends as well as things get real crowded real quick.
We’re just getting our feet wet in terms of all things Atlanta, especially kid friendly Atlanta, so if you have any additional pro tips or places we must check out, I would love to hear!
