STAYING COOL WITH KIDS IN BUCKHEAD
The obvious way to escape Georgia’s summer heat is to relax by the pool with a cool drink in your hand. But after a while, the kids get antsy for a little more excitement than just hanging out in the water. When that happens, here are five places to stay cool with kids in Buckhead.
Legoland Discovery Center
Located in the middle of Phipps Plaza, Legoland Discovery Center is a mini theme park with air conditioning. Parents marvel at the small-scale Atlanta made entirely of Lego bricks, but you’re likely to find the kids at the Lego Racers section, building and testing their creations on a sloping track. If you haven’t been to Legoland this year, it’s time for another visit. The venue recently added a pirate-themed playground. Kids can climb the rigging, walk the plank and raise the pirate flag. For landlubbers, check out the new 4D movie based on the totally awesome Lego Movie.
Legoland Discovery Center
3500 Peachtree Road, Suite G-1
Atlanta 30326
404.848.9252
Legolanddiscoverycenter.com/atlanta
Bowling
The whole family can have some cool fun at the bowling alley, and the Buckhead area has several to choose from. The Painted Pin on Miami Circle is familiar to many for a date night or with adult friends, but on the weekends before 5 p.m., it welcomes children, too. Families can rent lanes by the hour no matter how many people are in the party, and all the games in the arcade are free. Stars and Strikes in Sandy Springs participates in the Kids Bowl Free program that invites children to register to receive two free games of bowling each day during the summer. Tweens and teens might prefer Bowlmor, located on Savoy Avenue near the Perimeter, because it feels more like a family-friendly nightclub than a typical bowling alley.
The Painted Pin
737 Miami Circle N.E.
Atlanta 30324
404.814.8736
thepaintedpin.com
Stars and Strikes
8767 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs 30350
678.965.5707
starsandstrikes.com
BowlMor
2175 Savoy Drive
Atlanta 30341
770.451.8605
www.bowlmor.com/atlanta
Catch Air
In a mild-mannered strip mall just outside the Perimeter on Roswell Road sits a storefront labeled Catch Air—a front for a kid’s utopia. Leave your shoes at the entrance, and pass through the gate to a wonderland of bright colors, music, lights and fun. Catch Air is more than just a bounce house: slides end in a ball pit; a climbing wall is covered with smiling, brightly colored flowers; a carousel is made of giant balls; a life-sized piano resembles the one from the movie “Big.” Tiny Town is a play space specifically for children under 4 feet tall. This place is so cool even celebrities like Elmo and Olaf stop by to groove on the light-up dance floor and meet their fans.
Catch Air
5920 Roswell Road
Sandy Springs 30328
678.882.1205
catchairparty.com/ location/sandy-springs
Garden Hills Pool
After all that activity, the kids may want to go back to hanging out at the pool. If that’s the case, head to the Garden Hills Park, tucked between East Wesley and Bolling roads. The pool is open to the public during day hours and to members only in the evenings. There is a diving board for older kids and kiddie pool for the very youngest guests. Outside the gates is a playground and sports field to pass the time during adult swim.
Garden Hills Pool
335 Pine Tree Drive N.E
Atlanta 30305
404.848.7220
gardenhillspool.com
Atlanta Rocks
After the initial excitement of summer, it’s not long before the kids are climbing the walls. Let them, at Atlanta Rocks. This indoor climbing gym off Collier Road has more than 12,000 square feet of professionally designed climbing surfaces, with 50 top rope stations. This is a great activity for the hard to please tween and teen crowd. In addition to belay climbs (a certified staff member assists), the facility offers auto-belay climbs for novices and bouldering that doesn’t need a harness.
Atlanta Rocks
1019 Collier Road N.W.
Atlanta 30318
404.351.3009
atlantarocks.com
STORY: Sue Rodman
