What should we see..any advice appreciated. (Atlanta, Stone Mountain: amusement park, schools)

[mom2gurls]

Okay gang--

Heres the deal. LOL. We are making a trip down to atlanta later on this month. just for 2-3 days for business. My dh has an office over there and we are just tagging along. Personally I would love for us to fall in love with the area and consider making a move there a year or two from now.

My question is what areas should we see while we are there. The zoo is one, is the CNN center worth it as well. We have three small kids.

Also I have heard that schools in the fulton area, are the better ones. Is there any counties that you would consider upscale and in the suburbs that we can just go look at? We are into the developments with community centers and such.

Can you get anything decent for up to 400k there? Sorry for the loaded question. Its our first time in there and we want to make the most of it.

[johnatl]

Hey mom2gurls! It would help a little if we knew the ages of the kids, but there are lots of fun things to do for families.

CNN's behind the scenes tour is pretty cool, but younger kids may be a little bored. It's fun to grab lunch in the huge atrium amid all the hustle and bustle, lot's of affordable choices - like a food court on steriods.

You'll find that a lot of attractions that would be of interest to kids are clustered around Centennial Olympic Park, which is itself a fun place to walk around. The park spans the west side of Downtown, from CNN Center to the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coca Cola. The aquarium is hugely popular, and reportedly the worlds new largest. The World of Coke would be fun for kids of most ages, and is right next door. Around the corner is Imagine It!, Atlanta's children's museum.

The zoo is a good choice, it's small and compact but has pandas and an award-winning gorilla habitat.

A very little known fact is that Atlanta is the center of the universe for puppetry. The Center for Puppetry Arts is just north of Downtown in Midtown, and is a must see for kids of all ages. They stage all sorts of shows, some for adults only! Their permanent collection now includes everything Jim Henson ever created, or will soon.

Six Flags over Georgia is a regional amusement park that is notable for lot's of roller coasters, water rides, etc. with a new kids area.

East of the City is Stone Mountain Park, again a place with a lot of family options. The ride on the skylift to the top of the mountain provides spectacular views of the metro on a clear day.

As far as the schools and suburban communities, I'll leave that up to the more knowledgable members here.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your visit!