After two and a half full days exploring the city of Atlanta, it was time to head home.  We wanted to fit in one last activity before hitting the road and decided some time outdoors would be a good idea before the drive home.  About 25 miles north-east of Atlanta, Stone Mountain fit the bill. Georgia’s most visited attraction, Stone Mountain boasts 3,200 acres of natural beauty and a wide variety of attractions.  Everything from mini-golf to a full-size locomotive to a laser light show can be enjoyed in the park.  But our quick visit on the way out of …

With two Duke alumni in the family, college football is an afterthought in our home.  We are all about college basketball.  But still, with one ticket left in our CitiPASS book and two hours until closing, we decided that the College Football Hall of Fame was worth a stop.  After an emotional visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, burning off some steam (both physical and emotional) was a great idea for the kids. College football fan or not, the Hall of Fame is a fun and interactive experience.  Upon entering the building, you walk onto “The …

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights brilliantly interweaves the history of the American Civil Rights movement with current global human rights issues.  It is a powerful and thought-provoking museum best understood and appreciated by adults and older children. The museum is located on the same grassy grounds as the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, across from Centennial Olympic Park.  The land was donated by the Coca-Cola Company, giving the museum a prime location adjacent to some of Atlanta’s top tourist attractions.  Designed by architect Philip Freelon, it is an impressive building from the outside.  The center’s …

Our family loves aquariums.  LOVES them.  I’m not sure how (or why) we waited this long to make the 5 hour drive to the second largest aquarium in the world, but it was one of the deciding factors in our spring break location selection.  We could not wait to go here on our trip.  (Although technically we did wait until Monday, figuring that a sunny weekday might be slightly less busy than a rainy weekend.) Funded by a $250 million dollar gift from Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, the Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005 with over 100,000 different species living …

While the boys have ventured into the world of soda, they very rarely get caffeinated soda so they have limited exposure to Coke.  Maybe that is why they were fascinated with the idea of going to the World of Coca-Cola.  I was interested because I love both the drink and its advertising so I thought it would be a cool museum to explore.  It did live up to the boys caffeinated dreams and there were a few cool features, but overall we found it a little underwhelming. Located across the street from Centennial Park and across the lawn from the …

Our first stop using our Atlanta CitiPASS was the CNN Studio Tour.  CNN’s world headquarters are in Atlanta and the studio tour gives a behind the scenes look at the news network.  I wasn’t sure how much this would interest the boys – they have little exposure to news shows – but I thought it would be interesting for them to see a TV studio. You don’t need to buy a ticket if you are using the CitiPASS book, but you do have to wait on the line to turn in your CitiPASS ticket and get an assigned tour time.  …

Built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, Centennial Olympic Park is 22 acres of green space in the heart of Atlanta’s downtown area, surrounded by some of the city’s top tourist attractions.  We arrived in Atlanta late in the afternoon and decided to walk around the city after checking into our hotel.  The Centennial Olympic Park was just a few blocks away from our hotel.  We entered the park from the north, after passing by the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.  They were setting up for a festival but for now the entire …

We always head to NJ the day after Christmas to have our family holiday celebration at my parents’ house.  Since we usually spend a few days, we try to find some sort of day trip to get the kids out of the house at some point.  This year since weather was relatively mild, we were able to go on an outdoor adventure.  Outdoor (non-snow) winter activities are tough to find in the NJ area but I had seen pictures online of the Great Swamp and thought it might be worth exploring. Some 11,000 years ago, Great Lake Passaic was formed …

When I stumbled across Lakota Wolf Preserve as an interesting outing for my animal-loving kids, I wanted to find another activity in the area to make the 2+ hour trip from my parents’ house worthwhile.  There isn’t much else nearby in NJ but just across the border in Pennsylvania are the Pocono Mountains.  Some quick research on Trip Advisor and I zeroed in on Bushkill Falls as a great option. Bushkill Falls calls itself “The Niagara of Pennsylvania”.  While that may be a bit of a stretch, it is home to a series of 8 scenic waterfalls, including a beautiful …