Academy Theatre stages classical and contemporary works for Atlanta audiences and hosts performing arts classes and camps through its School of Performing Arts.

Eight-week class sessions and summer drama camps are taught by professional actors, directors, and writers.

Adrenaline Climbing Gym is an adventure-sport arena with overhanging walls and stout boulders to climb. There are also vertical cliffs created especially for novices and kids.

Both personal and group classes are offered in rock climbing and belaying.

A variety of Summer Camp programs are offered for children ages eight to 16, during which they can learn the ins and outs of rock climbing. In Bad Kitty Climbing Camp, kids ages eight to 11 climb indoors, go swimming, go on a nature hike, and learn safety skills. In BaseCamp, kids ages 12 to 16 without any prior experience get outdoors and become competent campers, climbers, kayakers, and cavers during an eight-day adventure camp.

Advanced BaseCamp is a high-adventure camp for kids ages 12 to 16. These campers are expected to have the skills taught at BaseCamp, spending just one day in the gym, before going on a ten-day trip that includes hiking, setup of a primitive campsite, climbing, swimming, white water rafting, and caving.

Parties on the Rocks are for children ages five and up, and include two hours of climbing and partying, which one coach for every five kids. Packages include safety harnesses, shoes, invitations, thank you notes, table decorations and beverages. Add-ons like pizza, birthday cake, and goodie bags are available. The birthday child gets a free t-shirt. Reservations can also be made for special events both before or after regular hours.

Agnes Scott is an independent, national liberal arts college for women founded in 1889. Located in metropolitan Atlanta, the campus has 27 buildings and an apartment complex on approximately 100 acres in a national historic district and residential neighborhood in Decatur.

Academic programs include bachelor of arts degrees in 30 majors,post-baccalaureate certificate programs in pre-medicine and early childhood education, and master of arts in teaching degrees in English, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Agnes Scott also hosts a one-week science summer camp for girls entering sixth-eighth grades. Dates are usually determined in early spring; the registration deadline is May 1.

All Fired Up is a paint-your-own-pottery spot that charges only for the piece painted. There are no additional fees for using the regular studio paints, or for glazing and firing the piece. More than 700 pieces and over 70 mosaic projects are available. Most pieces are available for pick up four days after completion. If you don't finish your artwork during a visit, it can be held over as long as you pay for the piece at the end of your first visit and complete it within 30 days of purchase. Finished pieces are food, microwave, and dishwasher safe.

Birthday parties for up to two hour and up to 24 people are held in a party room. Or, rent the whole studio for up to 70 people. Bring your own food and drink; no deposit is required at time of reservation.

Or, the pottery painting studio comes to you! For a $25 travel fee and the price of pieces made, All Fired Up brings materials for parties of 15 to 150 people.

Summer camps explore the great art masters by having campers work to mimic their styles in a variety of mediums including pottery painting, glass, clay, canvas, and mosaics. Camps are for ages seven and up, and hours are 10am-12n. Sibling discounts are available.

Housed in the Woodruff Arts Center, the Alliance Theatre offers a variety of community outreach programs and a 70-year-old children's theatre. The Alliance presents an innovative season of classic and contemporary plays performed on the 770-seat Alliance Stage and the 200-seat Hertz Stage.

The Family series tickets run $24-$60.

Check with the theater for special performances, which include post-show audience discussions (AfterWords), BeforePlay pre-show talks, sign-interpreted performances, and audio-described performances.

Acting classes are available for kids in grades 3-12, and even little ones (ages three and up) can stretch their imaginations in Mommy & Me-type courses. The classes include beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels and cover acting for stage as well as acting for screen and television. Stage performance classes, creative drama classes, summer day camps, and many workshops are also available.

Anita's ArtsCool, formerly the Buford School of Art, offers art classes for children, 'tweens, teens, and adults, in drawing,
painting, pottery, and sculpture.

Art birthday parties can be celebrated with a themed art lesson of choice or pottery project, a gallery tour, snacks, goodie bags for guests, and a free t-shirt for the birthday child.

Summer art camp and art classes may be taken on a weekly basis. Potter classes include wheel and handbuilding in six-week sessions.

Art workshops and other special events are offered from time to time. Check our calendar and the Buford School of Art website for more information.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best Artsy Class for Big Kids in the Atlanta area,
Applause for Kids offers drama classes and camps that are extremely popular with children and parents.

Classes feature themes like Princesses on Broadway and Atlanta Idol.

Summer camps allow children to sing, dance, act, and create costumes from great Broadway shows.

Saturday or Sunday parties consist of 90 minutes in the studio with guests enjoying entertainment, games, and facepainting. The birthday child is featured in a playbill, and refreshments, balloons, paper goods, and goody bags are included. The guests even learn a special dance designed for your child's theme! Popular themes include those based on shows or musicals, superheroes, and princesses.

The Archibald Smith family was one of the founding families of Roswell, Georgia. Young history buffs can get a sense of what life might have been like in the 1840's by joining tours that run seven days a week, Monday through Saturday 10am-3pm and Sunday 1pm-3pm. Smith Plantation also welcomes and offers special rates for groups of 20 or more.

The property also features several original buildings, including a barn, carriage house, greenhouse, corn crib, kitchen, slave cabin and spring house.

Fall Farm Days is a free event for the whole family every October, taking place on the same day as the Roswell Youth Parade. The event features animal interactions and period arts and crafts.

Camp Yesteryear is offered for kids ages seven to 12 and features 19th century games and crafts, as well as an introduction to old world ways like open hearth cooking.

Art & Soul is a paint-your-own pottery place that also offers art-themed day camps during summer.

Birthday Parties include art activities - like pottery painting, tie-dye, jewelry-making, and mosaics - a private party room, invitations, a staff helper, and a food package can be added on to the base price per child. Parties can also travel to the location of your choice.

This nonprofit arts center explores, teaches, and shares the arts with people of all ages throughout the Atlanta area. Housed in the Old Trolley Station in the heart of historic Stone Mountain Village, it offers galleries filled with works by local artists, and family-friendly theater. Annual events include storytelling festival and a Tour of Southern Ghosts.

Classes for kids include creative dramatics, mixed media, cartooning, and pottery.

ART Station also offers a great Summer Camp for kids and teens, with full or half day options, free before- and after-camp care, and wonderful visual and performance art projects. Children from the ages of five to 13 are eligible for Arts Camp, and kids ages 13 to 16 can attend Teen Arts Camp.

Membership benefits include complimentary beverage at theatre productions, discounts on individual tickets, classes, ARTs Camp, and advance tickets to the Tour of Southern Ghosts storytelling festival. Members also receive invitations to gallery openings and 20% discount on Gift Shop purchases and art framing services. Family Membership is $35.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best Artsy Class for Teens in the Atlanta area, the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education is the official school of the Atlanta Ballet. The Centre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, and offers dance instruction for students of all ages, from youth to adult. The Enrollment Division consists of creative movement (ages three-six, no audition required) and the student division (age seven and up, audition required). The Centre also offers a Mommy & Me class (for age two) and summer camps in both dance and the arts.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best Artsy Class for Teens in the Atlanta area, the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education is the official school of the Atlanta Ballet. The Centre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, and offers dance instruction for students of all ages, from youth to adult. The Enrollment Division consists of creative movement (ages three-six, no audition required) and the student division (age seven and up, audition required). The Centre also offers a Mommy & Me class (for age two) and summer camps in both dance and the arts.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best Artsy Class for Teens in the Atlanta area, the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education is the official school of the Atlanta Ballet. The Centre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, and offers dance instruction for students of all ages, from youth to adult. The Enrollment Division consists of creative movement (ages three-six, no audition required) and the student division (age seven and up, audition required). The Centre also offers a Mommy & Me class (for age two) and summer camps in both dance and the arts.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden offers a 30-acre respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. Here you'll find formal gardens (including specialty flower gardens - perennial, Japanese, and Rose), a woodland shade garden, bogs containing carnivorous plants, a 60-foot waterlily pool, and Storza Woods (an old growth forest).

The Children's Garden combines plant education and interactive entertainment to create a favorite family destination. Opened in September 1999, with Live Garden renovations in 2008, the two-acre garden was built in partnership with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to represent the notion that gardens and plants help to keep children's spirits, bodies, and minds healthy and balanced.

A dinosaur sand pit, a children's play structure, and areas where children can compare their height to various flowers are all popular elements. Some of the newest additions are a fast slide with a living, green roof, and a new resonant (meaning you can drum on it!) seating wall opposite the slide.

Visitors crossing the Flower Bridge over the Garden entrance are greeted by the limestone Green Man Fountain, a mythical half-man, half-plant legend sculpted with a face made of kudzu leaves; he plays the role of Mother Nature's counterpart. The Children's Garden features six themed sections, a beehive meadow, bogs, a three-story treehouse, and a gnome-occupied rock grotto that delights children and adults alike. Photo opportunities abound in this colorful wonderland.

Although picnicking is not permitted in the Garden, the adjacent Piedmont Park is a wonderful place to enjoy an outdoor lunch or supper.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden also offers a great Environmental Summer Camp for children ages four through ten that focuses on learning about the environment.

Memberships begin at $55 for individuals and $90 for families. Perks include free admission to the gardens, discounts on classes, special events, and gifts shop purchases, and a subscription to Clippings, the members newsletter.

The Garden is closed Christmas and New Year's Days, and open on holiday Mondays.

The Falcons play football at the Georgia Dome.

A ten-game season ticket is $200 and up.

The Falcons help fight youth obesity across Georgia, and host youth football camps throughout the state yearround that teach the fundamentals of winning on and off the field, and are free for kids ages seven-12.

A Kids' Club offers benefits like a birthday card from players, a behind-the-scenes tour of the training facilities, and plenty of team swag.

Take the kids for a bit of time traveling at the Atlanta History Center, where you can explore award-winning exhibitions in the Atlanta History Museum, a two-story facility with 30,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 118-seat theater, a museum shop, the Coca-Cola Cafe, and classrooms.

The museum's four permanent signature exhibits offer insights into Atlanta's boom from a rough-and-tumble railroad town into an international city; Southern folk arts; the triumphs of Georgia's golf great Bobby Jones; and
a detailed, year-by-year account of the American Civil War, one of the nation's largest and best exhibitions on this turning point in US history, including viewpoints from both the Confederate and Union armies.

The Centennial Olympic Games Museum (on site) boasts one of the most extensive collections of Olympic sport memorabilia and history in the country. Multimedia presentations, artifacts, images, and interactive displays tell the story of the most elite athletic competition in the world. The full story of the Atlanta Olympic Games also is explored and interpreted - including how the city won the Games, how the Games changed Atlanta, a day-by-day chronology, heroes and special moments, event-specific results and records, the global context of the Games, and their legacy. Through the use of thirteen interactive computer kiosks and an "Olympic Mania" trivia game, each visitor can create a personal experience while tracking his or her score based on a series of questions on Olympic sport and history. Personal scores are revealed on a scoreboard at the end of the exhibition as the participant stands on a victory platform from the Olympic Games.

General admission includes the Museum proper, and also entry to the gardens and tours of the two Historic Homes.

The Swan House, a mansion on the National Register of Historic Homes, is available for tours on a daily basis, from 11am (1pm on Sundays) until 4pm. Older children might find this interesting, as it offers information about life in the 1920s and 1930s, and a revolving exhibition of items from Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze's collection. But probably not.

The Tullie Smith Farm is really the best bet for kids. This circa 1840s house is set in farm complex where costumed interpreters lead tours of the house and perform everyday activities typical of nineteenth-century rural Georgia, including open-hearth cooking, animal care, blacksmithing, basket weaving, candle making, quilting, spinning, weaving, and other craft demonstrations. 30-minute tours are available, and reservations can be made at the Museum desk.

Gardens surround all the buildings, offering a reflection of native Georgia foilage, and a great place for a little romp, if needed.

Birthday parties are available for children ages four to 12. Call 404.814.4032 for details. Summer history camps enable children to explore the past and the environment with exciting and enriching activities. Each week of summer has a different theme.

Memberships begin at $40 for individuals and $65 for families.

The Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Holiday hours are observed (12n-5:30pm) on Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans' Day.

Atlanta Junior Rowing Association was founded in 1988 as a non-profit club sport dedicated to providing rowing opportunities for high school students throughout metro Atlanta. The program started as a small club rowing out of the Atlanta Rowing Club's boathouse.

AJRA has more than 100 rowers from middle schools and high schools throughout the Atlanta area. High schools represented include Roswell, Centennial, Alpharetta, Pope, Walton, St. Francis, Lovett, and others.

Learn to row camps are offered each summer, and novices typically begin in the fall.

Atlanta Kids Zone offers preschool, parents' night out, art classes, supervised playgroups, mothers' morning out, open play, and private birthday parties.

Preschool is offered five days a week, 9:30am-1pm, with one of the most flexible registration formats we've seen. Parents can change the schedule week to week or pick just a few days per week. And don't forget about date night - Parents Night Out is offered every other Saturday evening 6pm-10pm!

Art classes are offered in the studio for ages 18 months to eight years.

Birthday parties are entirely private - for two hours your group (25 children in the party room and 125 children in the playground) get the playground, a
party room, and a hostess for a flat rate of $275 ($135 deposit). Goody bags are available at an additional $3 per bag. Choose from an established theme, or add on activities like face painting, for additional fees.

The Zone maintains low teacher/student ratios for all classes and babysitting programs.

Atlanta Rocks! Intown, the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best Day Camp for Teens in the Atlanta area, has more than 12,000 square feet of professionally designed climbing surface in an indoor gym setting.

Classes for ages 12 and up range from beginner to experiences, and cover all facets of climbing technique. Fees include instruction, shoes, climbing time, and belay device, with generally one instructor for every six students.

Day Camps are offered for kids ages eight to 16 in week-long sessions, and cover the basics, including how to tie safety knots, put on a harness, and master belay basics.

Atlanta Rocks! Perimeter has more than 6,500 square feet of professionally designed climbing surface in an indoor gym setting.

Classes for ages 12 and up range from beginner to experiences, and cover all facets of climbing technique. Fees include instruction, shoes, climbing time, and belay device, with generally one instructor for every six students.

Day Camps are offered for kids ages eight to 16 in week-long sessions, and cover the basics, including how to tie safety knots, put on a harness, and master belay basics.

Families come from miles around to Atlanta Swim Academy, known for its very patient and highly experienced instructors. The Academy offers swimming instruction, either in classes, private, or semi-private lessons, for children ages ten months and up in its indoor pools. Lessons cover everything from the basics - paddle movements, blowing bubbles, and holding on to the edge unassisted - to competitive strokes, survival skills/rescue techniques, endurance swimming, and boating safety. Stroke clinics are offered weekly to help students work on a particular kick or stroke; check at the front desk for the current schedule and registration.

Club H2O Kids Camp runs in summer and during school holidays. In addition to swimming, the schedule includes movie time, quiet time, and arts & craft projects. Campers are provided with snacks and drinks; lunch must be sent daily. Children must be potty trained in order to participate. Flexible scheduling is available; reserve early to ensure a space. Call for current tuition pricing.

Advanced swimmers can learn skills and techniques needed to become a lifeguard. The class fees include manuals, pocket mask, and first aid supplies.

Call the Academy to schedule a swimming party to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions. Party packages start at $150 including pool time and access to one of four party rooms.

Atlanta Swim Academy has a retail store on premises, with a large inventory of Crocs, goggles, wetsuits and floats. And a Lego table in the play area keeps little ones busy during class registration or shopping!

The Atlanta Workshop Players, is a non-profit, professional children's theatre company created to promote, stimulate, and encourage interest and development in the performing arts in a fun, non-competitive atmosphere.

Classes in varied elements of performing are offered for children and teens, and summer features Camp Destiny, where participants between the ages of 7 and 18 are invited to spend a week, or multiple weeks, of training, performing, auditioning and making friends. Disciplines highlighted include TV/Film acting, Musical Theatre, Classical Theatre, Improvisation, Dance, and Circus Arts. Past AWP performers and/or Destiny participants include Mandy Moore, Diana DeGarmo, and Kyle Massey.

Auditions are held for spots in touring productions; check our calendar for dates.

Atomic Tangerine holds themed fine art classes and summer day camps for children ages four and up. Each class is limited to 10 students and has two instructors.

Birthday Parties are hosted on Saturdays and include a choice of themes, cake, and a project that goes with the theme.

Check the website for current pricing.

On 46 acres of natural ravine forest with a scenic creek and abundant animal life, Autrey Mill includes over two miles of walking trails, picnic areas, and historic sites.

The preserve hosts educational programs, classes and camps for kids, and tours, as well as holiday celebrations held annually.

Birthday Parties are available in two packages: Nature Discovery and Reptiles of the World, for children 5 and up. Call for pricing and availability.

Big Boot Ranch is a field trip and party destination situated on 15 green acres in Ellenwood.

Outdoor activities include pony and horse rides, a petting zoo, hay rides, a playground with swings and a jungle gym, a large moonwalk, a three-acre picnic area with grill and tables, volleyball. Indoors offers a game room and stage puppet show.

Birthday Party packages include all activities, and run three hours in length. Big Boot also can bring ponies and horses to events at other locations. Call for current pricing.

One-week summer day camp sessions include horseback riding, swimming, fishing, a petting zoo, hay rides, and more for ages five to 12.

A non-profit community theatre organization, producing theatrical productions and offering educational opportunities for children and adults within the realm of the performing arts. All performances now take place at the Dozier Centre.

Big Top traditionally holds fall, winter, and spring sessions and offers various classes for a variety of age groups from first grade to adults, as well as summer camps.

The MIC is a well-maintained indoor skating facility in East Cobb County. The building houses two rinks - one is a new studio sheet dubbed Little Blueland - used for hockey and figure skating public sessions, camps, and classes. With its Atlanta Thrashers and Atlanta Spirit alliance, skaters can participate in ongoing coaches clinics, youth clinics, and Junior Thrashers programming throughout youth hockey league play. In addition, the facility gets access to special ticket incentives, and benefits from various Team community-based programs, including scholarships, reading and learning centers, and youth achievement programs.

Birthday party packages are available; check the website for current pricing and options. Equipment is for sale on site, and a sports bar offers dining choices for hungry skaters.

The Booth Western Art Museum, the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best Museum for Big Kids in the Atlanta area, is an 80,000-square-foot museum - the second largest art museum in the state of Georgia - in downtown Cartersville, features contemporary Western American art, Civil War art, Presidential portraits and letters, Western movie posters, Western illustration, and Sagebrush Ranch - an interactive gallery where children of all ages can learn about art and Western America.

The Museum Store offers books on art and the West, as well as prints and other items featuring Western American art images; a cafe serves lunch; a multimedia 60 seat theatre shows the orientation film The American West, every 20 minutes.

The museum offers second Saturday programs for children (ages 4 to 12) and their parents on a monthly basis. Programs relate to the permanent and traveling collection, and focus on teaching children about the American West through art, literature, entertainment, and hands-on activities. Nominal fees are charged for materials.

An art academy opened in 2008, offers hands-on art classes for ages seven through adult. The museum also hosts arts-themed summer camps with a real cowboy and a focus on art projects through the art academy as, well as special programming for summer daycare groups.

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Bright Horizons has over 600 child care centers with locations in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The center accepts children from six weeks to 12 years old.

The Early Childhood Program uses a curriculum, The World At Their Fingertips, which encourages parents, teachers, and children to take advantage of the world outside their center and to be part of their communities.

Programs for school age children include a summer camp, back-up care, and care during school vactions.

Broadway Boot Camp is an audition-only summer performing arts camp that offers aspiring actors workshops under the instruction of Broadway stars, who provide them with coaching on everything from stage performance, to resumes, to auditions.

Space is limited to 22 students per session, divided by age. Acceptance is determined on audition day, and a 50% deposit is due at that time.

A summer drama and performing arts camp, Broadway Bound offers weekly programs at local area schools for kids ages four to 17.

Sessions cover acting, musical theatre, film/on-camera/TV, arts & crafts, dance, Shakespeare, fencing, improv, design, prop-making, audition workshop, Broadway, playwriting, and more, for beginner through advanced levels. Each session includes an end of week performance with costumes on stage.

All classes taught by professional teachers with degrees in Theatre, Music, Film. Space is limited.