We paid a visit to the remarkable  Georgia Aquariam in Atlanta last week. Being a native Atlantan who now lives in NY, I must admit that I was really really, impressed.  Located in Pemberton Place, right across the way from the World of Coca-Cola , it’s one of the world’s largest aquariums.  With more than 8.5 million U.S. gallons of marine and fresh water fish, it houses more than 100,000 animals of 500 species.  It’s elaborate with moving creatures every which way you look. We saw so many creatures we’ve never seen before in their five incredible galleries – sharks, whales, manta rays, sting rays and more (some of which they were allowed to touch).  My kids spent hours going in and out of each gallery mesmerized.

The highlight of the trip for us was definitely a show called Dolphin Tales. It’s a Broadway-style show, complete with an ancient sailor named StarSpinner and a battle with a sea creature that can only be settled by dolphins leaping, twisting and spinning the audience out of captivity. The 25-minute show includes professional actors in elaborate costumes, colorful animation on a giant screen at the back of the performance tank and original music by composer Tim Williams. We saw dolphins leaping high in the air through showers spouting from each side of the theater, with others dancing fin-in-hand with their trainers or swimming at lightning speeds around the giant tank, stopping to pose on the edge or wave at the audience.  It was extraordinary.  I still can’t get over what a good voice the lead singer had, but my family was more interested in the dolphins and the stunning visual effects.  Check out the video:

A visit to the Georgia Aquarium is not cheap. An adult ticket costs $29.95, children are $24.95 with children under 2 getting in free.  The good news is that the Dolphin show is included, as well as the animated Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow theater.  But I have to say it’s really worth it; this is an incredible aquarium, and you can easily spend a day here.

When we were done, we walked across the square to The World of Coca-Cola.  Being a Georgia native, I had to show my kids the showcase of the 100-year history of coca-cola with paraphernalia, documentaries and a 4-D film.  The self-guided tour starts with a mock documentary called the “Happiness Factory,” where animated creatures who live inside the Coke machine tell how they feel about Coke. We especially enjoyed the refreshment room where it’s possible to sample various coca-colas from around the world — even my son, who has never tasted a drop of coke in his life.  When we left, we were each given an old-fashioned bottle of coke as a souvenir.   Definitely make a trip to the World of Coca-Cola on your next visit to Atlanta.  Adult tickets are $16, children are $12 and toddlers under 2 are free.

Since I just so happened to attend a conference sponsored by the team at Coca-Cola a day later, you’ll be hearing more about the company in the days to come.  But what I learned was more about the company’s missions of advocacy, human rights, sustainability and health.  I can’t wait to share what I learned.

Disclosure: I was allowed into each establishment on a complimentary basis, as I will be writing about each visit on other web sites.  I wanted to share my experiences here, too, as it was truly a great day for all of us.

I want my children to have the same knowledge, so on our recent trip to Atlanta, I took them for a visit to the King Center, an amazing museum dedicated to his life and work.  The complex which spreads over a few blocks  also houses the crypts with the remains of King and his wife, the house he grew up in, the church he prayed in and a Freedom Hall.

Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century. Nearly a million people each year make pilgrimage to the National Historic Site to learn, be inspired and pay their respects to Dr. King’s legacy.

The museum is truly a living memorial filled with all the vitality that was his, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.”   There are photos, videos and living artifacts, like the cart that carried King’s coffin during his funeral.  It’s an excellent education on the civil rights movement, racial equality and the struggle of race relations during and since the time he was alive.  This was the first museum I’ve really ever visited with my kids, ages 7 and 9, where they paid full attention and were genuinely interested in the subject, particularly my daughter, who seemed to grasp the struggle that African Americans faced until MLK came along and how he changed the world.  My son was a bit more obsessed with the mock jail cell that they have on display (he likes doors, has since he was 2 years-old):

But that was fine, whatever it takes to get the point across.  We read about the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, he March on Washington where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, the Albany Movement, “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, the Poor People’s Campaign, Rosa Parks, Gandi’s influence on his beliefs and more.  We watched a movie about MLK’s youth and learned about the first time when he realized that the white boy across the street was no longer allowed to play with him.  It was hard to hear, but it planted the seed in my children’s brains about how hard it is to be excluded and why it was so important for MLK to fight for civil rights.  It was the first time my son heard about the separate toilets and how African Americans were forced to sit in the back of the bus.  He was also obsessed with the image of Rosa Parks getting hand-printed after her arrest, but it got the point across.

By the time we got outside near Freedom Hall, home of the crypts, we had really gotten to know MLK and his life and my kids were humbled by the experience.  Nearby is the Eternal Flame which symbolizes the continuing effort to realize Dr. King’s dream of the “Beloved Community,” which was his vision for a world of justice, peace and equality for all mankind.

Most of the park is self-guided, however, you must register to tour the Birth Home of Dr. King.  We happened to be there on an extremely hot day in Atlanta, and my kids couldn’t do much else.  If you’re interested in seeing The Birth Home of Dr. King, it may be visited only with a park ranger led tour, which is filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Register for the tour at the Information Desk, located in Freedom Hall, in person upon arrival to the park. The tour is strictly limited to 15 people per tour. Tours fill up fast on weekends and holidays so plan accordingly.

Source: Examiner.com/

On our current visit to Atlanta, I am trying to take my kids to places we have yet to explore, so when I received an invitation to check out the new Geyser Towers at Stone Mountain, I was thrilled.  Born and raised in Atlanta, I am always eager to revisit places and attractions that I loved as a child, and Stone Mountain was one of them.  I have vivid memories of climbing the mountain to the summit, watching the dazzling lazer show at night, picnics with my family on park benches, heading to the park’s beach and water slides.  I was eager to visit this new attraction.

My kids really didn’t know what to expect as we entered Stone Mountain, and we were eager to hit a few of the other spots first.  It was a hot day and we wanted to wait a bit to get wet, which is what happens to any child who enters the Geysers.

With our Adventure Pass (a great deal for a family – $125 for a family of four), we first ventured to  Sky Hike (pictured above), one of the nation’s largest adventure courses, where my children put on a harness and hiked across ropes, poles and climbed higher and higher, sending me into shock mode that my kids are so brave.  This was a highlight of our day, and their view of Atlanta will never be the same again.

Then we took the Summit Skyride to the top of the mountain where I showed them a view of the city I grew up in (pictured above).  We also went to a 4-D showing of  Yogi Bear 4-D Adventure, a film my kids loved, laughed and cooled down to.

There is so much more to do, but we were ready for the Geyser Towers. My kids threw off their clothes, we had planned for their bathing suits underneath, kept their shoes on, and entered the gate to experience the Towers which are literally multiple levels of suspended rope bridges and net tunnels connecting visitors to towering platforms that overlook a gushing geyser.  While climbing through the structure, sporadic eruptions and multiple offshoots of water will splash guests to keep cool, or climbers can challenge themselves to stay high and dry.

Source: SerenbeInn.com

Nestled just thirty minutes from the Atlanta Airport lies a true gem of a place to stay, the Inn at Serenbe.  I grew up in Atlanta yet had never heard about it until my mother mentioned it to me recently.  Curious about the grounds, gourmet dining, hayrides, bonfires, chickens. the trails and the folk art that fills the property, we made our reservation and met there this past weekend.  One sister arrived from Brooklyn, the other from Philadelphia, I arrived from Westchester, NY and my mom came in from the middle of Atlanta.  We had not spent time together away for a very long time and were eager to just relax, be together and explore the farm.

We were enchanted by Serenbe.  It’s a little haven away from the hustle and bustle.  It’s simplicity with subtle elegance.

The history of the farm is intriguing as it really goes to show you how an idea can form and materialize with hard work.  In 1991, Steve and Marie Nygren, an Atlanta couple with deep roots in the city’s culinary life, bought 60 acres, with a 1905 farmhouse and rolling terrain, as a weekend home. Mrs. Nygren christened the place “Serenbe”.  Five years later, the Nygrens had converted the farmhouse into a bed-and-breakfast, and begun a series of additions and improvements. The barn became a guesthouse, and several tin-roofed cottages were restored into romantic hideaways. There are now 19 guest rooms.

They planted a garden thick with tomatoes and zucchini, and dug a pair of swimming pools, along with a fishing pond. They populated the property with llamas and donkeys and rabbits and goats, and added a croquet lawn, an open-air pavilion for weddings, miles of hiking trails and a labyrinth made of stones cleared from the organic fields.

And voila!  A farm is born.  With an inn.  And a gourmet restaurant.  And animals.  We were eager to check it out.

We started our adventure on a Saturday afternoon after arriving late from NY’s snowstorm, and enjoyed afternoon high tea in the Main House. It’s a restored 1905 farmhouse which features a common sitting room.  We spent the late afternoon taking a stroll through the barnyard and walked through the pasture  by rabbits, chickens, horse stables, a playground for children, a tree house and even a labyrinth in the woods.  There are 1,000 acres of farmland with rolling meadows and spacious fields on this property.   Adults can stay in the guest house (where no children are allowed), with their own child-free pool and cabana, but there is another pool for the entire family, a guest house and farm houses for the family to sleep in, as well as croquet, horseback riding, animal feeding, canoeing and other activities for children.

We stayed in the Guest House, a 3-bedroom, 4-bath house with a a sitting room and kitchen that everyone shares.   The rooms are all rural and have a Pottery Barn feeling.  They are charming yet simple, with pine floors covered with rag rugs, antique and folk art furnishings, beds covered with pillows, and lace-curtained windows.  At night after dinner, we built a fire in the fireplace and played scrabble by the fire.

Dinner in the Farmhouse was a gourmet experience.  Made with ingredients handpicked off the farm, we shared an exquisite menu filled with Southern home made delicacies like trout with kale, okra soup and hummingbird cake.  My cocktail was a Pumpkin Martini and it was gorgeous.  To say that the four of us were content is an understatement.  The meal was delicious and  indulgent.

Breakfast the next morning included caramelized french toast, orange juice, hard boiled eggs and coffee and tea.  After breakfast , we explored more of the grounds and headed to town, which is actually owned by the owners of Serenbe.  Nearby they built a model community with shops, galleries, restaurants, folk art and more.  Clean and inhabited by artists, it’s an absolute treasure.  There’s also a bake shop called the Blue Eyed Daisy and a luxurious spa in town.

Check out my photos and get a glimpse of what Serenbe is like for yourself.  It was a great girl’s getaway but would be great for a couple, a family or a group of friends who want to catch up and relax.

 Disclosure: I received a media rate and paid for the meals not provided.  All opinions expressed are my own.

When we were given the opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, I was thrilled.  I was curious how the experience would live up to my expectations now that I have a family.  I was also eager for my own children to experience the hotel for themselves. To think that it took me over 30 years to get my first visit at a Four Seasons Hotel and it took my own children both six and eight years to have the same experience.  Let’s not even get started about the brilliant, faraway places that they’ve been.

In addition, I was pleased with the hotel’s location.  It’s strategically located right near some of my favorite Atlanta spots: The High Museum of Art, the Puppetry Center of Arts, Piedmont Park, the GA Aquarium, the William Brennan Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum and not far from the highway to Virginia Highlands, one of my favorite parts of the city.

Before checking in to the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, I was asked the names and ages of my children, so I had a feeling that the hotel was up to something special. When we checked in, my kids were treated to a small toy from a wagon. They were delighted, and were equally happy when they got to the room to find milk and cookies waiting for them.

The rooms are spacious and ideal for a family. We had a suite, which gave my husband and I a separate room. The bed and pillows were just as I remembered and the room was impeccable.  The hotel offers video games, board games and movies to entertain the kids. We literally dropped our bags, changed our clothes and ran off to the swimming pool.  The swimming pool is a beautiful, luxurious experience. The decor is majestic, complete with Roman sculptures and marble.  The water is warm and the jacuzzi relaxed all of us.  I wish I had a picture of the pool, but to get a feel of its lushness, check out the image of the lobby below.  My son was enraptured with the locker rooms as old habits don’t die young, and it was kind of hilarious when he locked his stuff in the locker (he’s always been obsessed with doors and locks).  I personally enjoyed the steam room in the locker rooms and took a few minutes to myself.

Unlike some other luxury hotels, the kid friendly Atlanta Four Seasons has children’s items like vegetable stick with ranch, ‘ants on a log’ celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins or grilled cheese sandwiches on their kid’s menus that are available in their restaurants and in room service.   Apparently, real children created the menu.  The staff was very accommodating to my children at breakfast time, too.  We felt right at home. They also have a “Kids in the Kitchen” program where children can head into the kitchen for a cookies class with the Executive Chef.  I wish I had known about that program before I went, so definitely do your research before you arrive in this hotel or any other.

If you’re planning to be in Atlanta during the holidays, the Four Season offers a few treats for kids.  ”Nutcracker Teas” will be offered in partnership with the Atlanta Ballet on December 4th, 11th and 18th from 2:30-5pm.  The afternoon includes a traditional tea service  featuring a variety of 14 different loose-leaf teas, accompanied with a sampling of delicious finger sandwiches, house-made scones and decadent bite-size desserts.  The Atlanta Ballet will perform selections from their version of “The Nutcracker”.

Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta is located at 75 Fourteenth Street Atlanta, GA 30309. The telephone number is 404-881-9898.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary visit in order to facilitate this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Credit: Yelp.com

Our recent visit to the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, one of the premier luxury hotels in Atlanta was truly magnificent. Honestly, there is no other way to describe it. It was such a good family travel experience for all of us.  From the moment we arrived, we were treated like royalty by the staff and that treatment continued throughout our entire stay.

I had stayed at the Ritz in other cities, primarily for work, and had good experiences, but this was my first time with my children. We needed a diversion, and we needed to relax.  Our visit at the Ritz was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The hotel really knows how to cater to families.  First of all, they call kids V.I.K.’s. (Very Important Kids).  Gotta love that.  They think that families don’t have to give up the pampered treatment they can offer when they decide to not drive far for a vacation. They are offering their Family Getaway package through March 31st, 2012 for as low as $279/night.

This package includes overnight deluxe accommodations, American breakfast for two adults and two children in The Café or delivered by in-room dining, guestroom movie with popcorn in addition to dive-in movie at hotel’s pool, children’s self-guided scavenger hunt at hotel, ice cream for children at hotel restaurants, and overnight valet parking (a $32 value).  If you want to splurge a bit more, get a suite for $499/night.  These packages are valid only on Friday and Saturday evenings and of course are subject to availability.   As soon as we arrived at the hotel, the staff offered my children a wrist band so they could get free ice-cream, a small stuffed animal and a scavenger hunt form.  I knew that we would drop our belongings and quickly go on the hunt.

As soon as you walk into the hotel and get a glimpse of the incredible lobby, you know you are in for a unique experience.  The entire hotel is decorated with classic paintings, antique furniture, marble floors and fresh flowers.

Credit: Yelp.com

We were given the suite and it was stunning.  We had a separate bedroom from the kids, which is always a treat when you are traveling as a family.   As expected from a Ritz Carlton, the beds are lush and the room is spacious.  The bath is made of marble, the linens are Italian, the beds are made of feather and the pillows are goose-down, there are terry robes hanging on the bathroom door, there are flat screen TVs, internet access, free newspapers in the morning and an evening turn-down.  The room is really, really comfortable and totally luxurious.

As soon as we dropped our bags, we headed on our scavenger hunt. The hunt takes you on a serious tour of the hotel, answering questions, collecting stamps and gifts along the way.  Kids count the elevators in the hotel, the flags in front of the hotel, the rooms in the hotel (we had to ask someone to answer that for us – there are over 500).  Along the way, we stopped for our ice-cream.  We stopped to watch a pianist playing skillfully and spent a few moments talking to him about how he plays from memory. We stopped for a swim in the gorgeous pool and hot tub and stayed there for hours.  At the end of the hunt, we ended up at the doorman, where we had to find out how many bell carts are in the hotel and we received our last stamp.  I can’t rave enough about the hunt.  It occupied my children for a few hours and they derived so much pleasure from the experience.

The next morning we were all exhausted from a late night so we opted to order breakfast in the room, since we had the option and  I knew it would be a big treat for the kids.  When we called down we were given a zillion options –  grits or potatoes?  pork or chicken sausage?  coffee or tea?  We really didn’t expect the amount of food that came in and everything was delicious.  And the children loved lying in bed, watching TV and eating all their favorite breakfast item…even pancakes.

This package is really ideal for a family like ours.  The price is certainly right and you can take advantage of it this holiday season.  If you’re going during the holidays, you can make an “appointment” for your kids to meet Santa.He comes to your guest room to surprise your child.  You have to call the hotel to find out when that is taking place.  In addition, they also have their traditional holiday brunches and dinners for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as their annual holiday teas.  All their events are listed here.

To book your visit, call (404) 237-2700r book here.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary visit in order to facilitate this review, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Being a Georgia native, I had to show my kids the showcase of the 100-year history of coca-cola with paraphernalia, documentaries and a 4-D film.  A self-guided tour starts with a mock documentary called the “Happiness Factory,” where animated creatures who live inside the Coke machine tell how they feel about Coke. We especially enjoyed the refreshment room where it’s possible to sample various coca-colas from around the world.  When we left, we were given a free bottle of coke as a souvenir.   Definitely make a trip to the World of Coca-Cola on your next visit to Atlanta.

Here are some photos from our visit:

The lobby area featured coke advertising from all over the world

Historic bottles of coke

One hundred bottles of coke on the wall, one hundred bottles of coke...

Coke is a big part of our pop culture

Old-fashioned coke machines

Sampling coke from all over the worldccc

Some interesting facts about the Center for Puppetry Arts before launching into what we saw and learned on the tour:

*It is the largest non-profit organization in the U.S. dedicated to puppetry.
*It teaches more than 500K people annually through its live performances.
*It is the headquarters of UNIMA-USA, the American branch of the international organization Union Internationale de la Marionette, the world’s oldest theater organization.
*It was chosen by MSN.com as one of the top 10 children’s museums in the country.
*It was picked as one of the top 25 experiences every Atlantan should have by Atlanta Magazine.
*It has educated more than 130K students and teachers through Distance Learning, an innovative teaching tool offered by a two-way interactive video conferencing network.
*It provides over 40K and 140K greatly discounted tickets annually to underserved audiences.

To sum it up, it’s an amazing place.

The Center was founded in 1978, when Kermit the Frog, accompanied by his creator, Jim Henson, cut the ribbon to officially open the Center (there’s a video in the museum to mark the ceremony’s significance0).  Founded by Vincent Anthony, it’s mission is to entertain and enlighten audiences.  Housed in a three-story building on Spring Street, the center is, indeed, magical.  When my children walked in, they were instantly intrigued and ready to roam the exhibits.  Underwood explained that historically, the center serves 3 functions: as a theater, as a museum and as an educational center.  First, we explored the museum.

The museum includes 2,000 objects from all over the world.  We saw all types of puppets in this exhibit from wooden to fabric to animatronic (remote control).  We went into a storage room and learned about string puppets, hand & glove puppets, shadow puppets and body puppets.  We saw old puppets, as well as more contemporary puppets.  Underwood explained that “anything can become a puppet in the right hands.”  He defined a puppet as any inanimate object that’s brought to life through human and mechanical means.” The kids loved activating “Trash Phoenix,” an animated figure that unfolds two “wings” from a heap of scrap metal and flashed red and white lights. They also enjoyed operating a large praying mantis with levers that made the creature disappear.

In the exhibit titled “Global World of Puppetry,” we saw puppets with intricate designs from Asia and India where puppets are sometimes used for sacred ceremonies.  We saw original versions of Punch & Judy.  We also learned how puppets are manipulated and sometimes take up to 3 persons to execute a puppet’s movements.  In addition, we learned that it can sometimes take puppeteers up to 30 years to learn to manipulate a puppet.  There are also original puppets on display from the first film ever to use puppets, Jim Henson’s The Dark Knight.

Henson is clearly a star that shines bright in this museum.  There are three fascinating exhibits that focus on his puppetry matery:

1. “Wonders from His Work Shop” features Big Bird, Fraggle Rock, his work with George Lucas and his use of technology in modern films and in PBS’ “Sid the Science Kid,”

2. “Jim Henson: A Man and His Frog” about Kermit’s humble beginnings in a 1950s show Sam and Friends

3. “Jim Henson: Puppeteer” – The exhibit features many puppets that Jim performed and created including Ernie, Rowlf the Dog, the La Choy Dragon, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef, Bugsy Them and others. In addition to these puppets the exhibit features personal archival photographs, seldom seen designs and doodles, sketches, quotes and a behind-the-scenes video.

The museum really does a terrific job of celebrating Henson’s legacy.  I absolutely loved introducing my kids to the Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth and all my favorite muppets from the series and films.  Underwood said that Henson was making shows primarily for adults.  This being said, I’m a big kid at heart and appreciate everything that he did for the puppetry world.  His vision shaped this museum, and I’m sure it shaped the history of the industry.

Cameras were not allowed in the Henson exhibit.  My children were pretty tuned in during the entire tour.  We didn’t get to see the current production, “Rumpelstiltskin” as we came off-season when all of Atlanta is back in school. It plays until September 12th on weekends.  After that, they will be showing “Wake Up Your Weird,” “Charlotte’s Web,”  “The Nightingale,” and “Rudolph and the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the timeless tale of Rudolph and his “misfit” friends.  The Center also offers programming for teens and adults, including puppet shows, workshops and films.   They offer Create-a-Puppet workshops, preschool workshops, shadow puppet invention workshops, as well as distance learning for pre-K to 12th grade.

You can order tickets online at www.puppet.org or by calling the ticket sales office at 404.873.3391.

The aquarium was founded by $250 million donated by Home Depot co-founder, Bernard Marcus.  He’s someone I’ve known about all my life as he’s a huge philanthropist and has given to many Jewish charities helping children and the elderly.  Leave it to him to create a place that provides so much joy to so many people.

The aquarium is unique in that it has five galleries, each hosting a form of sea life in various tanks.  The main event was Ocean Voyager. You actually feel like you’re going inside a tank, because you walk through a 100-ft.-long glass tunnel and gaze at all forms of fish swimming around you, over your heads.  We saw whale sharks (which scared my son), hammerheads, grouper, sting rays, zebra sharks, and many others.  My daughter pointed out a “school of fish,” a term I was pleasantly surprised to hear her use.  The exhibit also features a “Touching Experience” where the kids could touch fish on a screen to learn more about them; a theater to watch fish swimming (like going to the movies but seeing live fish in the screen) and a film about how UPS transported the whales to the museum.  My son was fixated on this film.  It is amazing to see how they got 25,000 creatures to the museum from far away places on a trip where no part of their body could be away from water.

A friend of mine actually told me to start our tour in the Georgia Explorer gallery, an area for children, which introduces them to some of the types of fish featured in the museum: sea turtles, sting rays, lionfish, starfish, shrimps and fish we’ve never heard of like robust red horse sucker fish.  It features touch pools for the kids to actually touch and feel some of the creatures, while learning what’s living on our won coast. It also features a playing area for kids to run around in with an enormous slide.  We started our tour there, and ended our tour there.  The kids loved the playing area, which thankfully they both reached the height requirements (up to 52″ only).  My friend was right.

The Tropical Diver gallery feature smaller tanks with more unusual fish that we had never heard of that live in coral reef. There is a fantastic recreation of a tropical Pacific coral reef, complete with an overhead crashing wave.  Ornate wobbegons, atlantic sea nettles, beautiful sea jellies with lacy arms and tentacles that glow in the dark, angelfish, sturgeonfish, exquisite wrasse, sea horses, zebra turkeyfish, scorpionfish, cherubfish, hogfish, seahorses, and a fish that we’ve seen so many times before, the clownfish that looks exactly like Nemo from Finding Nemo.  The aquarium’s mascot looks like Nemo.  His name is Deepo, and his voice narrated our walk into the aquarium from the parking lot.  It’s a shout out to Home Depot, a major sponsor of the Aquarium.

In the Cold Water Quest, kids can touch sea urchins, sea stars, sea anemones.  Through the glass windows, we saw spider crabs, ratfish, the beluga whale (which means “white” in Russian), sea otters, an octopus, sea dragons and one of our favorite parts of the museum, penguins.  They have a cave for kids to crawl through with peepholes to see the penguins.

The last gallery we visited was River Scout, which features fish from all over the world (Africa, the Amazon, Asia and right here off the coast of Georgia).  There’s a tank of fish from Africa.  Other tanks include eels, catfish, buffalo, sturgeon, piranhas, and otters.  The museum has a lot of information about all the fish, including a video about non-point source pollution. It’s clear that the goal is to better understand how these areas help us manage the world’s major fisheries and help them thrive.

They also offer a 3D film called “Deepo’s Undersea 3D Watershow” which we didn’t have time to see. It allows guests to experience the underwater world from a marine’s animal’s point of view.

A visit to the Georgia Aquarium is not cheap. An adult ticket costs $26.50, with children under 2 getting in free.  We managed to find parking for $5.  I did find a really good coupon offer for Mommy & Me here.  For $25, the Me & Mommy ticket includes Aquarium general admission for one adult, free admission for children age five and under (maximum four children per paid adult) and free parking ($10 value).  This offer is valid Monday-Friday through November 12th, 2010 and can only be purchased online.   The Aquarium is also hosting the same offer for dads.  It’s called Day with Dad.  This ticket has the same deadline and other rules as Me and Mommy.

Disclosure: Our admission tickets were provided to me free of charge, but no review was requested in return and the opinions reflected are my own.



The cottages, which is where we chose to stay, come with a screened-in porch and a charcoal grill.   They have full working kitchens, wrap-around decks, a cozy living room, TV’s in the bedrooms and are very spacious.  Our kids had plenty of room to run around.  Best of all, they have central air conditioning.  They’re located in the woods and have a very rustic appearance on the outside.  When we got there, we were the only ones residing in the cottages, or so it seemed, as our timing was during off season, but they started to fill up on the weekend.  We had two bedrooms, both with two double beds, and it a pleasure was not to be stuck in a hotel room altogether.  We had WIFI and a fully stocked kitchen.  It was like being at home away from home, and I highly recommend staying in a cottage (or “college” as my son calls it) on your next visit to Callway.

When we first arrived in Callaway Gardens, we toured around the grounds to find our bearings.  We ended up at the beach by the lake, the keeper of many of my childhood memories.  We were disappointed to find out that the beach was closed mid-week, but we managed to get in a game of miniature golf, a sport we would revisit again and again during the course of our holiday.

On our first night, we had dinner at the Aspen’s Mountain Grill at 5300 GA Hwy 354 (Tel: 706-663-2001).  Very reasonably priced, Aspen’s offers solid southern options like cheddar grits, buffalo wings, sweet potato fries, steak tips and fried chicken. They have a very good kid’s menu, and I was glad to see my son eating steak tips and mushrooms after a day of junk food.

The next day we got a very late start.   After having breakfast in our sun room, we headed to the swimming pool offered only to cottage lodgers.   We were the only ones out having a swim, and we really enjoyed our own private jacuzzi.  Then we headed to lunch at the Country Kitchen right on the grounds of Callaway on Highway 27 (Tel: 706-663-2281).  On the way, my husband was stopped by a policeman for not stopping at a stop sign, but he wiggled his way out of the ticket with his impressive British accent.  It is virtually impossible to watch your weight on this kind of trip, and the Country Kitchen is one of those places where every southern item on the menu looks and tastes good.  We shared a fried green tomato sandwich; the kids had fried chicken and biscuits with vegies.   They also serve a serious breakfast full of grits, sausages, eggs, omelets, pancakes and more.  When I was young, we used to go from one buffet to another during our visit, but buffets aren’t our cup of tea (although my husband was clamoring for one).

After lunch, we headed to the Butterfly Center to learn about the species and explore the center which houses nearly 3,000 in one room.  The center boasts more than 50 different species of butterflies fluttering all around visitors.   The children loved chasing the butterflies and tried their hardest to catch one.  The lecturer explained that they originate from tropical settings which explained the over 80 degrees temperature in the room.  It was really a site to see, even better than the butterfly house at the Bronx Zoo, which we visit often.

We didn’t have an inclusive package so we did have to pay for additional expenses on the grounds, including bike rentals.  Since our youngest just learned to ride without training wheels, we excitedly got him his own bike.  We learned within minutes that it was too adventurous and traded the bike in for a double.  Additionally, our daughter also copped out after 20 minutes, and we traded her’s in for a double.  We still managed to have a heavenly bike ride through the woods, and the ride was a highlight of our trip.  Due to all the swaps and time spent arranging our bikes for the kids, the attendants didn’t charge us the $50 fee, which was a nice surprise.

We ended the day at the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center.  The kids went on a nature bingo hunt around the grounds, spotting birds, fish, flowers and other assorted animals.  Then we watched the Birds of Prey show which features trained owls, falcons and eagles.  We were pretty tired so we picked up some grocery items and went home to make spaghetti bolognase which everyone gobbled up.

On our second day, we spent the morning at the Wild Animal Safari which I reviewed the other day.  We bumped into an English tea room in town on the way back called the Rose Cottage at 111 East Broad Street   ( Tel: 706-663-7877).  They offer full English teas, gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, desserts, scones with clotted cream and jam, cakes and more.  My British hubby was not overly impressed with the menu, but he certainly enjoyed his meal as did we all.  We also liked the low cost of the check: $17 for four of us.

We spent the rest of the day back in Callaway Gardens, swimming, playing miniature golf and exploring the Sibley Horticultural Center which offers a dazzling garden and maze for children.   It’s an indoor/outdoor garden/greenhouse.  There are so many varieties of exotic of plants on display and has a 22- foot indoor waterfall.  It makes a great spot to take a picture.

Other Callaway Garden attractions include: Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden, Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, Overlook Garden, Pioneer Log Cabin, Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel, golf, fishing and tennis.  You need to stay here for a week to see and do everything.

We ended up having dinner at Chipley Family Restaurant on U.S. Highway 27 (Tel: 706-663-2640).  They offer a southern style menu, complete with New Orleans cuisine.  From blackened catfish, shrimp cocktail and rice and beans, to lasagna and spaghetti for the kids, we all managed to find something we wanted, and the food was really, really satisfying.

We spent our last day on the beach, which is open on weekends only until next summer.  Our activities included boating ($7 per hour for a boat for four persons), swimming in the lake, water slides and rock climbing in the water (about $6.50 each for an hour), free shuffle boarding and ping pong. 

A sign at the entrance summed up our experience.  It read:  “Remove nothing from the Gardens except: nourishment for the soul, consolation for the heart, inspiration for the mind.”  When we left, we were tired from swimming, golfing, biking, hiking, and walking – but we were satisfied. Callaway Gardens has something for everyone.

There are many specials being offered for a future trip to Callaway listed here:

http://www.callawaygardens.com/resort/packages/packages.aspx.

Disclosure: We were given a free one night stay at Callaway Gardens, with no requirement or agreement of review requested in turn.