The Center for Puppetry Arts is located in an old elementary school in Midtown Atlanta. It's easy to miss, and a treasure to find. They offer shows for kids, but also teen and adult programs. There is also a puppet museum which showcases several different kinds of puppets and another dedicated to the puppetry of Jim Henson and includes Big Bird, Kermit and several Sesame Street and Muppet favorites, as well as some from Jim Henson's TV shows and movies.

With each kids puppet show there is a free create a puppet workshop where the kids can make and take a puppet related to the show. After most shows there is a talk back where the puppeteers come out and show how they make the magic.

We've seen some fantastic programs here that were educational and memorable. Galapagos George taught us about giant turtles and the blue footed booby bird. Ruth and the Green book about the difficulties of traveling for African Americans during segregation. Tales of Edgar Allan Poe was a wonderful adult show that my teen and I attended. He had been studying Poe and "was a bit of a fan". Some shows are just plain fun. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is based on the old TV show. The characters are the same, as is the storyline - with some interesting effects to adopt the TV to stage.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is a 30,000 square-foot interactive attraction with 11 distinct play centers. LDC is located within the upscale Phipps Plaza Mall in the heart of the Buckhead District of Atlanta - so maybe plan a little extra time to go shopping afterwards. The recommended time limit for LDC is two hours, but I had to drag my children out after almost three.

Tickets are timed and they only allow a limited number of people in each hour to help avoid over-crowding. That said, don’t plan on walking up to get tickets on a weekend or a holiday when they are really busy. Call first to make sure they have tickets available or go online and purchase your tickets beforehand - it's cheaper online too. Tickets are less after 4 pm, which means crowds are lighter too.

My children's favorite area was the LEGO Racers: Build & Test area. This is where my boys spent most of their time. In fact, all the boy moms seemed to be hanging out in this area – apparently mine aren’t the only ones who like to build and race their own cars. There are three tracks. One test track where you can time your vehicle – very similar to a Pinewood Derby race and two large sloped roadways, which seemed to be more a test of whether or not your vehicle would stay together.

I was surprised my kids didn't spend more time in the LEGO City Construction Zone. This soft floor playground is several stories high with a multitude of different tubes, nets and climbing surfaces. You must wear socks in this area, so make sure to bring a pair during sandal season.

There are also several 4-D shows, and two theme park-like rides - Merlin's Apprentice and Kingdom Quest. Kingdom Quest is similar to Buzz Lightyear at Disney - pay attention to the posters in the wait line for clues on what to shoot for maximum points.

My older children love Miniland with the replica of landmarks in Atlanta. As with other Minilands, there is a lot to find and several funny things happening if you have the patience to look.

Duplo Village is for the youngest LEGO fans. It sits next to the LEGO Cafe, so mom can get a drink or snack while the little ones play. You can't bring food into LEGOLAND, but there are several food court options outside the doors if you don't want to eat in the cafe.

Older kids will enjoy the Master Builder Academy. Sign up for classes lead by a Master LEGO builder.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta is a lot of fun. To make sure you aren't frustrated before you start, plan ahead and order your tickets online or make sure you can get them before promising a stop here. On busy days, you may be able to walk up to get tickets, but it's possible entry time won't be for a few hours. Note: Everyone that enters LEGOLAND must be with a child. If you have someone meeting you later, they may not be able to get in unless they are bringing a youngster with them. You can't say "I'm here to meet my child who is already inside."

The Tidelands Nature Center on Jekyll Island, Georgia offers some of the best kids programs anywhere. The interpretive center is older, but has several touch tanks, as well as interesting animals and would be especially nice for younger kids and a lot less expensive than the nearby Turtle Center. They rent canoes by the hour for $15 and offer guided kayak tours for $55 for 3 hours. I love the docent lead programs. We've done a dock study and a fish study. They are hands on, and get the kids moving. During the dock study, the kids drew animals on the board, ran around as the 'tide' took them away, attached their heads to something like a barnacle, all before dipping their nets in the water to catch some critters. Docent programs are $6 a person and worth every penny.

The TreeTop Adventure at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. is a combination of a challenging ropes course and moderate zip lines. The combination is a whole lot of fun, especially for tweens and teens. The tour is self-guided and children must be at least 54 inches tall to do TreeTop Adventure, but they must also pass the ground school. My youngest is exactly 54 inches, but he couldn't stop himself on the zips, so they wouldn't let him go. I'm told they are putting in a course for younger kids, so check before you go to see if that has been completed yet.

The entire TreeTop Adventure course takes about 60 – 90 minutes to complete. Included in the adventure are a total of five zip-lines that range from 44 to 210 feet long. If you’ve zip-lined before, you’ll sail through this portion of the course, if not, taking that first step is a bit tricky, but well worth it in the end.

At it’s highest point, TreeTop Adventure is 30 feet above the forest floor. In addition to the zips, there are 19 different sections comprised of ladders, wires, logs, discs, netting and other suspended materials, which all seem to sway and move as you walk over them, especially the farther into the course you go. Guides offer assistance from the forest floor, they do not accompany you along the adventure. It’s actually one of the nice things about the course. Participants can go at their own pace without having to wait for the group.
Here's more information on TreeTop Adventure:
http://www.fieldtripswithsue.com/2012/06/treetop-adventure-callaway-gardens-swinging-fun.html

There are several canopy zip line tours near Atlanta, but Banning Mills zip lines are the oldest, and the highest. Although they do have an introductory course, this facility is better appreciated by the fit, thrill seeker than the novice. Would be great for tweens and teens who like to push the limits. Children must be at least 8 years old and 50 pounds to do the Forest Tour and 90 pounds for all other tours. There is a maximum weight limit of 250 for women and 285 for men. Participants must also be able to climb two 65 ft towers and possibly a 150 ft tower. Did I mention these tours aren’t for the faint of heart? In addition to thrilling zips, you can also add on a aerial adventure challenge which is zipping into extreme challenge elements 80 ft in the air. I really liked the ropes course and liked having that break up the zipping.
Here are two blog posts on Banning Mills for more information: http://www.fieldtripswithsue.com/2012/07/banning-mills.html
http://www.fieldtripswithsue.com/2012/07/banning-mills-adventure.html

For the real adrenaline junkie, the Power Free Fall is new. This is not a bungee, but a controlled free fall 100 feet (or 10 stories) down!

Banning Mills also has a large climbing wall and a birds of prey show. You can stay on property if you'd like or just visit for the adventure.