Oh, baby, it’s HOT in “Hotlanta”! And it’s only the beginning of June. The heat wave is ON in Atlanta and finding ways to stay cool while caring for my 5 children home from school this summer is key to surviving the summer months! It’s not always easy to keep our cool literally & figuratively 24-7, with all the children home full-time; I get it! So, allow me to offer a handful of our family’s favorite locations to keep your cool, burn off energy & enjoy each other during the lazy summer months.
Water Attractions and Outdoor Water Fun In and Around Atlanta
Just Love SUP, LLC: Take a leisurely day trip up 400 to North Georgia and book a Stand Up Paddleboard paddling session with your child or family with a WPA-certified SUP instructor. If you are interested in SUP yoga, learn a handful of yoga poses on your board for fun too! Pack a picnic and enjoy swimming, kayaking, or SUP-ing off a large dock on Lake Lanier in a safe, quiet cove in Dawsonville. Try something new and learn just how easy and fun SUP can be for all levels and all ages. Sixty or 90 minutes sessions are available on the water and all equipment is provided for a very affordable price tag. Ages 5 and up. Bring Grandma & Grandpa too!
Appalachian Outfitters Chestatee River Tubing or Kayaking: Float down the beautiful Chestatee River for only $5 per tube for ages 4 and up. Or, bring your own tube for free! Tie your tubes together to stay close, especially with little ones in tow. Enjoy crisp, clean, and refreshing waters, as well as breathtaking scenery while you float an easy 20-30 minute float. There are exhilarating small waterfall-like rapids where you will be sure to experience squeals and thrills. You can repeat the float as many times as you want. Be sure to take a picture under the original bridge into historic Dahlonega. Pack a ziplock bag or waterproof phone case to take fun photos for your tribe in action. Don’t forget to pack water shoes for rocky bottom walking. Pack a picnic and breathe in the cooler North Georgia mountain air in Dahlonega. This is another easy day trip from the city. If you have time, peruse the fun restaurants and shops in historic Dahlonega Square.
Consolidated Gold Mine: Dahlonega was the first site of the Gold Rush in the U.S. in the 1800s. An original mine still stands and underground tours are offered daily. Pan for gold and/or gems and experience what a real mine feels and looks like. Bonus: Temperatures underground are 55 degrees! What a relief from the hot sunshine and heat above the ground.
Alpharetta Wills Park Pool or Cumming Aquatic Center: Awesome outdoor kid-family-friendly public pools where you can experience the thrills of a mini waterpark for your kids to cool off and have fun. The Aquatics Center at Wills Park boasts a leisure pool with zero-depth entry, interactive play stations, and a water slide. There are also 2 diving boards which your older children will love too. Cumming outdoor leisure pool has a fantastic waterpark for all ages, as well as private cabanas you can rent in advance.
Splash ‘n’ Play at Riverside Park in Roswell: Fun for families with little ones! This is a smaller splash pad and is especially fun for toddlers! This is a seasonal spray park with a variety of water play features, plus a snack bar and a pavilion to seek shade for playgroups/families.
Acworth WaterSlide/Beach: This 175″ long waterslide is located at Dallas Landing Park on a beautiful white sand beach in Acworth, GA. Billed as the World’s Largest Inflatable Water Slide, the 36-foot high slide can be seen from across Allatoona Lake. My children, both young and older, love this beach and slide. Swimming in the lake on this great beach is a bonus too. Be sure to pack a picnic and a beach umbrella to stay cool.
Mary Alice Beach Park in Cumming: This day-use park on Lake Lanier offers a sandy beach, picnic tables, BBQ grills, and boat ramps.
Dahlonega Butterfly Farm: While butterflies love tropical temps, this isn’t a location to necessarily stay cool; however subjectively speaking, it is a brand new cool location to check out this summer with your children! Bonus: You will breathe in the fresh mountain air and land sometimes with beautiful varieties of butterflies. This butterfly house is the first of its kind in North Georgia and will be a memorable experience you and your family will love.
Margaritaville Water Park at Lanier Islands: Lastly, my children look forward to our annual summer trip to this family favorite outing. We usually arrive by boat and dock to enjoy this water park on Lake Lanier, but driving is an option too. This lakeside water park and lovely white sand beach with a tiki bar have amazing slides, a large wave pool, a toddler water play area, plus a mini-golf course and arcades. Regular bubble/foam parties near the wave pool are a bonus for kid fun + movie nights overlooking the pool. Rent a room in the nearby resort or make it an easy day trip from the city to cool off.
Some other great water attractions in the Atlanta Area are:
Six Flags White Water Park: Six Flags White Water is the perfect place to cool off. Check out Hurricane Harbor, Splash Island, Skull Island, or the brand-new children’s AquaPlay structure Caribbean Cove! With more than 50 attractions, Six Flags is great for kids of all ages!
Helen Tubing and Water Park: Enjoy tubing down the Chattahoochee River.
Great Wolfe Lodge: Beat the heat at the Great Wolfe Lodge’s indoor waterpark. Located just outside of Atlanta in LaGrange, GA, you won’t get sunburned at this water park plus there are tons of other indoor attractions for the whole family.
Buccaneer Cove at Malibu Norcross: This super-sized, five-level-high water play area boasts over 1,000 feet of water slides and endless water-themed fun!
