Things to Do in Atlanta With Teens: Teen Approved Adventures

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Atlanta is known for its busy airport and its role as one of the Deep South’s major cities. There are also many popular and well-known landmarks in the fast-growing metro area. Here are some of the best places and fun things for the entire family to have a good time.

Things to Do in Atlanta With Teens: Teen Approved Adventures

Refreshing Outdoor Activities

Even in the heat of Atlanta, children have plenty of options for cool, outdoor fun. With the Chattahoochee River flowing nearby, families can enjoy river rafting, canoeing and explore wildlife in their natural habitat.

Just north of Atlanta is Lake Lanier–a 38,000-acre lake with a water park featuring Georgia’s largest wave pool, water slides and white sandy beaches.

Explore Natural Beauty Within the City

Several city parks located throughout the city are available for kids. Piedmont Park, the city’s oldest park, has 185 acres of natural beauty for teens to discover. Also within the city is the Atlanta Botanical Garden, a 30-acre lush floral wonderland with an interactive children’s garden and the largest orchid house in the nation. This is one of our favorite things to do in Atlanta with teens.

Downtown Activities For An Interactive Experience

Dedicated after the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Centennial Olympic Park, located in the heart of downtown Atlanta has water fountains for kids to run through and commemorative Olympic displays to view. Adjacent to the park is “Imagine It!”–a children’s museum with interactive exhibits and activities. Across from the museum is the Georgia Aquarium, home to a world-renowned reef exhibit.

Sporting Venues and Events

Young sporting fans have plenty of teams to follow in Atlanta. Home of the Braves, Turner Field is located within the city limits. Inside the stadium is a dedicated kids’ section, offering play areas and age-appropriate interactive sporting activities. Other professional teams include the Atlanta Hawks (basketball), Atlanta Thrashers (ice hockey) and Atlanta Falcons (football).

Outdoor Adventure

Stone Mountain Park, just minutes from downtown, offers 3,200 acres for families to discover. From amusement park rides, a scenic railroad and camping to a thrilling summit sky ride to the top of the granite rock, kids of all ages are sure to remember a day or weekend spent here.

North of Atlanta is the Chattahoochee Nature Center, where children can experience a hands-on ecology lesson, canoe and even participate in family-oriented night hikes.

Stone Mountain Is Great For The Whole Family As An Outdoor Adventure

The large mass of granite located about 15 miles east of downtown Atlanta is probably the area’s most popular landmark. It’s hard to miss the 1,686 feet rounded rock that is often referred to in many reference books as “the largest exposed piece of granite in the world.” Its most well-known feature is the bas-relief carving of three Civil War figures: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis.

Stone Mountain Park draws many visitors to the area for its trails, riverboat, nightly laser show, cable car, and other facilities. This natural landmark is one of the most popular landmarks in Atlanta.

Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site

The final resting place of one of Atlanta’s most famous native sons, Martin Luther King, Jr, the world-famous Civil Rights leader, has become a popular landmark since its inception. The King Center, King gravesite, boyhood home, and Ebenezer Baptist Church all encompass the historic site that was established in 1980.

Hands down this should be on everyone’s list of things to do in Atlanta with teens.

The King Center was started by his widow, Coretta Scott King, who is now buried beside him. Tourists from all over the world make their pilgrimage to the King Historic Site helping to make it one of the most popular landmarks in Atlanta.

Tech Tower At Georgia Tech Is The Perfect Place For Teens

This campus and Atlanta landmark symbolize Georgia Tech’s place in Atlanta’s history and culture. Built-in 1888, the Tech Tower is the college’s administration building and the main focal point of the campus. The Victorian-styled building has the word “Tech” erected on all four sides of the central tower.

These letters are visible all across campus and from other nearby vantage points. Stealing the letter “T” from the tower has long been a campus prank and tradition. The Tech Tower is another one of Atlanta’s most popular landmarks.

Field of Flowers North Farm — Click on the picture to check it out

Things to Do in Atlanta with Teens: The Varsity

The Varsity Restaurant has long been associated with Georgia Tech football games. This well-known Atlanta landmark is popular for its hot dogs, onion rings, drive-in service, and colorful staff.

The Varsity began in 1928 as the Yellow Jacket and was renamed when it moved to its present location on North Avenue. The Varsity is so popular that when I-75/85 (Downtown Connector) was widened in the late ’70s, the highway department made sure to squeeze in the additional lanes without affecting the restaurant.

Westin Peachtree Plaza For Family Activities

The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel quickly became a recognizable landmark when it was built in 1976. One of the tallest hotels in the world, the 723 feet skyscraper is known for its cylindrical shape and reflective glass.

Designed by Georgia Tech architect John Portman, the Peachtree Plaza is similar to the Renaissance Center in Detroit which was also designed by Portman. Despite other taller skyscrapers in Atlanta, it still strikes an imposing pose on the skyline and is a popular Atlanta landmark.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

To many people, Atlanta and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are the same. Many people have traveled through Hartsfield-Jackson on their way to other destinations and the airport may have been all that they’ve seen of Atlanta.

The sprawling complex on the southside of Atlanta is one of the busiest airports in the world. With hundreds of daily flights and thousands of passengers, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one Atlanta landmark that almost every air traveler in the southeast knows.

The Big Chicken Is One Of The Best Attractions And A Fun Place

Located on U.S. 41 (Cobb Parkway) in Marietta, the Big Chicken has become synonymous with kitschy landmarks in the Atlanta area. Erected in 1963, adjacent to a restaurant, the 56-foot-tall structure now sits next to a KFC franchise location. Long used as a landmark for giving directions to travelers in the area, the Big Chicken is a favorite landmark for Atlantans and has become even more well-known in popular culture.

Underground Atlanta Is Filled With Fun Activities

Underground Atlanta is a popular shopping and entertainment area in downtown Atlanta near the Five Points MARTA station. The underground area was created when the buildings, built alongside the railroad tracks, moved their main floors to the second floors in the early 1900s thus creating a basement level on the first floor.

This area became “the underground” during Prohibition. In the 1960s and ’70s, the area became the center of nightlife downtown. The area faded in the late ’70s but was redeveloped in the late ’80s as a shopping mall and entertainment destination. Today, Underground Atlanta is still one of Atlanta’s popular landmarks.

Visit The Zoo Atlanta In The Summer Months

The Atlanta Zoo is a favorite local attraction for young and old. Nothing brings humans together quite as much as watching primates groom one another, wild cats stalking children through plate glass or feeding tropical birds and live animals by hand. At the Atlanta zoo, a wide variety of plants and animals are kept in a series of environments that mimics the world’s natural animal habitats.

Mammals of all sizes, reptiles, amphibians, manta rays, sea otters and birds from all over the world are cared for by keepers at the Atlanta Zoo, who also participate in wildlife conservation efforts all over the world, as well as protecting native plant species.

Visitors to the Atlanta Zoo get to see animals in detailed replicas of their native habitats, learn about worldwide conservation efforts and threats to their environment, as well as actionable ways to help. Watch the animals feed and care for their young, enjoy the sights and scents of plants from all over the world and enjoy interpretive displays.

Visit Coke Factory – One Of My Favorite Things

Take your teens to the World of Coca-Cola, which opened in 1990, to learn the history of this beverage in the United States. See the fully-functional bottling line and cola-making stations and get your complimentary 8-oz. glass bottle of Coca-Cola. View more than 1,200 permanent collection of artifacts from around the world, including a 1939 Coca-Cola Argentine delivery truck.

You and your kids taste more than 60 Coke flavors from around the world. Learn about the making of this beverage that has been around since 1886. Watch movies in their 4-D Theater. Take pictures with the 7-foot tall Coca-Cola Polar Bear and purchase souvenirs at the on-site store.

This Atlanta, Georgia locale is wheelchair assessable and provides Braille guide maps at the ticket windows or guest services desk. International visitors pick up a guide map in numerous languages or speak to one of their multilingual ambassadors.

Georgia State Capitol For The First Time Visitors

The gold dome of the Georgia State Capitol can be seen from a distance when approaching downtown Atlanta from the south. With a design reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol, the Georgia State Capitol is a beautiful building that is topped by gold leaf mined in Dahlonega, Georgia, the site of the state’s gold rush. Its role as the seat of state government and its gleaming dome help to make it a popular landmark in Atlanta.

Six Flags Over Georgia And Their Special Events

Years before Disney World claimed the mantle as the ultimate theme park destination; Six Flags Over Georgia was one of the most popular theme parks in the Southeast. It opened in 1967 and is still a favorite family destination. Six Flags is located off I-20 just west of Atlanta and continues to be a popular landmark in Atlanta.

Turner Field

Atlanta’s baseball park is located right near the junction of its major freeways giving it a prominent place alongside the city’s most traveled highways. It is named for one of Atlanta’s most colorful citizens, Ted Turner. Turner Field evokes the ambiance of the baseball parks from the bygone eras of baseball. Built adjacent to the former site of the Atlanta Stadium, Turner Field’s location and its home to the Atlanta Braves make it one of the most popular landmarks in Atlanta.

Final Thoughts

Looking for some fun things to do with your teenagers in Atlanta? Look no further than our list of “Teen-Approved Adventures”! Whether your teenagers are into sports, music, or food, there’s plenty to see and do in Atlanta that will keep everyone happy and engaged.