How to See the Best of Atlanta in 2 Days with Kids

the best of atlanta in 2 days with kids

Atlanta is simultaneously one of those trips we’ve been eager to take but also dreading. It’s such a huge city so we knew we’d have to make tough choices about what got left off the list. Plus the dread of Atlanta’s traffic and heat kept us pushing it off until the perfect window opened up.

And it finally arrived with the last minute cancellation of our long-awaited Disney cruise, thanks for Hurricane Milton. We decided the weather was mild enough and the summer crowds had thinned enough to go for it. Here is what we learned about how to see the best of Atlanta in 2 days with kids.

where to start when planning for atlanta

Our primary goal was to see Atlanta’s most popular and family-friendly attractions. Since that was the case we had to look into the CityPass.

WHAT IS THE CITYPASS? The CityPass offers admission to 3 top attractions: Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and Zoo Atlanta PLUS 2 more of your choice: Fernbanks Museum of Natural History, College Football Hall of Fame, or the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. It’s $94 for adults (13+) and $74 for kids (ages 3-12).

If you plan to see 3 or more of those attractions then it’s 100% worth it. Even if you’re only considering 2 attractions it might still be worth it… Since prices for most attractions fluctuate depending on the day it’s hard to give this a head-to-head.

In our case, since we didn’t purchase tickets in advance at the lowest price and we were there on some of the busiest days (Fri–Sun), the CityPass was only $6 more per person than admission to just the aquarium and zoo. We originally bought the pass thinking maybe we’d just do 3 or 4 of the spots (2 per day) but quickly realized we could boogie and see them all.

Another CityPass perk is that it allows you flexible entry times versus having to select specific entry times for certain attractions. (At least that was the case during our October visit, maybe different during peak summer times).

picking your 5 attractions

GEORGIA AQUARIUM: The clear favorite, by far, and likely the only attraction I’d care to revisit is the Georgia Aquarium. It is the largest in the US and 5th largest in the world. It certainly feels that way when you’re there. It gets very crowded so try to get there as soon as they open. You’ll probably only have an hour before the crowds catch up so go to the Sharks or Ocean Voyager section first. You do have to get tickets (they’re free) to their Sea Lion and Dolphin shows so be sure to do that, they’re worth it. Despite the size, this was easy to navigate and all the big attractions had multiple viewing spots so we were able to fully enjoy it even with crowds.

The massive whale sharks in the Ocean Voyager tank will leave your mouth agape. They’re stunning and worth the price of admission alone (IMO). We saw them as soon as we arrived then went back for a final look before leaving.

SUMMARY: Go early. Do the shows. See Ocean Voyager and Sharks area first.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: We’re college football fans so this was cool to see but had some drawbacks. The CityPass doesn’t give you the game-changing “All Access Pass” experience. It’s a $10 upgrade and in hindsight we should have upgrade at least one of our passes because many of the interactive elements were locked without it (it has a scannable barcode). We moved through here fairly quickly because it’s a lot of memorabilia and history of the game, rivalries, tailgating traditions, advances in equipment/gear, replicas of awards and trophies, etc. Older kids who already appreciate football may get more out of this and having the pass really amplifies the experience. Dean Team covered this in more detail on their YouTube channel here.

SUMMARY: Upgrade at least 1 person to All Access Pass.

WORLD OF COCA-COLA: We popped in here for a mere 30 minutes just to get a sample of what it was like. Dean Team’s recap offers a much better summary of the whole place. We were tight on time so we ran in and went straight to the sampling room. That is a neat experience –– there are 5 stations and over 100 different drinks to sample. Just don’t drink too much! Our little guy guzzled coke so fast we had to cut this even shorter than planned because he was begging to go lay down somewhere! Other fun and interactive elements include the scent experience room and a place to create your own unique soda.

SUMMARY: Don’t drink too much, kids will get tummy aches.

ZOO ATLANTA: The zoo is a manageable size but offers good views of several key animals: elephants, rhinos, lions (exhibit closed until spring 2025), zebra, giraffe, gorillas, tigers, and a Komodo dragon. Sadly their giant pandas just returned to China after 25 years in Atlanta. In the children’s zoo part there are some rides and experiences that cost extra. Other things to note –– parking was limited (unless there was another lot that we didn’t see), it has some shade and a few indoor spaces, several benches to take a rest and snack, and one food center area. It’s obviously stroller-friendly but does have a few small hills. It’s mostly out-and-back style versus a big loop so you’ll be meeting traffic both ways in most spots. See the map here.

SUMMARY: Solid zoo but not blown away.

FERNBANK MUSEUM: This is a natural history museum with dinosaur skeletons, a giant theater, a canopy walk and playground, and several exhibits on Georgia’s ecosystem. It’s an impressive space and the theater presentations were very cool. The outdoor trails and canopy walk are beautiful plus there is a small playground space and an upstairs interactive space for kids. It’s well worth a visit with kids! Dean Team’s review here.

SUMMARY: Plan for more time than you think. Shows are cool. Outside area and STEM lab will keep kids busy.

where to stay, food, etc.

Since most of the core attractions are right downtown (centered around Centennial Olympic Park) a case can be made for staying there. THE PROS: This would limit driving somewhat but we opted not to stay there for two main reasons… THE CONS: Those places are some of the priciest, usually have higher parking fees ($50+/day) and don’t have affordable and kid-friendly dining nearby.

WE STAYED in a hotel in Decatur (with free bfast) and our drives were never more than 30 minutes. We easily found routes that avoided major congested interstates and enjoyed a little sightseeing on our drives. Decatur, like many nearby neighborhoods, has a downtown area and shopping/dining centers where we were able to grab snacks and quick/affordable/kid-friendly meals.

DINING: We know very little about the restaurant scene in Atlanta and truthfully after such long days of exploring we just wanted a healthy, fast-casual, kid-friendly option that didn’t break the bank. We had all of that in Decatur. None of these are terribly exciting (except Chai Pani) but they were all good: Cava, Gusto, Chick-Fil-A, Chai Pani. We stopped by Ponce City Market, a huge retail and dining market, for an afternoon refresher. They have a cool rooftop but we didn’t make it there. SUMMARY: Cool restaurants but might overwhelm and is definitely not a quick stop.