we went on another camping trip with the kids and some friends. this time we headed to lake rabun recreation area, which was about two hours north of atlanta. the campground was very nice for sure! we stayed at group site that had plenty of room for ten families. there were clean bathrooms nearby, which was a huge plus. there were also trails to waterfalls, lake swimming and live bluegrass music on saturday night, so there was lots to do for sure.

the waterfalls were quite beautiful, however the beach at the lake was pretty weak. it was maybe ten feet deep and very cramped. the water was still quite nice though and had picturesque views. we dealt with some rain on saturday night, however we were fairly fortunate. our rain fly let a little water in through a seam, but it could have been way worse with the amount of rain that fell.

we would definitely head back to lake rabun recreation area! here is a map of the campground.

– ryan & gub

lake rabun recreation area

1963 hosea l williams drive ne r106
lakemont, ga 30552
706-754-6221

to celebrate memorial day, we packed our lunches and went to red top mountain state park for some lake swimming!!! the park is only about 50 minutes from atlanta and offers great hiking trails, camping, cottages, lake swimming, miniature golf and even boat rentals. there’s lots to do for sure.

the swimming was nicer than expected, although fairly busy with the holiday. the water was super green and translucent and not too chilly. it only cost $5 to park for the day, so it was a nice inexpensive excursion. we will definitely be headed back!

on a side note, there was an o brother where art thou type baptism happening when we were at the lake. it was very interesting!

– ryan & gub

red top mountain state park

50 lodge road se
cartersville, ga 30121

clementine turned three years old today! how time flies. clementine had her party at bessie bran ham park like last year. it is the perfect spot for little kids parties!

– ryan & gub

bessie branham park

2051 delano drive ne
atlanta, georgia 30317

we are very fortunate to have such beautiful parks in atlanta! one of our favorites is called deepdene park and is part of atlanta’s olmstead linear parks. it’s also right down the road from our house, which makes it even better. these parks were designed by frank olmsted, who also designed central park in new york city, prospect park in brooklyn, the emerald necklace of boston, the biltmore estate in asheville and the nation’s capitol grounds. not a shabby resume!

deepdene features a large field with a surrounding track, as well as 22 acres of canopied forest filled with creeks and bridges for exploring. it’s a lot of fun for both adults and children and a great escape from the surrounding business of atlanta.

– ryan & gub

deepdene park

north ponce de leon avenue ne
atlanta, ga 30307

we recently took the kiddos on another camping adventure with some friends! we headed to lake winfield scott recreation area, which was about two hours north of atlanta. the group camp site was super nice and had plenty of room for our crew. the restrooms were clean and close, which was a huge plus, and we could pull right up to our camp site.

we really liked fort mountain state park, but the hike in to the group site was pretty strenuous for our first family camping trip. not to mention the bear siting and the outhouse!

we pretty much just stuck around the camp site during our outing. others went swimming at the lake, however it was so peaceful around the campfire with the kids napping, we decided to stick around.

i would say we got a lot better at packing and organizing for this camping trip. it’s hard to tell what you will definitely need for kid-friendly camping on your first outing, so we ended up bringing way too much last time.

we cooked group meals on this trip, which made it easy only having to plan for a couple meals versus the entire weekend. it was nice having an evening where you did not have to deal with cooking!

although we will most likely continue trying out other campgrounds, we would definitely head back to lake winfield scott!

– ryan & gub

lake winfield scott recreation area

lake winfield scott road
suches, georgia 30572
706-754-6221

we recently went to fort mountain state park for some outdoor family fun.  it was our first camping trip with the two little ones, so we definitely overpacked and were totally nervous.  in the end we encountered a bear, a (potentially) poisonous snake and a torrential rain storm and still somehow walked away wanting to go camping again as soon as possible!

clementine loved the whole outdoor experience. all she can talk about is going camping again.

‘i go camping outside!’ – clem

fort mountain had plenty of nice trails/hiking and a huge 17-acre lake for swimming in addition to camping. it was also a good 10-15 degrees cooler in the canopied mountains than the city. we weren’t expecting it to get so cold at night, we actually had to zip up our sleeping bags to stay warm!

for an outdoor getaway only two hours from atlanta, we totally recommend fort mountain state park.

– ryan & gub

fort mountain state park

181 fort mountain state park road
chatsworth, ga 30705
706-422-1932

clementine had an awesome second birthday party! she had a morning gathering at bessie branham park, which is right down the road from our house in kirkwood. we went with a krispy kreme doughnut mound instead of a cake, which was quite the hit with the kids. so was the line drawing fabric from ikea! we laid out some fabric markers and the kids had a blast drawing all over it.

– ryan & gub

bessie branham park

2051 delano drive ne
atlanta, georgia 30317

have you ever noticed the skatepark right next to the masquerade on north ave? it has a sweet view of the city and an above ground pool with a slide, although the barbed-wire fence prevented me from getting a photo of the pool.

there was also a mural by atlanta artist hense, which is pretty awesome!

– ryan

there are talks of closing the fernbank science center. at the least it will likely be scaled back quite a bit. just so you know, this is not the fernbank museum of natural history, which we often write about on the website. it’s still a great atlanta attraction though and it would be a shame to see it close.

the fernbank science center is only a mile and a half from our house and is free to the public. it has lots to offer both adults and children, so you can’t go wrong. there are outdoor activities like a huge canopied forrest with paved walkways and a composting area with helpful tips and pointers. there are also indoor activities, including an exhibit hall with the apollo 6 capsule, an observatory and a planetarium!

the exhibit hall and observatory are both totally free! the exhibit hall is open monday through friday from 9am to 5pm and saturday from 10am to 5pm. the observatory is open for public observations on thursday and friday nights from 9 to 10:30pm, weather permitting. an astronomer is on hand to answer questions and position the largest telescope in the southeast. we definitely want to check this out!

the planetarium has adult and children programs from thursday through saturday. there is also a saturday morning program called the night sky, which goes through the current constellations, planets, etc. in the current evening sky. shows are $4 for adults and $3 for children, students, & seniors and free for fernbank museum of natural history members.

although it may not be as exciting as the fernbank museum of natural history, the fernbank science center is both fun and educational and is totally worth keeping open!

check out our post on the fernbank science center from a couple of years ago!

– ryan & gub

fernbank science center

156 heaton park dr.
atlanta, ga 30307
678-874-7113

there are talks of closing the candler park golf course, which is the historical nine-hole public course a mile and a half from our house. it’s nice having an inexpensive ($10 for adults & free for kids), laid back (no collars required) option for playing golf, it would be a shame to see it close. here is a petition where you can show your support.

– ryan

candler park golf course

585 candler park drive ne
atlanta, ga 30307
404-371-1260