Who said kids get to have all the fun? When you’ve had a long week and are in desperate need of catching up with your best bud, head to one of the following spots to guarantee happy kids and (relatively) uninterrupted grown-up time. Go on, elevate that momversation to a conversation. You deserve it!
Photo: Mercato di Bellina via Facebook
Bellina Alimentari at Ponce City Market
Meet your friends at Ponce City Market for a kids’ kitchen class at Bellina Alimentari. This parent-child cooking class ($45/ pair, ages 8-12) is held monthly and is the perfect spot for you to enjoy some grown-up conversation while you and the kids follow the chef’s lead and whip up a batch of homemade pasta (they also offer pizza-making for kids, and classes taught by owner and mom Tal Baum directed to parents for easy tips on healthy cooking). The best news? This meet-up can take place over a glass of wine for the grown-ups and seasonal house-made sodas for the kids. Score x 2!
Pro tip: Go early and putt around on the recently opened rooftop mini golf facility!
675 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Suite N-131
Phone: 800-540-1796
Online: bellina-alimentari.com
Photo: The Peach Pit via Facebook
The Peach Pit
This one may take the cake, y’all. While you enjoy the company (and WiFi), your kiddos can run, play, tumble, and burn off every last drop of energy in The Peach Pit’s clean, safe, and supervised space. Schedule a playgroup for up to 20 kids for $250 or head to the open gym on weekends for $10 per member (check the Facebook page for hours and dates) during the summer. In August, weekday toddler times for ages 5 and up resume from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for $10 per member (moms stick around), as well as mother’s morning out from 9 a.m. to noon for ages 5 and under for $30 per member (moms can take the convo elsewhere, and pick up at noon).
Pro tip: Check out Atlanta Rocks! indoor climbing gym next door to The Peach Pit sometime. It’s another awesome indoor space for kids to try something new and burn a few kilowatts, in the process.
1019 B Collier Rd.
Phone: 404-697-3697
Online: peachpitgym.com
Photo: S. Massey
Caja Popcorn at Peachtree Battle Shopping Center
Not only is this little Buckhead gem a favorite of adults and kids alike—don’t depart without a taste of their pimiento cheese popcorn—but it’s also nestled between Starbucks (for you) and Baskin Robbins (for you, but under the guise of being for them), just in case one of your kiddos prefers the cold stuff. With outdoor benches in a covered breezeway, a trip to Caja is a great bet for meeting up with a friend and actually getting a conversation in.
Pro tip: When the natives finish their popcorn, take a stroll to the other end of Peachtree Battle Shopping Center. You can do some serious window shopping (River Mint Finery for you, and Richard’s Variety Store and Carter’s for them) while keeping the dialogue up.
2333 Peachtree Rd.
Phone: 404-846-2156
Online: cajapopcorn.com
Photo: The Little Nook via Facebook
The Little Nook
Raining outside and you just need to sit and talk to someone other than your toddler for a minute? Meet your favorite moms at The Little Nook, a totally craft-tastic play space in Buckhead that offers afternoon parent-supervised playtime. Your tots can explore the enchanted forest room, try on costumes from the closet or burn off steam in the glow-in-the-dark dance space for a drop-in fee, but call ahead to ensure availability.
Pro tip: For an extra fee, you can buy a craft activity for your child.
530 E. Paces Ferry Rd.
Phone: 404-846-2232
Online: thelittlenook.net
Photo: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream via Facebook
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream at Westside Provisions District
Ok, so this gourmet ice cream spot may appeal to grown-ups too. We’re just warning you here, but with flavors like wild berry lavender and birch and marshmallows, you’ll have a hard time not imbibing. But the real reason Jeni’s is also a splendid spot for a mom meet-up is that just through the breezeway you’ll find a semi-enclosed courtyard that’s complete with picnic tables, a grassy area below, and (drum roll please) access to a pedestrian bridge over a train track—the best spot in town for little train fans to toot their horns while their moms catch up on life.
Pro tip: After you’ve checked out the pedestrian bridge over the train track, keep walking towards the shops on the other side of WPD. You’ll find a ping pong table outdoors as well as a corn hole set-up on pretty days, surrounded by adirondack chairs for continuing the convo.
1198 Howell Mill Rd.
Phone: 404-367-0356
Online: jenis.com
Where do you like to meet your friends for playdates? Let us know in the comments section below.
— Shelley Massey & Phebe Wahl
