ML Interest Tag: green-space

Babies Go Green: Eco-Friendly Brands New Parents Need to Know

by Ashly Grzyb

Even if you’re not 100 percent tree-hugger, you surely care about the health of your little ones. Luckily, there are tons of awesome organic baby products out there that are free of GMOs, pesticides, and other potentially harmful chemicals. But where do you even begin …like what is BPA anyway?! Get a head start by following this must-have list of the best eco-friendly toys, household cleaners, baby food, clothing, skincare and more to create a healthy green space for you and your family.

L'oved Baby's Organic Fashion Doesn't Sacrifice Style

From kimonos to bodysuits to onesies and sleepers, L'oved Baby's collection of organic cotton baby and kids clothing offers soft comfy clothing in a range of cute colorful styles. From size newborn to kids 5/6, all L'oved Baby's organic cotton garments are made with GOTS certified 100% organic cotton so you know they are soft and gentle on your kiddos skin.

 

What eco-friendly brands do you love? Share your favorite organic products in the Comments below! 

-Ashly Grzyb

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This is How We Roll: Atlanta’s Best Hills

by Phebe Wahl

They say the best things in life are free—and nothing gets the giggles going like rolling down a good, grassy hill. When long lines and pricey admission tickets get you down, head to one of our favorite hilly spots for a few rounds of free fun.

Piedmont Park
It has been said that kids need wide open spaces and a little dirt to help them grow, and Piedmont Park has been growing kids for generations. While Atlanta’s backyard has plenty of hills throughout the park, head to the northwest side of The Meadow for the longest and grassiest hill around.
Hint: The Green Market on Saturday mornings is a great destination for the kids who remember to bring their bikes. After wearing them out in the grass, head over to the market to pick up a few fresh items to enhance your picnic. And don’t worry if you didn’t remember to pack a lunch. The Park Tavern, along with frequent food truck visitors, are just a pedal away on the southeast side of the park.
Northwest of the intersection of Monroe Dr. and 10th St.

Frankie Allen Park 
In the heart of Buckhead off Pharr Road, Frankie Allen Park is the central nervous system for generations of Buckhead Baseball players. Find your hilly knoll between the playground and baseball diamonds, and if you’re there on the weekend, you can plan to buy some solid concession stand food and catch a game.
Hint: Beyond the baseball diamonds you’ll find additional hilly terrain. However, this is a favorite spot for neighbors to let fido run free, so if you decide to roll down one of the alluring hills beyond the recreational areas, be sure to do a poop patrol first.
445 Pharr Rd.

Winn Park
This lovely Midtown park in Ansley has everything you need to while away a day: a playground, a stream and pond, shaded paths, green space, and one heck of a hill. To get there, park near the playground and save yourself an uphill climb. Just beyond the stone retaining wall, you and the kiddos can let it roll all afternoon long.
Hint: The afternoon dog crowd usually arrives around 4. While they generally keep to themselves in the valley and do a good job of cleaning up after their pooches, it might be a good idea to walk the swath of the hill you plan on rolling down prior to your launch. An ounce of prevention…
The intersection of Lafayette Dr. and Barksdale Dr.

Tanyard Creek Greenspace
This small neighborhood between Buckhead and Midtown on the West Side has both a green space with a paved track (perfect for bikes and trikes) and a really cool playground area rear the pond. Satisfy your hill hunt by parking on the street at the green space, and roll your way down to the flat area.
Hint: The green space also has two fenced-in dog parks (one for large dogs, and one for small). Bring Fido and wear everyone out!
The intersection of Loring Dr. and Garden Ln.

Chastain Park 
Just below the playground and across the street from the playing fields lies a sweeping vista just begging to be conquered. The terrain gently slopes toward the street, but is a long run that ensures that your littles roll to a complete stop before getting anywhere near the traffic.
Hint: Some of the trees in this part of the park have acorns (ouch!), so be sure to do a barefoot test prior to launching the kiddos down the hill.
West Wieuca Rd. between Lake Forrest Dr. and Pool Rd.

Murphy Candler Park
Located in Brookhaven, this large park boasts plenty of hilly runs perfect for letting the littles fly. For a sure thing, enter the park on West Nancy Creek. Driving along the lake, you can’t miss the paved path running beside the road, which is elevated about lake level and affords a nice opportunity for a short roll (it levels out in most places before the lake, so you don’t have to pack a change of clothes). Keep driving and you’ll spy several other likely spots for a roll in the grass in the direction of the covered picnic pavilions.
Hint: The wooded playground at Murphy Candler Park is a favorite of the littles, because it’s just vintage enough to get their adrenaline pumping. Pack a picnic, then hit the playground, and pry your kids away from the monkey bars by telling them that you know of the perfect hill to roll down (on your way out of the park).
1551 W Nancy Creek Dr. NE, Brookhaven

Do you have a favorite hill in Atlanta? Share your spot with us below!

—Shelley Massey

Photos courtesy of the author and cam knows on Creative Commons via Flickr

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Dog Day Afternoons: Perfect Parks and Patios for Pooches

by Phebe Wahl

For most of us, Fido was our first baby. And now that you’ve got kids of the two-legged variety, why not delight all of your kiddos with a trip to one of Atlanta’s best pooch parks or patios? Read on to find our favorite spots to enjoy with the entire family (furry friends included).

Best Pet & Kid-Friendly Parks

Tanyard Creek
Located just off the BeltLine in Buckhead, this park connects to Ardmore Park by a large, open green space. Both Tanyard Creek Park and Ardmore Park have playgrounds, and with a paved path between the two (and an elevated and active train track above one section of the path), this is a sure bet for making everyone happy. The playground itself comes complete with two different areas for younger and older tots, a huge spider web climbing structure, as well as slides, monkey bars, swings and a rock wall. Make note that there are no restrooms, so those that can’t just life their leg need to go before you go.
Tanyard Creek Park, Collier Road at Walthall Drive, Atlanta, GA 30309

Winn Park
Located in the heart of Ansley Park, this shady park combines sweeping green spaces, beautiful ponds, and a wooden playground (with areas for older and younger tots). With footpaths that resemble secret passageways between the giant azaleas, you won’t have any trouble prying the kids away from the playground to take the pooch on a stroll. Parents will rest easy with their kids playing here away from the city streets as the park forms an elongated bowl that offers natural protection from surrounding areas where cars are zipping by.
Winn Park, 32 Lafayette Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

Best Off-Leash Parks

Piedmont Dog Park
Piedmont Park is the perfect place to play with your pooch and wee ones.  From stopping for a swing at the Noguchi playscape or Mayor’s Grove playgrounds to taking a splash in the Legacy Fountain on your way to the expansive dog park, click here for your complete guide to exploring Piedmont Park with kids.
Piedmont Dog Park, 400 Park Drive NE, Atlanta, GA, 30306, 404.875.7275

Mason Mill Park
One of Decatur’s most polar playgrounds is also just a few streets away from a large, new (unfenced) dog park. Unfortunately, you can’t park at the playground and walk to the dog park, but you sure can enjoy the playground and trails with Fido on the leash, and then swing by the dog park as a special treat on your way home. The playground offers the trifecta of clean bathrooms, ample parking, and awesome equipment. It is split into two separate areas—one for smaller kids and one for older children. The larger playground has a three-story tall climber and a pirate ship-themed area. The nearby nature trails offer plenty of opportunities for (on-leash) exploration as well.
Mason Mill Dog Park, 1400 McConnell Drive, Atlanta, GA 30033

Loring Heights
Located where Buckhead turns into Midtown off Deering Road, Loring Heights is a beautiful neighborhood with two playgrounds for kids (one sits adjacent to a recently renovated pond area), and a large green space with two fenced-in dog runs. Perfect for kids and dogs to wear out that last spurt of energy of the day, the parks in Loring Heights make you want to start talking real estate.
Loring Heights, Loring Drive and South Garden, Atlanta, GA 30309

Brook Run 
The dog park is 3.5 fenced-in acres located in the back of 100+ acres of recreational space, which includes a playground, skate park, and plenty of trails. Heavily wooded, this is the spot to find some shade during our dog days of summer, but know in advance that there is no area separating small dogs from the big ones.
Brook Run, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338, 678.234.4428

Newtown Dream Dog Park
The name pretty much says it all. This dog park, located in John’s Creek, has everything from Astroturf to a fire-hydrant shaped water sprinkler for the pups to frolic in. If you’re up for a drive, then point your car northeast and prepare to blow your doggie’s mind.
Newtown Dream Dog Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek, GA 30022

Pouch-Perfect Patios
Let’s face it, there have been nights out at restaurants with our kids when we would have preferred our well-mannered dogs to the mayhem of a tantruming tot. While these hot spots are historically pet friendly, it’s never a bad idea to call ahead, just in case there’s been a change in policy.

Lucky’s Burger & Brew
This family-friendly neighborhood spot is named for the owner’s Golden Retriever, and Lucky hasn’t forgotten the little people in her fame. She’s still just Lucky from the block. Head here for the relaxed patio and killer burgers.
Lucky’s Burger & Brew, 305 Brookhaven Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30319, 678.705.1713, and 1144 Alpharetta Street, Roswell, GA 30075, 770.518.5695

ParkGrounds
They serve coffee. They love dogs. Kids, well, they’re welcome too.
ParkGrounds, 142 Flat Shoals Ave SE Atlanta GA 30316, 678.528.9901

Treehouse
Hidden in Peachtree Hills, this Buckhead institution is a haven for families and furballs alike. Go early to nab a spot on the patio, or you’ll be hanging out in the parking lot with the pup with the rest of Buckhead, waiting on a table.
Treehouse Restaurant and Pub, 7 Kings Circle, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404.266.2732

Park Tavern
Could there be anything better than heading to Piedmont Park with bikes, riding over to the dog park, then cruising on to the Park Tavern for lunch or an early dinner with the entire family? Probably, but we don’t know what it is.
Park Tavern, 500 10th Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404.249.0001

Avellino’s Pizzeria
Yum. Italian food makes grown ups and kids happy alike, and Avellino’s has water and a warm welcome for the pups at both their Decatur and Brookhaven locations.
Avellino’s Pizzeria, 902 West College Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030, 404.228.3285, and 1328 Windsor Parkway NE, Atlanta, GA 30319, 404.500.3841  

Paolo’s Gelato Italiano & Desserts
This could be the happiest place in Atlanta. From the luscious gelato to the dog bowl and dog treats outside the front door, you’d be hard pressed to pass up a stop at Paolo’s with kids and pups in tow.
Paolo’s, 1025 Virginia Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA, 30306, 404.607.0055.

Where do you like to party with your pooch in Atlanta? Tell us in the comments section below!

—Shelley Massey

Photos courtesy of  Play Atlanta, Rich V. via Yelp, Cynthia K. via Yelp, Sheri M. via Yelp, Bryan R. via Yelp, Laura L. via Yelp, Amy A. via Yelp, Kisten E. via Yelp, Bullseye Rescue, with permission, and  wallyg, Christian Collins, HAL9000@yoidore, donnierayjones on Creative Commons via Flickr and the author

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See SeaTac from Another Angle: Jet Over to Angle Lake Park

by Erin Cranston

It’s an unfortunate fact for most of us urbanites–hear the name SeaTac and you’re envisioning impossible check-in lines, incessant jet noise and whiny kids after a long flight. But what if we told you SeaTac also equals hours of water fun, picnicking on rolling green hills and breathing in cool lake breezes? Literally a five-minute car ride from the airport, the city named after its biggest commodity also hosts a park complete with a scenic, swimmable lake, a shaded playground, green space ready for spreading a blanket, and the biggest, splashiest, most totally awesome spray park south of the Ship Canal. Grandma’s flight delayed? Forget the cellphone lot–check out Angle Lake Park for a kid-tastic new angle on SeaTac!

Park it at the Gate

From the road (International Boulevard to be exact), you can hardly tell there’s a park, much less a tree lined 102-acre lake, surrounded as it is by office parks and hotel chains. Angle Lake Park sits at the west end of the lake and has 10 acres of green grass and lots of room to kick a soccer ball, spread a picnic blanket, or relax (at least the parent version of it) in the shade of the many towering evergreen trees that dot the landscape. As you walk east towards the lake, don’t miss the view of Mount Rainier, popping unexpectedly out of the trees.

Insider Parking Tip: The parking lot fills quickly on nice days, but don’t despair! There is an overflow lot three driveways south of the park, a very short walk away. Just turn left out of the lot and look for the signs immediately to your left.

Angle Lake Park
19408 International Boulevard (at South 195th Street)
SeaTac, Wa 98148
206-973-4680
Online: ci.seatac.wa.us/index.aspx?page=144

Park hours: 8:00 am – dusk
Spray park hours: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm daily (closing date dependent on weather)
Lifeguard hours: 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm daily through Labor Day

Do you plan to visit Angle Lake Park this summer? Already visited? Let us know about your experience in a comment below!

-Erin Cranston, words and photos

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