It may still be 200 degrees outside and your Slip-n-Slide has just started getting the action it deserves, but schools start soon and summer is about to come to a screeching stop. Don’t let yours hit the skids without scratching the following must-do’s off your summer bucket list.
Catch Fireflies
Let them stay up late. Watch them run and jump and squeal with delight as they round up all the fireflies, then let them fall asleep on the way home, sweaty. Check out our complete guide to Piedmont Park, the perfect place to turn them loose.
Eat a Peach
Whether you choose to pick ‘em yourself during the Jaemor Farms Peach Festival on August 9th, or simply pick up some perfect peach confections, you still have time to savor our state’s favorite fruit. It’s Georgia. It’s the summer. Eat a peach, y’all.
Cast a Line
Is there anything cuter than a kid and his fishing pole, really? A lot like a magic wand, a fishing pole can conjure something from nothing. Don’t let your kiddos start school without feeling the power of the pole at one of these local fishing holes.
Head to the Woods
While camping might not be the easiest thing to pull off with tots in tow, you can still savor summer with style at Fam-friendly resort Callaway Gardens. Or, if you are feeling more adventurous, click here for our guide to nearby camping and glamping spots.
Rock a Neighborhood Pool
Gear up with everything that makes being a kid at a pool great, and head to one of the best community pools with their pals. Don’t forget to round out the experience by feeding them exclusively from the concession stand… all… day… long. Another Astro Pop? Done.
Catch an Outdoor Movie
Throw caution to the wind, pack a picnic, and sayonara to the normal bedtime routine. Instead, head outside to catch one of the summer’s last outdoor movie screenings with the kids. They’ll wonder why you ever dragged them to a movie theater.
Make a Splash
Nothing says summer like hitting the splash park. Slap on the sunscreen and make sure they have had a chance to get wet and wild at each of these Atlanta-area spray grounds before summer says “sayonara.”
Head to the Beach
Looking to diversify your beach portfolio from the sandy shores of the Gulf? There’s no better place than Hilton Head Island or Amelia Island to splash your toes in the Atlantic, and no better send-off to summer than a final trip to the beach.
Watch the Braves Play
It’s summer. It’s the Braves. What else do we have to say? Go. Be an American. Take your kids to see the boys of summer before summer’s gone.
Frolic in Nearby Freshwater
If you think your littles lack the attention span to enjoy a full day of rafting or the down-time that accompanies fishing, there’s no reason to avoid Georgia’s freshwater this season. Head to one of these nearby creeks, streams, and rivers that are perfect for wading, waddling, and wee ones!
Float a Boat
Summer isn’t summer until you’ve floated on something, preferably with a cooler full of Capri Suns and adult beverages at arm’s reach. For total relaxation, head to one of Atlanta’s nearby lakes, or take the speed up a notch and raft one of north Georgia’s legendary rivers. Be sure you can identify the poisonous snakes and plants, though, but don’t let the trip pass without crying wolf a time or two, just for the heck of it.
Eat Ice Cream Like a Kid
Go on, getcha some! You can’t let summer pass you by without at least one (dozen) trips to the best ice cream spots in town. Get it, full-fat, in a cone, with sprinkles—and don’t share.
Get Ready for Life After Summer
If the end of summer has snuck up on you like it has us, leaving you with a to-do list a mile long, drop the kiddos off at one of the following day camps and take care of business.
What’s on your summer bucket list? Tell us in the comments section below!
—Shelley Massey
Photos courtesy of the author, Callaway Gardens via Facebook and theloushe and micheleart on Creative Commons via Flickr
