@Queenybell . . . The Aquarium is VERY busy on non-school days and even crazier on or around holidays. My son has difficulty in enclosed, loud environments so we usually go on days when school is in session and there is not so much of a crowd (unless there are lots of field trips, which has not been so bad the past year or so because the schools cannot afford out of school field trips). That said, depending on the crowds, I would allow for at least three hours to tour the Aquarium. My son likes to go through the galleries more than once and read everything (even if he has read everything the previous 10 times!). We can easily spend the day at either the Zoo or Aquarium, though. When we go on a school day, most of the time I call ahead to see what approximate numbers are scheduled for field trips that day. The Aquarium has a cool Penguin crawl that you will probably want to go into too, so I would recommend clothing that mom can crawl in too! =)
@CSMama . . . Another fun, shorter field trip would be to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (http://www.gwinnettehc.org/). This is in Buford, which would be close to both Brasleton and Lawrenceville (probably less than 30 minutes away, including traffic). There is a mini-aquarium showcasing marine life that is in each Georgia region. This smaller musuem teaches about water and conservation. The entire area is really geared to kids and almost everything has hands on activities and, what I would call, teaching play areas. There are exhibits teaching how humankind have interacted with water (civilizations built along river banks, how this led to wars, etc.) It is not super involved, but for us, it springboarded into further discussion and research at home. There is also a multimedia presentation called Blue Planet that is neat. If I recall, there is evolution based information presented, but I do not remember it being too overt. Also, there are good walking trails (though somewhat hilly).
You could also check out the Yellow River Game Ranch (http://www.yellowrivergameranch.com/) – it is a smaller zoo. Please note that I generally do not take my son here because for some reason I have a panic attack at my son being in proximity to injured or sick animals, even though he cannot touch them. I am not a total neat freak, but for some reason I totally panic at this place. I have three younger brother – one would think I would handle the place easily – but somehow I do not. I do not know anyone else who has this problem so you would probably be fine there. The setting along the Yellow River is beautiful and there is a great picnic spot overlooking the River.
Not really a field trip, per se, but you would be very close to the Gwinnett Braves (minor league baseball team), which is also in Lawrenceville. http://www.yellowrivergameranch.com/ This is a fairly inexpensive trip.
Michael C. Carlos Musuem (located at Emory University) is great. We will be visiting after summer crowds are through. You can sign up for notifications of kids programs, they do not always post them. I would suggest reviewing as there may be some aspects that may/may not fit with one’s beliefs and child’s level. http://www.carlos.emory.edu/
You are probably about an hour (maybe more or less) from the University of Georgia, which offers various kids programs throughout the year. Not sure if this is the main link but it is what I have saved http://www.uga.edu/information/kids-summer.html . One of the most fun activities we have done at UGA was one that I thought my son would have not been interested in. UGA does a yearly “Tennis Block Party” that the tennis team leads. It is a free event, with free pizza and drinks. There are stations set up for the kids to do tennis drills with the players and coaches. This has previously been held on a weekday afternoon, so it is perfect for homeschoolers. There are other art, music, marine science, etc. events that they run. My son has not been very interested in their art musuem, but your kids may be. Athens, while a college town, has a very poor demographic so there are TONS of free or low cost family activities. I would check around for activities in Athens Parent (http://athensparent.com/) and Atlanta Parent (http://www.atlantaparent.com/index.shtml). Usually, the events in Athens are less crowded than the ones in Atlanta, but this just depends on the activity.
Last one, I think =). North Georgia has the Wildlife Wonders zoo. http://www.northgeorgiazoo.com/index.html We have not been here yet, it is on our fall to-do list. But it might be worth checking out.
Hope this helps!
Stephanie
