Atlanta Family Days: Animals, Dinosaurs

Plan a family day in Atlanta around one big attraction and one small one. Here are four options, with what each costs and what to know before you arrive. Prices are in US dollars.

Pick a morning anchor

Georgia Aquarium

The tunnel in Ocean Voyager is the moment children remember, because fish and rays swim overhead in a habitat of about 6.3 million gallons built for whale sharks. Other galleries include Tropical Diver and Cold Water Quest. Tickets are priced by date. Fixed Date starts at $54.99, and the Anytime option is $69.99. Anyone aged 2 or under enters at no charge. You can skip the marine mammal shows and still fill a day. Buy through the aquarium’s site .

Zoo Atlanta

The zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and its last tickets go on sale at 3:30 p.m. Animals include western lowland gorillas, orangutans, African elephants, giraffes and red pandas. Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang debut in the Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove on November 6, 2026, with a 10:30 a.m. opening that day. Prices vary by date, and under-3s are free. See the zoo’s site .

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Fernbank puts a 123-foot Argentinosaurus skeleton in its Great Hall as part of Giants of the Mesozoic. The WildWoods outdoor area and a giant-screen film come with a base ticket. Weekday prices in 2026 are $25.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors and $23.95 for ages 3 to 12, rising by $2 at weekends. Under-2s are free.

Pick an afternoon add-on

  • Center for Puppetry Arts: the Jim Henson Collection in the Worlds of Puppetry Museum displays Kermit, Miss Piggy and others, and the center runs live shows. Ask the center for current prices.
  • Atlanta History Center: the Goizueta Children’s Experience is a 5,000-square-foot space for kids, set on a 33-acre Buckhead campus that is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • A stroll along the BeltLine Eastside Trail, a paved path of about 2.4 miles, works for strollers, and Ponce City Market has a food hall. Heat indexes can top 100 F in summer, so go early.

Saving money and getting around

The Atlanta CityPASS is $106 for adults and $86 for ages 3 to 12, plus tax. It covers five attractions chosen from six, among them the aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Zoo Atlanta and Fernbank, and it works for nine days. On MARTA, children 46 inches and under ride free, up to two per paying adult, and the standard fare is $2.50. The fare page lists passes. Never leave bags, strollers or electronics visible in a parked car. To compare family tours, search GetYourGuide for Atlanta families .

Read more: Atlanta activities and the 3 day itinerary .