Atlanta Family Vacation Ideas with Teens Include CNN, Marionettes and Stone Mountain. 
Atlanta is a great city for traveling with teens, offering a mix of history, exploration and pure fun sure to guarantee everyone has a great time. Shop the Underground, go face to face with a kangaroo and make your own watermark this is the fun stuff!
See the story behind the news. Teens will love the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the frenzied world of television journalism with the CNN Studio tours, which take visitors into the heart of CNN’s global headquarters in Atlanta. The tour gives visitors an exclusive look at CNN’s main newsroom in action, and the chance to learn from current CNN anchors and reporters about some of the memories and challenges they’ve faced while racing to report the news. Need to know: Reservations are highly recommended for the tour. (One CNN Center, at 190 Marietta St, NW. (404) 827-2300 or toll-free 1-877-4CNNTOUR or edition.cnn.com/tour)
Walk in M. L. King’s footsteps. Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is a living memorial to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The King Center is an educational and inspirational experience for the whole family, and features many interactive exhibits illustrating King’s life, work and his philosophy and methods of non-violent conflict reconciliation and social change. (King Center 449 Auburn Avenue, NE.
1(404) 526-8900 or www.thekingcenter.org)
Explore Stone Mountain. One of Atlanta’s most recognizable tourist attractions Stone Mountain Park is not to be missed; this huge monument to the confederacy covers 25 million square feet and rises 825 feet above the surrounding area, carved with the likeness of three confederate heroes. Within minutes of metro Atlanta, it is the perfect place to experience the natural beauty of an unspoiled forest and see the largest visible piece of granite in the world. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association has designated more than 2,000 of the 3,200 acres as a Natural District. Within the designated area are pathways and hiking trails that weave through the woodlands and along streams. In tandem with nature there is also a man-made entertainment side that includes a living history village, 4D Theater, entertainment complex, scenic railroad, sky lift, riverboat, an Antebellum plantation as well as shops and eateries. (Stone Mountain Park.
(770) 498-5600, toll-free
1-800-317-2006 or
www.stonemountainpark.com)
Make your own watermark. The Institute of Paper and Science Technology provides great insider experience to be enjoyed by all ages. The Museum features a remarkable collection of over 10,000 watermarks, papers, tools, machines, and manuscripts. There are guided tours and hands-on papermaking workshop in which children and adults are able to make their own sheets of paper from various recognizable materials like recycled blue jeans, cotton, and banana leaves. Other workshops include Make Your Own Jewelry: A Paper Bead Workshop, An Italian Paper and Watermark Adventure, and Georgia and Papermaking: A Hands-on Historic Look at Our Past. (Institute of Paper and Science Technology 500 10th Street NW.
1(404) 894-6663 or
www.ipst.gatech.edu)
One fish, two fish. The Georgia Aquarium is really a marvel with aquatic appeal. New to the planet the state-of-the-art aquarium contains a confounding eight million gallons of water make it home to more than 120,000 animals of 500 different species. The aquarium is a spectacular display of color, ocean life, and grand-scale entertainment, giving visitors the sensation descending deep into a rarely seen undersea world.
Bonus Points: Check out the aquarium’s website for discounts on IMAX tickets and much more. Not to be missed: The aquarium’s 4-D theatre features an animated 3-D film, a live actor, and interactive seats, offering spectators a whole new way to experience the underwater world.
Just for Kids: The aquarium offers a series of age-appropriate ocean exploration programs ranging from underwater detective mysteries to coral reef exploration. (Georgia Aquarium 225 Baker St. Atlanta. (404) 581-4000 or
www.georgiaaquarium.org)
Enjoy the art of puppetry.
Atlanta Puppets Edgy and creative, The Center for Puppetry Arts is a place that should definitely be on any "must see" list. The center has an extensive collection of puppets ranging from hand puppets to Punch and Judy. With an international reputation for hosting the finest puppeteers, the shows demonstrate an obvious mastery of an age-old art. The center offers visitors multiple shows, puppet making workshops and three theaters, one of which seats 300. In October and November, Ghastly Dreadfuls, a collection of creepy Halloween tales, frightful songs and devilish dances takes the stage, designed specifically for teenagers looking for an extra spooky experience.
Bonus points: For families with college students ages 18 and older, check out the Xperiemental Puppetry Theatre each May which features everything from marionettes to stop-motion animation, robotics to masked dance. (Center for Puppetry Arts 1404 Spring Street,
(404) 873-3089,
(404) 873-3091 or
www.puppet.org)
Go underground just for fun. In the heart of downtown, Underground Atlanta is a great way to beat the heat and have a blast. Located underground, on the original streets of Atlanta, Underground Atlanta encompasses six blocks of shopping, dining, history and entertainment. For those looking for a historical experience, be sure to check out the guided history tour, which explores the history of Atlanta from the Civil War to the advent of civil rights. Afterward wander the underground, enjoy the daily entertainment which includes caricature drawings and fortune telling, as well as delicious homemade candy, dining and shopping. (Underground Atlanta 50 Upper Alabama Street.
(404) 523-2311 or
www.underground-atlanta.com)
Learn to throw a boomerang. Not far from Atlanta’s urban center in the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, is the Kangaroo Conservation Center. The facility has the largest collection of kangaroos outside of Australia. Dedicated to wildlife preservation the center offers earth-friendly tours in 10-wheel drive army trucks. In addition to touring the inner workings of a kangaroo farm and seeing a variety of kangaroos, the tour includes a visit to the blue-winged kookaburra aviary and kookaburra breeding center. Two resident burros, Max and Maggie, sometimes greet guests with indifference. Check out the immersive exhibit, Billabong Encounter, which is both indoors and outdoors, an aviary/greenhouse, with Australian plant species like Eucalyptus trees and Australian animals like kookaburras, and tiny kangaroos called Bettongs.
Bonus Points: The new exhibits can be seen at the visitor's leisure after the guided tour. We offer light snacks and numerous souvenirs and Aussie-themed gifts in the gift shop (items also available in the on-line store). Also within the complex, and more people friendly, visitors will meet two petite dik-diks, Snout and Mocha, and get a close look at resident wallabies. (Kangaroo Conservation Center 222 Bailey-Waters Rd. Dawsonville.
(706) 265-6100 or
www.kangaroocenter.com)
Content researched and posted FTF. Images provided by museums. Copyright 2016.