City In a Park
As the “city in a park,” Macon is a great place for kids to grow up. Macon enjoys the perks of being a small city in Georgia, while having the fantastic family-friendly benefits of being surrounded by parks and the country. But almost every kid eventually gets bored, especially in the summertime, and the next time you hear, “Mom, I’m bored” for the tenth time in a row that day whole rubbing your temples and popping aspirin, you can be prepared with our list of 10 fun things to do with your kids in Macon, GA! Most, if not all of the places on this list also host birthday parties for kids as well.
Sandy Beach Water Park
This one is a no-brainer, especially in the summer months. Macon is really lucky to have a water park at Lake Tobesofkee with entry fees around 5 bucks on weekdays (it’s $12-14 on weekends, and infants and babies under 1 year old are always free). If you don’t have a pool, or even if you do, this is a great way for your kids to stay cool, hang out with their friends, and get some exercise.
Sandy Beach Water Park in Macon offers two waterslides, a lazy river, a wave pool, splash pad, junior Olympic lap pool, beach games, party pavilions, and a snack bar. Plus, there are belly flop contests every day at 2pm! Party pavilions are also available for rent for birthday parties on groups.
Lifejackets are available for kids if you need them, and the lifeguards are plentiful and very alert. Lockers are $2 for the day. For the parents, hammocks are available so you can catch up on sleep while your little tire themselves out! What’s not to love?
Pin Strikes Bowling
If your kids are looking for a break from the Georgia sun and wants some indoor, air-conditioned fun, Pin Strikes Bowling is a cheap, entertainment haven for kids. With recent additions, Pin Strikes Bowling now boasts a full bowling alley, laser tag, video arcade, Balladium (an interactive target-shooting game in a blacklight arena with music and neon UV foam ball shooters), bumper cars (also with blacklights and neon LED lighting), “Time Freak” (“Time Freak challenges players to race against the clock to push buttons as they light up and score points in an ultra-violet control room”, according to Pin Strikes’ website), and a 24-foot indoor rock climbing wall (also with neon lights, of course). While all that sounds expensive, the pricing is actually pretty reasonable (one rock climbing wall attempt is $4, Time Freak is $3-4, laser tag is $6.50-8.50), but watch your budget because those prices can rise up quickly!
Pin Strikes bowling also hosts birthday parties and school party packages. They’re located at 4318 Sheraton Drive.
Situation Room
Situation Room is a great outside-the-box place to take your kids, especially in groups and for birthday parties, or you can do an escape room as a family! They even offer Dodgeball Archery (which is just like it sounds). Kids really immerse themselves in our two themed escape room, Stellar and Red vs Blue.
In Stellar, you and your kids become space explorers tasked with escaping a crashed spacecraft before all systems fail. In Red vs Blue, your kids become army soldiers that must escape their base which is under attack. Both rooms have an hour limit, and special clues are available for kids as often as they need them. Kids have fun, learn teamwork, and solve puzzles together, leaving with a sense of accomplishment, camaraderie, and fun.
Situation Room also has a brand-new Virtual Reality experience with state-of-the-art VR technology. Kids can ride dragons, escape rooms, explore castles, and more with our HTC Vive Pro.
An escape room is a growing trend that is perfect for kids in the summer or year-round, where they learn teamwork and problem-solving skills, without realizing that they’re learning!
Situation Room is located at 427 Poplar St.
AmStar 16 Theater
The movie theater is the go-to summer entertainment option for kids. The Amstar 16 Theater frequently holds “Summer Kids Flicks” movies with discounted movie, popcorn, and drinks prices, usually on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They also have at least a few kids and family-friendly movies year-round. Amstar 16 also hax IMAX and 3D showings, so your kids may be able to catch their favorite movies with 3D glasses on! Amstar 16 Theater also has a video game arcade area and hosts kids’ birthday parties.
AmStar16 is located at 5996 Zebulon Rd, Macon, GA.
Barnes & Noble
Barnes &oble in Macon hosts free storytime for kids once a week, on either Friday or Saturday, geared towards younger kids. They sometimes read books for older kids on Saturdays like young adult books. They also frequently host “pajama parties” for kids at 7PM, usually on Fridays or Saturdays, and hot chocolate and snacks are served!
Barnes & Noble in Macon is located at 5080 Riverside Drive.
Georgia Sports Hall Of Fame
Here is another outside-the-box idea for taking your kids to see their favorite local Macon and Georgia sports heroes. Georgia Sports Hall of Fame puts in a lot of effort to be family friendly and have plenty of things for kids to do. Children can see their endless sports memorabilia, of course, and also see their special interactive area designed just for kids, where they can play basketball, drive a virtual racecar in their NASCAR simulator, toss footballs, kick field goals, and try out their interactive professional sports announcer booth. There’s also a film (because kids love videos) that features Georgia hall of fame inductees. Georgia Sports Hall of Fame frequently hosts sports events for kids, such as their “Nickelodeon Night” at Macon Mayhem games at the Macon Centreplex where kids can hear sports theme songs, get “slimed” dress up as mascots, and win prizes (because kids love prizes).
Prices for kids are very reasonable. Kids are $3.50 each, and admission for adults is $8. In the summer, they frequently have free admission for kids with purchase of an adult admission.
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is on 301 Cherry St.
Museum Of Arts & Sciences
The Museum of Arts & Sciences in Macon is an education wonderland for children which feels magical the minute you walk in (for kids AND adults, we’re not ashamed to say we’re huge MAS nerds), and new attractions are constantly being added so it never gets old. The museum has a mini zoo, art exhibitions, an awe-inspiring planetarium, play areas, and so many exhibits and displays that it’s difficult to see them all in one visit, meaning you can take your kids there multiple times a year.
The tour guides are great with kids and make tours and activities even more fun for kids to enjoy. Archaeologists show off historical artifacts, and divers show off real sunken treasure. Most of the exhibits are hands-on, because kids love touching things.
The Museum of Arts & Sciences is a great place for a very hot or rainy day. The prices are very reasonable; children 2 and under are free, and all other kids are $5 each. They also have a special $7 price for college students, and adults are $10 each.
The Museum is located on 4182 Forsyth Rd.
Ocmulgee National Monument
Ocmulgee National Monument is another cheap and educational place to take your kids for a family adventure, and is another place that is nearly impossible to see all of in one visit. You and your kids can watch Indian celebrations, see historical artifacts that are over 12,000 years old, explore the museum that has artifacts and wonders from both the ancient and historical world, gorgeous trails with displays and exhibits along the way, or even participate in your own archaeological dig!
For more information, check out their website , take a look at their kids page , and learn more about their Junior Ranger program. Their address is 1207 Emery Hwy in Macon, GA.
Middle Georgia Regional Library System
Unfortunately, three out of the four Middle Georgia Regional Library libraries will be closing soon, leaving Washington Memorial Library left, which is a great reason for you and your family to support the library system.
The library is a great place to introduce your children to pleasure reading. Middle Georgia Regional Library also hosts storytimes geared toward younger children five days a week, that often include “finger plays, special guests, songs, and puppets” according to their website.
MGRL also hosts learning programs for kids like “Coding for Kids,” where kids ages 4+ can learn to code and get a head start on their IT and STEM skills, and the ABCmouse program that teaches younger kids phonics, math, social studies, art, and music.
Washington Memorial Library is on 1180 Washington Ave.
Amerson River Park
No list of Macon kids activities ideas would be complete without Amerson River Park. Amerson River Park is 180 acres of forests, meadows, wetlands and water. It’s filled with trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and beaches. Take your kids to go hiking, swimming, biking, kayaking, tubing, fishing – it’s really the outdoor capital of Macon.
Amerson River Park is on 2600 Riverview Rd in Macon.
