# Weekend getaways from Atlanta with kids Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/atlanta/weekend-getaways/ > The best trip within about five hours of Atlanta for each of the next 6 weekends, chosen for kids under 6. Every event links to the official page we checked it on. Last checked: 2026-10-29. ## Weekend of Oct 30–Nov 1: Greenville (about 2 hr 45 min) Boo in the Zoo has its last evening on Friday, and new this year is a Halloween afternoon session from 1 to 4, which works well for little kids. - **Boo in the Zoo**, Fri Oct 30, Sat Oct 31, 3–8 p.m. entry; Oct. 31 session 1–4 p.m., Greenville Zoo. $15; members $12; $3 trick-or-treat add-on. Timed tickets. Bring your own treat bag. New this year: a Halloween afternoon session. Official page: https://www.greenvillezoo.com/boo-in-the-zoo Also within reach: Nashville (about 4 hr 45 min): Boo at the Zoo's final three nights: 10 trick-or-treat stations for ages 2 to 12, free carousel spins, and Día de los Muertos activities on Sunday. Birmingham (about 2 hr 45 min): Hoots & Howls on Halloween, and Dino Safari's last days. ## Weekend of Nov 6–8: Nashville (about 4 hr 45 min) A Country Christmas opens Friday at Gaylord Opryland, with ice! featuring "Home Alone," ice tubing and more than 5 million lights. - **A Country Christmas and ice! featuring "Home Alone"**, Fri Nov 6, Sat Nov 7, Sun Nov 8, See Gaylord Opryland, Gaylord Opryland Resort. Tickets for ice! and activities sold separately. Ice sculptures, ice tubing, skating and more than 5 million lights around the resort. Opens Nov. 6. Official page: https://www.christmasatgaylordopryland.com/ Also within reach: Charlotte (about 4 hr 45 min): Pirates' Christmas Weekend at the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, plus the last day of Tricks and Treats at Carowinds on Saturday, 11 to 5:30. ## Weekend of Nov 13–15: Birmingham (about 2 hr 45 min) Disney On Ice is at the BJCC's Legacy Arena Thursday through Sunday, the first of three Disney On Ice stops in the region this month. - **Disney On Ice**, Fri Nov 13, Sat Nov 14, Sun Nov 15, See the tour page for show times, Legacy Arena at the BJCC. See the tour page. In Birmingham Nov. 12–15. Official page: https://www.disneyonice.com/en-us/tickets/ Also within reach: Chattanooga (about 2 hr 15 min): Rock City's lights open Friday. Charlotte (about 4 hr 45 min): Time Travelers' Weekend at the Carolina Renaissance Festival: kids 5 to 12 get in free with a school-supply donation, and 4 and under are always free. Parking is free too. ## Weekend of Nov 20–22: Knoxville (about 4 hr) Disney On Ice is at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum Thursday through Sunday. - **Disney On Ice**, Fri Nov 20, Sat Nov 21, Sun Nov 22, See the tour page for show times, Knoxville Civic Coliseum. See the tour page. In Knoxville Nov. 19–22. Official page: https://www.disneyonice.com/en-us/tickets/ Also within reach: Columbia (about 4 hr): Opening weekend for Fireflies Holiday Lights and Riverbanks Wild Lights. ## Weekend of Nov 27–29: Chattanooga (about 2 hr 15 min) Rock City's Enchanted Garden of Lights on Lookout Mountain, lit nightly from Nov. 13. - **Enchanted Garden of Lights**, Fri Nov 27, Sat Nov 28, Sun Nov 29, Nightly, Rock City, Lookout Mountain, Ga.. See Rock City for tickets. Nightly from Nov. 13; closed Dec. 24. Official page: https://www.seerockcity.com/enchanted-garden-of-lights/ Also within reach: Greenville (about 2 hr 45 min): Disney On Ice is at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena over Thanksgiving weekend. Columbia (about 4 hr): Fireflies Holiday Lights and Wild Lights, with Santa. ## Weekend of Dec 4–6: Nashville (about 4 hr 45 min) Glow Wild at the Nashville Zoo runs 5–9 p.m. all three nights, and kids under 2 are free. - **Glow Wild**, Fri Dec 4, Sat Dec 5, Sun Dec 6, 5–9 p.m., Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. $27 per night; under 2 free; parking $10. Glowing wildlife displays and an 85-foot synchronized Christmas tree. Santa visits nightly from Nov. 27. Official page: https://www.nashvillezoo.org/glow-wild ## Other family getaways within 5 hours We don't post event listings for these places. Check the official page for hours and what's on. - **Callaway Gardens**, Pine Mountain, GA (about 1 hr 30 min from Atlanta). Typically 1,000 or more butterflies fly free in the Day Butterfly Center, one of North America's largest tropical butterfly conservatories. Official page: https://www.callawaygardens.com/ - **Helen**, Helen, GA (about 2 hr from Atlanta). Helen is an alpine village in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and families can float down the Chattahoochee River by tube. Official page: https://helenga.org/ - **Little River Canyon National Preserve**, Fort Payne, AL (about 2 hr 30 min from Atlanta). Little River flows along the top of Lookout Mountain for most of its length, past waterfalls and canyon rims. Official page: https://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm - **Fall Creek Falls State Park**, Spencer, TN (about 3 hr 45 min from Atlanta). The 256-foot Fall Creek Falls is Tennessee's highest waterfall, and five more falls are in the park. Official page: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/fall-creek-falls - **Biltmore**, Asheville, NC (about 4 hr 30 min from Atlanta). George Vanderbilt built Biltmore, billed as America's largest home, on an 8,000-acre estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Official page: https://www.biltmore.com/ - **Great Smoky Mountains National Park**, Gatlinburg, TN (about 4 hr 30 min from Atlanta). Ridge after ridge of forest straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina line in America's most visited national park. Official page: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm ## FAQ **Where can we go for a weekend from Atlanta with little kids?** Over the next 6 weekends our picks from Atlanta are Greenville, Nashville, Birmingham, Knoxville, Chattanooga. Each one is chosen for what's on that weekend, with the dates, times and prices checked on the official pages. **Which cities are within an easy drive of Atlanta?** Chattanooga (about 2 hr 15 min), Birmingham (about 2 hr 45 min), Augusta (about 2 hr 45 min), Greenville (about 2 hr 45 min), Huntsville (about 4 hr), Columbia (about 4 hr). Times are normal driving times without traffic. **What other family getaways are within 5 hours of Atlanta?** Callaway Gardens (about 1 hr 30 min), Helen (about 2 hr), Little River Canyon National Preserve (about 2 hr 30 min), Fall Creek Falls State Park (about 3 hr 45 min), Biltmore (about 4 hr 30 min), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (about 4 hr 30 min). We don't post event listings for these, so check the official page for what's open before you go. **Why is the same city picked more than once?** Sometimes one city really does have the most going on two weekends in a row, like a holiday lights opening followed by a show. We don't rotate cities just for variety. **Are the times and prices current?** They're what each official page showed on Oct 29, 2026. Tap through to the official page before you go.