Spring break for Cobb County and Marietta city schools is looming – beginning after school on Friday, April 3, 2020 to be exact. If you’re like us, you’d like to limit your kids digital screen time over the break, and expose them to more educational experiences and outdoor adventures.
For those behind schedule and looking for some last-minute inspiration, here are three destinations families can consider, each driving distance away and focus on nature & education.
Chattanooga, TN
Often referred as ‘Gig City’ due to its community-owned 1GB Internet connection, visitors here will have plenty to do off the internet. If you’re planning a visit, a recommended stop is the Creative Discovery Museum, which is consistently rated as a top children’s museum in the country. It features hands-on learning through their core exhibits, which include: RiverPlay, Arts Alley, & Inventors’ Clubhouse. After a trip to the museum, enjoy a stroll across the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge, which is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the USA, and connects their downtown to the north shore. And while others might recommend a visit to the Tennessee Aquarium, we’ll steer you away and recommend dropping into Rock City, which remains a unique geological and botanical wonder. The views & nature trail are worth the experience.
Brevard, NC
While Asheville receives a fair amount of publicity, Brevard, NC is the city closest to outdoor activities and plethora of jaw-dropping waterfalls in the area. Visitors should always consider viewing Looking Glass Falls, which is the most convenient to experience, as it’s situated directly on the site of a road inside Pisgah National Forest. The other waterfall we’d suggest is Triple Falls, located inside DuPont State Forest. Triple Falls was featured in the first Hunger Games movie, and is a spectacle which features 3 distinct cascading waterfalls, which total over 120 feet of vertical drop. Triple Falls is an accessible 10 minute hike from the Hooker Falls parking area, and can done is sneakers.
Pigeon Forge, TN
Last, but not least, is Pigeon Forge. The outdoor options in the Smokies are virtually endless, and one highlight worth mentioning is Foxfire Mountain Adventures, which features the longest zipline in the Smoky Mountains – and leads guests 475 ft high between 2 mountains and over a river. For those who’d rather keep their feet closer to ground, Foxfire also offers 8-wheeled ATV excursions through the woods, across creeks, and to a mountaintop!
Collectively, all three cities are within a 3 hour drive of Marietta, and showcase an abundance of attractions and outdoor experiences that will inspire every member of your family.
