Bugs Bunny Boomtown and DC Super Friends Six Flags Over Georgia
Bugs Bunny World—the section of Six Flags designed for small thrill-seekers, with most rides aimed at kids 36 inches and under—opened in 1994. Twenty-two years later it’s been renovated and rebranded as Bugs Bunny Boomtown, which premiered when the park opened for the season this March. Among the seven new and overhauled rides: Daffy Duck’s Bucket Blasters, which lets riders squirt one another; a Looney Tunes–themed playground; and a Yosemite Sam–branded mini Ferris wheel. A second new kids area, DC Super Friends, will open in the adjacent space Memorial Day weekend.
Architect, Smith Dalia; Landscape architect, Deneen Powell Atelier
Children’s Garden Atlanta Botanical Garden
When the original children’s garden opened in 1999, it was one of the first of its kind in the U.S. But it was starting to show its age. After conducting focus groups and exit interviews with garden visitors, the ABG broke ground on the new and improved space last fall. When it opens this summer, you can look forward to an even bigger splashpad (it’s nearly double the size of the old one) and tree house, as well as more places to build, paint, dig, make music, and interact with the surroundings. And don’t worry, some of visitors’ favorite features, like the growth chart and the silly gnome statues, will remain.
Courtesy of Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Forest Fernbank Museum of Natural History
One of the last remaining old-growth hardwood forests in the Piedmont region, Fernbank Forest is one of Atlanta’s most important natural treasures. But for the past four years, it’s been mostly off-limits to the public as a result of conservation and restoration projects. At the end of this summer, Fernbank Museum of Natural History will finally reopen the 65-acre forest to visitors, plus unveil 10 acres of outdoor educational space. Among the highlights: treehouse-like “pods” that afford a view over the terrain and an outdoor exhibition gallery.
