10 weeks of vacation ideas for kids

You've scaled Stone Mountain, picnicked in Piedmont Park and ambled through the Georgia Aquarium. Run out of ideas for ways to keep kids occupied this summer? Here is at least one off-the-beaten-path thing to do with kids for each week of the summer break:

Week 1
(Memorial Day-June 1)

Talk about a museum show Clark Howard (and all the young Clarks out there) would love: a children's exhibit all about paper money. "How Do They Spend It?" at Georgia Tech's Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, 500 10th St. N.W., Atlanta. Best of all, it's free. The exhibit, aimed at kids 5-12, looks at paper money from 10 countries and focuses on the images on the money. The museum is open 9-5 weekdays. The exhibit runs through Sept. 2. www.ipst.gatech.edu/amp or 404-894-7840.

Week 2
(June 2-8)

The Hindu temple in Lilburn is metro Atlanta's most spectacular new building, and an interesting day trip for kids of all ages. Made of Turkish limestone, Italian marble and pink Indian sandstone, no steel or other metal was used in the construction. Each piece, hand-carved in India, was numbered and eventually set in place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. You can visit on your own for free or take a tour led by Emory University religion professor Joyce Flueckiger on June 8. Participants board a bus at Emory's Carlos Museum at 2:30 p.m. $15 for members of the Carlos; $20 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required by calling 404-727-4280. Temple information: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 460 Rockbridge Road N.W., Lilburn. 404-297-0501. www.swaminarayan.org/globalnetwork/america/atlanta.htm.

Week 3
(June 9-15)

Here's a Father's Day celebration that's as much fun for kids as it is for Dad. "A Froggy Father's Day Celebration," 1-5 p.m. June 15, Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. Live music, games, crafts, a ride-on train and live frog display. Food and refreshments available for purchase. If it's hot, kids can bring a swimsuit and towel to frolic in the sunflower fountain in the children's garden. Dads pay half the normal $12 nonmember admission; $9 ages 3-17; members free. More information: www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org or 404-876-5859.

Week 4
(June 16-22)

Preteens and teens will enjoy the Roswell Ghost Tour in historic downtown Roswell. Tour guides don't wear costumes or use special effects, but they do pride themselves on their knowledge of Roswell history and the spookier things that have happened there. On June 21, you can bring your leashed pet. The two-hour tours start at 8 p.m. For schedules and more information: www.roswellghosttour.com or 770-649-9922.

Week 5
(June 23-29)

Blueberries are in season in Georgia. Pick your own blueberries at one of the many farms near Atlanta. Try the family-owned Adams Farm in Fayetteville (more information: www.adamsfarmfayettevillega.com or 770-461-9395) or find a U-pick farm close to you on this University of Georgia College of Agriculture Web site: www.ciids.org/agnet. Call ahead to make sure the farm has plenty of berries, and bring containers.

Week 6
(June 30-July 6)

Spend Independence Day on the beach — without the long drive. Callaway Gardens' July 4 Surf and Sand Spectacular takes place on and near the sandy beach of Robin Lake, about 70 miles south of Atlanta. Cool off with a real 14-foot iceberg, take a paddleboat ride and watch the circus during the day. Live music and fireworks at night. Adults $15; children 6-12 $7.50; kids under 6 free. 17800 U.S. 27, Pine Mountain. 706-663-2281. www.callawaygardens.com.

Week 7
(July 7-13)

Take a train ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, about an hour's drive north of Atlanta in the North Georgia mountains. The steam train, with both open and air-conditioned cars, departs at 11 a.m. most days for a 3 1/2-hour round trip along the Toccoa River. Riders can get off at the turnaround and stroll before heading back. Or they can rent an inner tube and take the lazy river way back to Blue Ridge. Tickets are $16 for kids 2-12; $32 for adults; $27 for senior citizens. www.brscenic.com or call 1-800-934-1898.

Week 8
(July 14-20)

The National Black Arts Festival holds a free family day on July 19 at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids can sing and dance on the cultural stage, listen to stories, learn to draw Timon and Pumbaa from "The Lion King" in the Disney Animation Workshop, meet a Zulu warrior and more.

Week 9
(July 21-27)

See a play geared especially to kids ages 4 and up. And no, we're not talking "Sesame Street Live." Georgia Shakespeare's "Tom Thumb the Great" is a world premiere adaptation of a classic English folktale about a little hero with a big heart. $10-$12. July 18-Aug. 2. 10 a.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; two-for-one nights at 7 p.m. July 22 and 29. Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-264-0020, gashakespeare.org.

Week 10
(July 28-Aug. 3)

Cool off in the 31,000-square-foot Bethesda Park Aquatic Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville. The aquatic center, which opened last year, features a nearly 7,000-square-foot indoor leisure pool with zero-entry beach-style access, a 100-foot slide that exits and then re-enters the building, a river channel, hydrotherapy benches, a water play structure, tumble buckets, vortex and ceiling spray. Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and 1-6 p.m. Sundays. Weekday hours vary, but include family nights when the pool is open until 8:30. $5 for adults; $4 for kids 4-10; $2 for 3 and under. Information: 678-924-6334.