“One of the great things about summer is not having a routine and that’s good for a while, but then everyone starts craving a routine,” said Anna Hutchings, a marriage and family therapist with Peachtree Comprehensive Health. “It’s important for children’s mental health to play but also to feel valuable and that they are worth spending time with. A getaway is a great way to celebrate the end of the season and then move back to a routine. It’s a good reset before the school year.”

Family trips also encourage interpersonal connections and conversations, including the opportunity for kids to voice pre-school anxieties, said Hutchings. “Especially with teens, it’s a way for everyone to put their phones down and engage in conversations. Sometimes those roadblocks that you may have talking with your teens at home may not be as present when you’re away.”

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Teacher Tarrah Zomer and her husband, Nick, an assistant principal in the Cherokee County school district, are firm believers in pre-school getaways.

“My kids have activities in the summer, like lacrosse and competitive dance, so we don’t do the big vacations,” she said. But the family, which includes 16-year-old Quintin, 14-year-old Kai and 9-year-old Zoie, does take a pre-school year trip. “We have a camper, Tillie, and we go to the state parks, like (F.D. Roosevelt State Park). It’s hard for the family to stay at a hotel and eat out. It costs a lot.”

The self-described “outdoorsy” family likes to hike, swim and fish. “We just want to do things outdoors as a family before all the craziness of the fall starts,” said Zomer.

Credit: Khulua Kinard

Credit: Khulua Kinard

Spa owner Khalilah Kinard and her husband, Issac, a CPA, are firm believers in last-minute trips. Last year, the couple, along with their children, Riot, 8, and Atlas, 5, went to Washington, D.C. “My kids love hotels,” said Kinard. “Last year in Washington we stayed at the Mandarian Oriental and my son didn’t want to go home.”

The Johns Creek residents have a house in the Smoky Mountains that has also hosted pre-school getaways. “Having the house allows us to spend more on entertainment, and the boys love the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, Ripley’s Believe it or Not — all things touristy.”

When the family returns home, they are “ready to see their friends in school and get back on the horse. It’s a total reset,” she said.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Single mom Kelli Miller strives to “foster fun while looking for inexpensive things” to do. This year she and son Cullen Stacy, 16, will stay in a treehouse in Gatlinburg for the pre-school weekend. “We can’t break the bank on these trips. We’ve learned the tricks of packing our own food, bringing Netflix videos and board games. We’ve camped at Lake Lanier where all you pay for is the tent and space.”

Last year, they went to Helen and Cullen encouraged her to go zip lining. “He likes to push me outside my comfort zone, so he’ll pick a crazy activity like bungee jumping, go-carting or white-water rafting.”

Even though money is tight, she said a pre-school getaway is nonnegotiable. “He’s told me these getaways help reset him before school,” she said “It’s one last hoorah before the whole grind starts, and he is back going to school, playing sports and working.”

Attorney Yendelela Neely always plans a vacation as close to the start of school as possible. Her son, Joshua Anderson, 11, “needs something to remind him that school is coming up, and it’s all consuming.”

The pre-school getaways also “help me keep track of the time going by as we go. The nature of our vacations has changed over the years. We now plan a trip for us versus me needing a vacation.” This year they are going to Aruba. Past trips were to Costa Rica, Disney cruises and South Africa.

A pre-school getaway is a perfect time to reflect and celebrate the passing of time as children mature.

“It’s starting to hit home that he’s looking at colleges, and having this 48-hour reset before he starts an intensive school year is really important,” said Miller. “The fact that at 16 he wants to sit in a car and do a road trip with his mom just makes my heart happy.”

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Where to go?

Picking a quick getaway involves melding the interests of every family member with an affordable cost and proximity to home. Here are some suggestions that are within a four-hour drive or less from Atlanta.

Georgia

Staycation

If you want to getaway and time is of the essence, consider a staycation. Metro Atlanta has plenty of hotels at different price points and amenities. Check out specials, such as Midtown’s Loews Hotel’s “Summerfest Atlanta Family Vacation.” An overnight stay includes a welcome treat for children, free breakfast for kids under 12 and complimentary in-room movie and valet parking. Loews Hotel Atlanta. $439 and up. 404-745-5000, loewshotels.com/atlanta-hotel.

State parks

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources runs 48 state parks offering lodging options that include hotels, cabins, cottages, campgrounds and yurts. “There are so many things to do for the different ages like cooking around a campfire, fishing, hiking, swimming,” said Kim Hatcher, public affairs coordinator for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ State Parks and Historic Sites Division. “It’s a great opportunity to unplug, put the phones away and talk around a campfire. It’s the time to connect and build those memories.” Enjoy the cool air of the North Georgia Mountains at Tullulah Gorge State Park, hike at FDR State Park at Pine Mountain or fish the Intracoastal Waterway at Crooked River State Park at St. Marys. Georgia State Parks. 800-864-7275, gastateparks.org.

Dahlonega

Dahlonega is a great place for kids to pan for gold, go tubing or kayaking or have animal encounters at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve & Zoo, home to more than 100 rescued animals including black leopards, Bengal tigers and monkeys. Chestatee Wildlife Preserve & Zoo. $15, $10 ages 11 and under. 678-300-0019, chestateewildlife.com; dahlonega.org.

Madison

Georgia Safari Conservation Park is a newly opened luxury resort in Madison that re-creates a safari adventure by combining overnight accommodations with 530 acres where white rhinos, zebras and ostrich roam freely. Georgia Safari Conservation Park. $590 and up. 706-342-4296, georgiasafari.com.

LaGrange

Just one hour south of Atlanta, LaGrange boasts a variety of family-friendly activities such as the Wild Animal Safari and the Biblical History Center. But perhaps the biggest draw, especially considering this summer’s sweltering temperatures, is Great Wolf Lodge, a 100,000-square foot indoor water park. Great Wolf Lodge (Great Wolf Lodge. $249 and up. 844-473-9653, greatwolf.com/georgia; visitlagrange.com

Alabama

State parks

Among Alabama’s 21 state parks are a few with outstanding subterranean attractions worth the extra drive. Cathedral Caverns State Park is home to “Goliath,” one of the largest stalagmites in the world, as well as a “frozen” waterfall and a large stalagmite forest. Thirty miles north of Birmingham is Rickwood Caverns State Park, featuring a massive cave with illuminated, 260-million-year-old formations, as well as the Fossil Mountain Hiking Trail where leaf and seashell imprints are visible on some of the rocks. Both parks have campgrounds. Alabama State Parks, alapark.com.

Montgomery

Located 160 miles southwest of Atlanta, Montgomery is rich in historic sights related to the civil rights movement, including the Rosa Parks Museum, the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the newly opened Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. Other attractions include Mooseum, a children’s educational center, and the Montgomery Biscuits, a Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. legacysites.eji.org, visitmontgomery.com.

Huntsville

Huntsville is the home of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the world’s largest space museum that includes 27 missiles and rockets. “We have activities for kids of all ages from STEM activities to meeting an astronaut every Thursday,” said Brent Boyd, communications manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “There’s a planetarium that is incredibly visual. We have a developing culinary scene and food trucks every Friday.” U.S. Space & Rocket Center. $30, 256-837-7223, rocketcenter.com, huntsville.org.

Decatur

Decatur, 200 miles northwest from Atlanta on the banks of Wheeler Lake, has a lot of great family activities including the GoFAR USA Park, a 70-acre outdoor adventure park; Point Mallard Water Park, home to the country’s first wave pool; Reeves Peach Farm; the Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum; and the Cook Museum of Natural Science featuring a 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium. visitdecatural.org.

Tennessee

Located within a 28 miles of one another, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville create a concentration of family fun in East Tennessee. According to Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, there are 90 attractions in the area.

Pigeon Forge

Dollywood is the star attraction in Pigeon Forge. It offers more than 50 rides plus high-energy entertainment and lots of food, shopping and craft options. New is the Dolly Parton Experience at Dollywood, an interactive museum that tells the superstar’s life story. Other Pigeon Forge attractions include the Titanic Museum; the Track Family Fun Park, featuring go-carts, blaster boats, an arcade and more; and Gravity Park, a zorbing park where thrillseekers get inside an inflatable ball and roll down a 1,000-foot hill at up to 45 revolutions per minute. Dollywood Parks & Resorts. $82 and up. 800-365-5996, dollywood.com; mypigeonforge.com.

Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg boasts all sorts of natural outdoor activities but also has such attractions as Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg Space Needle, Moonshine Mountain Coaster and Wild Bear Falls Water Park. gatlinburg.com.

Sevierville

Sevierville features attractions such as Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Supper Show, Forbidden Caverns, NASCAR SpeedPark and Alcatraz East, an interactive crime museum. visitsevierville.com.