Get Out This New Year's Weekend in and around South Cobb

The new year begins this weekend and there’s plenty to do in the Metro Atlanta area.

If you’re looking for an adult night out for this New Year’s Eve, but can’t find a sitter, check out Parents Night Out, a fun sleepover event in Marietta for children. Kids will have a chance to play games, watch movies, eat dinner and snacks, crafts and more while you enjoy some adult free time. The event is being hosted by Erin of the School Break at the Country Hearth Inn & Suites Banquet Room at 2767 Windy Hill Road in Marietta from 7 p.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $15 per child. Call 678-640-6312 to reserve a spot.

On Sunday, get a jumpstart on that New Year’s resolution to get healthier and to lose weight with the Community Fitness Initiative’s New Year’s Resolution Walk/Run. The Community Fitness Initiative (CFI) gives everyone a chance to get out and walk and run.  Participants represent every fitness level, so you will always have someone to walk or run with.  Meet in the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre parking lot near Barnes Drive at 10 a.m. on Jan. 1 and have fun with us!

Let your little ones ring in the new year with a huge children’s dance party at Noon Year’s Eve, hosted by Radio Disney 590 AM and the City of Smyrna. Don’t miss the ballon drop at noon, and get there early because the event is sure to bring crowds. Noon Year’s Eve is being held at the Smyrna Community Center at 200 Village Green Circle in Smyrna from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and is free. For more details, listen to Radio Disney 590 AM or go to www.radiodisney.com/atlanta and www.smyrnacity.com.

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights: Experience a magical world of dazzling lights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this weekend. Lose yourself in the almost 1 million lights and displays, like a star galaxy and choreographed color-changing topiary forms. The Garden Lights display is open through Jan. 7, but closed on New Year’s Eve. Tickets are $18.95 for adults, $12.95 for children 3-12. Dress warmly because the event is a walking, outdoor event. For more information, click here.

If you’re still searching for your own winter wonderland, look no further than the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. The museum is holding its second annual winter wonderland until Jan. 8. Visitors can visit the light display, the arts and crafts, the performances and games. Admission to the museum, including the Winter Wonderland display, is free for members. For non-members, adult admission is $17.50, $16.50 for students and senior; children’s admission is $15.50. For more info: click here. 

 Life University holds its Lights of Life event, which has been a Cobb tradition since 1989. The event is a drive-through treat for the whole family, complete with actual pony rides and train rides. This weekend is the final weekend for the event this season. Lights of Life is held on the campus of Life University in Marietta from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Cost is $5 per car and $10 per passenger van. Click here for more information.

Children are free at the High Museum on Saturday and on Monday, as a way to commemorate Matisse’s birthday, which is Dec. 31. Children who are 17 and under can only receive free admission with the admission of a paying adult.Kids 17 and under free with paying adult. After exploring the art of great artists, drop in screen-printing on paper workshop December 31 and January 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. The museum is closed on Jan. 1. Click here for information on this event.