8 free things to do with kids in Atlanta, GA (updated October 2026)

Updated Oct 29, 2026

By Kids Eat Free Map

We found 8 free things to do with kids in Atlanta between now and Dec 10, 2026, led by the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, story time at the Ponce de Leon library and the High Museum of Art’s free UPS Second Sunday on Nov 8. Five are museums with free admission every day they are open, two are free museum days before mid-December, and one is a set of free story times at three Fulton County library branches, with days and times taken from the library’s own calendar. Each entry lists its source and the date we checked it.

If you only have time for one

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and The King Center: free and open daily except a few holidays, with free ranger-led presentations of Dr. King’s Birth Home.
Story time at the Ponce de Leon library: a free story time every weekday except library holidays, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to Friday and 4 p.m. on Mondays.
High Museum of Art on Sunday, Nov 8: free admission for everyone, plus drop-in art-making.
Atlanta Monetary Museum: free on weekdays, with a view into the Federal Reserve’s cash-processing area.
Carlos Museum Sunday FUNday: free admission and drop-in studio activities on Nov 1 and Dec 6.

Which Atlanta museums are always free?

Five places on our list charge no admission at any time: the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park (with The King Center next door), the Atlanta Monetary Museum, the Georgia Capitol Museum, Atlanta Contemporary and Fernbank Science Center, where the exhibits are free and planetarium shows cost extra. The Monetary Museum and the Capitol Museum are open on weekdays only.

1. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and The King Center

Area: Auburn Avenue and Boulevard NE; the park’s temporary visitor center is at Historic Fire Station No. 6, 39 Boulevard NE. Cost: free, including the Birth Home presentations; admission and parking at The King Center are free too. Hours: the park is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving Day, Dec 25 and Jan 1; The King Center is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closes on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Park rangers lead free presentations of Dr. King’s Birth Home (501 Auburn Avenue) every day. They are first come, first served, you sign up in person on the day of your visit, each presentation is limited to 15 people, and the park says they fill quickly, so arrive early; the park’s home page points to Birth Home tour registration at Fire Station No. 6. Daily Church Talks are held at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. The park’s main visitor center building is being renovated, which is why the visitor center is temporarily at Fire Station No. 6. At The King Center you can see the crypt of Dr. and Mrs. King, the Eternal Flame and the Reflecting Pool on your own, and Freedom Hall holds its exhibits. Restrooms: the park lists Freedom Hall and Fire Station No. 6 (its list also names the visitor center, which is being renovated). Parking: the park lists free parking on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue between Jackson Street and Boulevard, and The King Center’s free visitor lot is on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue.

Sources: Plan Your Visit, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (NPS), Things To Know Before You Come (NPS), Fees & Passes (NPS), park home page (NPS) and Visit, The King Center, checked Oct 29, 2026.

2. Atlanta Monetary Museum (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta)

Area: 1000 Peachtree Street NE. Cost: free. Hours: self-guided visits Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed on all federal holidays.

The museum traces money from barter to today, with rare coins and currency, interactive exhibits on what the Federal Reserve does, and a view into the bank’s automated vault and cash-processing areas, where money is counted, sorted or shredded, plus a glimpse of robotic transports. Groups of fewer than 10 don’t need to schedule. Visitors walk through a metal detector when they enter the building. There is no museum parking on Atlanta Fed property; the bank encourages public transit, and the Midtown MARTA station is across 10th Street.

Source: Atlanta Monetary Museum, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, checked Oct 29, 2026.

3. Georgia Capitol Museum

Area: on the fourth floor of the Georgia State Capitol (206 State Capitol). Cost: free, and so are all Capitol tours. Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the building is closed on weekends and Georgia state holidays.

The museum collects and shows artifacts from the Capitol’s history, including historic flags and works of art. A self-guided visit needs no reservation (groups of 25 or more should call the tour desk at 404-463-4536 first), and free walk-in guided tours of the Capitol run on most weekdays at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. from September through May. Parking: the #1 lot at 130 Capitol Avenue is open to the public from May through December for a fee, and there is metered street parking.

Sources: Georgia Capitol Museum, UGA Libraries and Tours, UGA Libraries, checked Oct 29, 2026.

4. Atlanta Contemporary

Area: 535 Means Street NW. Cost: always free; the center asks visitors to register before they come or at the door. Hours: Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Monday through Wednesday.

This contemporary art center has intimate gallery spaces, project spaces and a shop with local art and prints. Two shows on view now run past this guide’s window: Miatta Kawinzi: An Alphabet of Unfolding (through Dec 20, 2026) and Gabi Madrid: The Bed Series (through Jan 17, 2027). The center says most people spend 30 to 45 minutes in the galleries, which makes it an easy short stop. Parking is free in the Carriage Works lot at Bankhead and Means streets.

Sources: Visit, Atlanta Contemporary and Exhibitions, Atlanta Contemporary, checked Oct 29, 2026.

5. Fernbank Science Center

Area: 156 Heaton Park Drive, Atlanta. Cost: general admission is free, according to its website; planetarium shows are $10 for adults (19 to 61) and $5 for students (3 to 18) and seniors (62 and up). Hours: not listed for this season; the home page says the center is open to the public Monday through Saturday, but its hours page still shows a 2022 school-year schedule.

The science center is part of the DeKalb County School District. Its free exhibits include the real Apollo 6 Command Module, on loan from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and a live animal exhibit with poison dart frogs, snakes, turtles and spiders. The home page also advertises free public observations on Thursday and Friday nights, without times. Because the posted schedule is out of date, check with the center before you go.

Sources: Fernbank Science Center home page, Fernbank Science Center visitor page, Jim Cherry Memorial Planetarium at Fernbank Science Center and Fernbank Science Center hours page, checked Oct 29, 2026.

Which Atlanta museums have free days before mid-December?

Two: the High Museum of Art is free for everyone on Sunday, Nov 8, 2026, and Emory’s Michael C. Carlos Museum is free on its Sunday FUNdays, Nov 1 and Dec 6. On every day they are open, both let kids 5 and under in free.

6. High Museum of Art: UPS Second Sunday

Area: 1280 Peachtree Street NE. Cost: free for all visitors on Sunday, Nov 8, 2026; on other days kids 5 and under are free and admission is $23.50 for ages 6 and up. Hours: Nov 8, noon to 5 p.m.; the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.

On the second Sunday of each month the High waives admission and adds family programming. On Nov 8 that means drop-in art-making from noon to 4:30 p.m. in the Anne Cox Chambers Wing lobby, while supplies last, and a local DJ in the Robinson Atrium from 1 to 4 p.m. The exhibitions listed for the day include Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders (I SPY), but the High says access to special exhibitions is not guaranteed on these busy Sundays and the Greene Family Learning Gallery is closed. The event page has a Register button under General Admission. Parking is $25, and members’ free parking does not apply that day; the Arts Center MARTA station is across the street. Strollers are allowed in the permanent collection galleries, but wagons and large jogging strollers are not.

Sources: UPS Second Sunday (Nov 8, 2026), High Museum of Art, UPS Second Sundays, High Museum of Art and FAQ, High Museum of Art, checked Oct 29, 2026.

7. Michael C. Carlos Museum: Sunday FUNday

Area: Emory University, 571 South Kilgo Circle. Cost: free admission on Sunday FUNdays; on other days $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and kids 6 to 17, and free for kids 5 and under. Hours: Sunday FUNdays run noon to 4 p.m.; the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and university holidays.

On the first Sunday of each month during the academic year, Emory’s museum offers free admission and drop-in studio activities for families, with no registration. The next two are Nov 1, 2026 (Dia de los Muertos) and Dec 6, 2026 (Bes Jars).

Sources: Children’s and Family Programs, Michael C. Carlos Museum and Hours and Admission, Carlos Museum, checked Oct 29, 2026.

When are free library story times in Atlanta?

Most weekday mornings. The Ponce de Leon library has a story time every weekday except library holidays, Central Library on most Tuesdays and some Wednesdays, and the Buckhead library on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Ponce de Leon and Central both have a Tuesday-morning story time; if you go on a Tuesday, see where kids eat free on Tuesdays in Atlanta.

8. Fulton County Library System story times: Ponce de Leon, Central and Buckhead

Area: Joan P. Garner Library at Ponce de Leon (980 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE), Central Library (One Margaret Mitchell Square) and Buckhead Library (269 Buckhead Avenue NE). Cost: free; the system’s program policy says no admission fees are charged for library programs and no library card is needed to attend. Hours: all three branches are open Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sundays. The system’s 2026 holiday schedule lists Veterans Day (Nov 11) and Thanksgiving (Nov 26 and 27), and no story times are on the calendars those days.

Story times on each branch’s event calendar between Oct 29 and Dec 10, 2026:

Ponce de Leon: Mondays 4 to 4:30 p.m., Afternoon Storytime for all ages; Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m., Toddler Storytime; Wednesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m., Family Storytime for ages 0 to 5 with a caregiver (on Nov 18 the session is titled Storytime with Ms. Gwen the Firefly); Thursdays 10:30 to 11 a.m., Baby Storytime, aimed at ages 0 to 1; Fridays 10:30 to 11 a.m., Friday Fun Storytime; and Saturday Storytime for ages 0 to 5 on Nov 7 and Nov 21 at 10:30 a.m.
Central Library: Mommy, Daddy, and Me Storytime for ages 0 to 3, Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m. (Nov 3, 10 and 17, Dec 1 and 8) in the fourth-floor Storytime Corner; Toddler Rhymes and Storytimes for ages 3 to 5, 10:30 to 11 a.m. on Wednesdays Nov 4 and 18 and Dec 2 and 9.
Buckhead: It’s Storytime for ages 2 to 5 with a caregiver, Thursdays 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., with a kids’ craft starting at 11; Baby Storytime, Wednesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m. (Nov 4, 18 and 25, Dec 2 and 9).

The calendar entries we opened list no sign-up. Central Library has no free parking and does not validate parking.

Sources: Program Policy, Fulton County Library System, 2026 Holiday Schedule, branch pages for Ponce de Leon, Central Library and Buckhead, and the event calendars for Ponce de Leon, Central and Buckhead, plus the Toddler Rhymes and Storytimes event page (Central Library parking), checked Oct 29, 2026.

What can we do for free with kids on a weekend?

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and The King Center are open on Saturdays and Sundays, and Atlanta Contemporary is open Thursday through Sunday. The High Museum is free on Sunday, Nov 8, and the Carlos Museum on Sundays Nov 1 and Dec 6. For little ones, the Ponce de Leon library has Saturday Storytime on Nov 7 and Nov 21. Fernbank Science Center’s home page says it is open to the public Monday through Saturday. Details and sources are in each entry above.

At a glance

Place	Area	Cost	When	Good for
MLK National Historical Park and The King Center	Auburn Avenue	Free	Daily (park 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)	History, all ages; Birth Home presentations
Atlanta Monetary Museum	Peachtree St NE	Free	Mon to Fri, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.	Kids curious about money
Georgia Capitol Museum	State Capitol	Free	Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.	School-age kids; free walk-in Capitol tours
Atlanta Contemporary	Means Street NW	Free	Thu to Sun	A short art stop
Fernbank Science Center	Heaton Park Drive	Free exhibits; planetarium $5 to $10	Mon to Sat per its home page	Space and live animals
High Museum: UPS Second Sunday	Peachtree St NE	Free on Nov 8	Sun, Nov 8, noon to 5 p.m.	Drop-in art-making
Carlos Museum: Sunday FUNday	Emory University	Free on Nov 1 and Dec 6	Noon to 4 p.m.	Drop-in studio activities
Ponce de Leon, Central and Buckhead story times	Atlanta	Free	Weekdays, plus Sat Nov 7 and 21 at Ponce	Babies to age 5

How we picked

What qualified: places and programs that cost nothing for a whole family at the times listed, with no paid ticket, membership or residency needed, in Atlanta. Each one runs on a regular schedule or is dated between Oct 29 and Dec 10, 2026. Our five top picks are the ones that are free most often or give kids the most to do on a free visit.
What we checked: each place’s own pages (the National Park Service, the museums, the library branch pages and event calendars, and the Fulton County Library System’s program policy) on Oct 29, 2026. Story-time days and times come from each library’s event calendar, which can change, so look at the calendar the week you go.
About cost: Fulton County’s program policy says library programs carry no admission fee and need no library card.
What we left out: places where only kids get in free and adults pay, such as the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum (free for youth 16 and under); the Atlanta History Center’s Veterans Day program on Nov 11, 2026, which it lists as free to attend but without times or registration details yet (both pages checked Oct 29, 2026); and parks and playgrounds, which are in our outdoor guide. Fernbank Science Center stayed on the list, but its posted hours are out of date.
This guide was researched and drafted with AI tools, and every fact was checked against its linked source on Oct 29, 2026.

Make it a free night out: Kids Eat Free Map lists 54 restaurants within 25 miles of downtown Atlanta with a kids-eat-free or cheap kids meal night, 20 of them confirmed on the restaurant’s own website. Tuesday has the most, 26, then Monday with 23 (checked Oct 29, 2026).

More: Where kids eat free in Atlanta · Kid-friendly restaurants in Atlanta · Outdoor places to take kids in Atlanta

Sources

Where kids eat free in Atlanta