November Family Activities in Atlanta

A Note from Marchet: Melinda's back with some great suggestions for fun things with your family this November.

The weather may be getting cooler, but there are still lots of fun activities to do with your kids.

Roswell Mill is one of my favorite places to go for a fall hike. Wait for one of the days where the weather is warm and head out for a great family outing. Roswell Mill isn't too difficult for kids and the fall leaves and waterfall are absolutely stunning! Don't forget your camera and take a few pictures at the covered bridge or near the waterfall.

Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center is a little known gem we found one day when we had company visiting and the weather was too rainy for our planned activities. They have a couple of very fun permanent exhibits and a few changing exhibits. There is a great movie on water conservation and so much interesting information just in how the building itself was built. If you happen to go on a day with good weather, there are many walking trails (perfect for strollers) and a ropes course that you can go on as well!

The Cooler Ice Rink is great for days when you are ready to embrace the cold.  Nothing will make it feel more like winter than taking your kids ice skating.  There are free skate times most days and $11-$12 includes both your skate rental and the open skate.  Bring gloves and a coat!  We always love to head home and have dinner of hot chocolate and grilled cheese sandwiches or soup to warm up!

Atlanta Gas Shortage

Alpharetta, GA. The photojournalist in me couldn't help but take some photos while getting gas (finally) at the BP station in Alpharetta this morning. Yikes! $4.25 a gallon! According to a report I heard on the radio this morning, Atlanta is looking at the highest gas prices in the nation except for Hawaii and Alaska.

I got up this morning with my baby boy and drove around for an hour on what little gas I had left in my tank. All the gas stations from Old Milton Parkway to the Alpharetta Highway all the way down to Mansell Road in Roswell were dry. Even the stations with markees advertising gas were empty except in rare instances where diesel was available. It was a depressing sight: sacks covering gas pump nozzles, duct tape over the unleaded and premium selection buttons, "Sorry, out of gas" signs. So, we finally headed home, determined not to waste any more gas on what seemed to be a fruitless search.

At home, I checked the Atlanta Gas Prices.com website one more time. (There were no listings for gas in my area before I left this morning). Success! There was gas at Costco (sigh, no membership there) but also BP on Winward Parkway. The listing said there was gas at 8:30 a.m. when the post was made. I checked the clock. 8:54. I wasn't going to take a chance that we would miss out. I grabbed my boy and headed up to the station.

Once we got gas, I headed to Wal-mart and stocked up on essentials for a couple weeks: milk, canned food, cereal, diapers, etc. I told the checker that my plan was not to have to go to the store for 2 weeks; I didn't want to use the gas. "Yeah, and there's no gas anyway," the lady behind me chimed in. "I had to call three stations before I found one with gas this morning." (Why didn't I think of that?)

Yesterday, when I knew gas was going to be a problem for us, I did some online research to find websites that might have information about where to get gas. The best two I found were Atlanta Gas Prices.com and MSN Autos Gas Prices. Each lets you type in your zip code and it lists the price and location of each gas station. Incidentally, they also have the phone numbers of each of the gas stations. (I think I'll try that next time.)

Why can't we get gas? Hurricanes Gustav and Ike shut down several refineries, and gas availability is limited. This has been compounded by the fact that Atlanta requires a cleaner mix of fuel. For now, that requirement has been waived. (See this article from the AJC.) Meanwhile, suppliers are trying to get gas from other areas of the country. It may take two weeks or more for the gas shortages to stop.

So, to all of you Atlanta drivers, hang in there. We're just going to have to wait this one out. Me? I'm staying home. No nonessential trips. I guess those library books will have to wait, and we'll go to the local swing set instead of going to the nicer park 10 miles away. At least my camera doesn't run on gas.