Free Things To Do In Atlanta With Teenagers

Let's face it, it can be hard (and downright impossible) to please everybody on a family vacation, especially if you're traveling with teens. But you won't be out of ideas the next time you're on your way to Atlanta. Here are a number of absolutely free activities you can offer to even the most hard-to-impress teenagers. And come on, who doesn't like movies, shopping or laser light spectaculars?

Screen on the Green: Every summer, Piedmont Park, in conjunction with Peachtree TV and the City of Atlanta, presents a free outdoor movie series spanning over a five week stretch. Movie-goers are welcome to bring food and drinks, as well as blankets and chairs. Films begin at sunset in The Meadow, near Monroe Drive and 10th Street. Past featured films appropriate for teens and adults have included National Treasure, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Postponed, Dreamgirls and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. This year's schedule is to be announced.

Underground Atlanta: Teens love the mall, and there's no shopping experience quite like the one you'll get at Underground Atlanta. Featuring daily entertainment, fortune telling, homemade candy and more, Underground Atlanta takes advantage of the viaducts built over Atlanta's railroads, and stretches over six blocks of the city. There's no admission cost, but special events including tours and musical performances have separate pricing.

Water activities: If you're visiting Atlanta with your teenagers during the summer months, there's no doubt you'll be on the hunt for multiple ways to beat the heat. While many families opt to splurge at the area's water parks, like Lake Lanier and White Water, there are several public pools offering free admission. Check out Piedmont Park Pool, Chastain Park Pool, Garden Hills Pool and Grant Park Pool.

Stone Mountain Laser Show: Once you pay the park admission fee ($10 per car), special events at Stone Mountain Park, like the night time Lasershow Spectacular, come at no extra cost! Recently re-mastered, the laser show is a dazzling display of neon laser lights featuring characters, stories, graphics and fireworks choreographed to popular musical scores. The show is approximately 40 minutes long and runs on select dates from April-October.

First Thursdays: Teens interested in local arts and culture will certainly enjoy the First Thursday Art Walks held at various venues in Downtown Atlanta. Occurring the first Thursday of each month, the event offers free exhibit viewings from 5-8 p.m. Participants include the Museum of Design Atlanta, Paige Harvey and Georgia State University.

Geocaching: Take the family on a geocaching adventure in Atlanta! Geocaching is a worldwide scavenger hunt for small boxes called caches, hidden all around us in public places. Originally designed to be found with a GPS, you can sometimes hunt using familiar landmarks and clues from geocaching.com. There are more than 1,500 caches waiting to be discovered in Atlanta. If your teens are old enough to drive, this could be a great way to let them navigate a new city.