How to Turn a 5 Minute Dr. Appointment Into a Mini-Vacation



 

Step 1: Have children pack a "small bag" with some things to do on drive to Atlanta. Tell them it will be a LONG day with a 3.5 hour drive there and a 3.5 hour drive back all in one day.  Then,  drive 3.5 hours to Atlanta to scheduled doctor appointment.  Once there, get a quick x-ray and spend less than 5 minutes with actual doctor. But get a good report. :)  Then, head "towards home".

 

 

Step 2: Stop at Golden Corral just outside of Atlanta.  Over a nutritious desert, inform children that you are not actually going home but are going to a hotel. When they say "but we don't have any clothes!", inform them that you packed a suitcase and loaded it into the car after they went to sleep the night before.   Tell them you are going to the exciting town of "Villa Rica". When they ask what there is to do in Villa Rica, tell them "They have an indoor heated pool!"

 

Step 3: After checking into hotel, enjoy an evening swim.

 

Step 4: Bring a craft kit with ceramic horses and paint. Let children paint in hotel room to keep them quiet. Um, I mean, to provide an enriching activity.

 



Step 5: After the continental breakfast the next morning (which in the kids' minds is totally worth the whole trip), head to a little obscure place you found on the internet that you believe will be educational and fun. And very cheap. Go to the Pine Mountain Gold Museum! 



 

 

Step 6: After the video about the gold rush in Villa Rica (actually quite interesting) and a quick walk through the museum, head outside and play in the sand where girls are *certain* they are finding gold.

Step 7: Walk around the property a bit.

 



 Step 8: Ride the train for an almost-personal tour around the property. The only other guests were a couple from Jemison, a town about 10 miles south of ours.

 

 Step 9:  Stick hands in freezing water to pan for gemstones.  For $5 get a whole box full of rocks.  I mean treasures.  And for free, listen to the sweet gentleman in the background give the history of the community of "Dark Corners", a little community that used to be around Villa Rica and how it was a lost town and this man has found it. 

 

Step 9: After a picnic lunch, walk over to the animal exhibit to check them out. And feed a few animals too.

 

 

Step 10: Drive home listening to the radio while children peacefully sleep all the way.