We just got back from a long weekend in Atlanta with David, Jamie, my mom, and my sister Molly. Four adults, one toddler, two strollers. It was so fun and I'm already glad we did it, but I will say: traveling with a toddler exposes every single crack in a hotel's operation. When it's just you and a carry-on, all hotels are basically the same. When you need the valet, the pack and play, the luggage cart, and someone to actually answer the phone? You find out real fast what kind of hotel you're at.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency downtown, upgraded to a suite with Chase points (the right call), and splurged on valet at $60/day thinking it would save us time. It did not. Their "valet" requires you to take two escalators down to a motor lobby 😒, check in with a cashier, wait for them to call your car, and then drive it out of the garage yourself. After day one we switched to self-park.
The highlights: Jamie became the (reluctant) pied piper of Piedmont Park with his bubble gun. We took Molly and Jamie to Waffle House for their first time and the staff brought them paper hats. The Georgia Aquarium fully lives up to the hype. And Jamie was terrified of every animal at the zoo except the petting zoo goats, which he chased around like old friends. More Atlanta recs throughout this issue.
But first, here's what's happening in Charlotte this week.
🌱 What We’re Doing
Charlotte stuff to get on your calendar this week
Saturday is basically Easter Egg Hunt Day in Charlotte. I counted at least eight happening across the city, so you have options. The two I'd actually prioritize: Camp North End is hiding 5,000+ eggs across their entire campus, which sounds chaotic in the best way. And Resident Culture in Plaza Midwood is doing kids' hunts plus a 21+ adult round, which means both you and your toddler get to scramble for eggs (yours just come with beer).
Also, Charlotte SHOUT! kicks off Friday and runs through April 19th. Seventeen days of free stuff all over Uptown. The Kids' Market on Saturday at First Ward Park is the Sprout-relevant highlight: a market run entirely by kids selling their own products. Support our local kids and check it out!
✨ A few standouts:
Breakfast with the Birds at Carolina Raptor Center, Saturday 8:30 AM. Early access + breakfast + a live bird program. This one fills up.
Easter Bunny Express at the NC Transportation Museum, Friday. It's a full outing, not just a photo op. Read the event page first.
Front Porch Saturday market with 120+ small businesses and a free kid zone if you want a Saturday that isn't Easter-themed.
Toddler egg stuffer ideas that aren't candy, since a 2-year-old doesn't need a Snickers at 9 AM:
Cut-out photos of family members' faces (Jamie will lose it over this)
Cheerios, yogurt bites, or crackers
Mini animal figurines
Stickers
Hair clips or fun socks
Temporary tattoos
Play coins or plastic gems
Mini crayons
Small rubber ducks or bath toys
Puffs or teething crackers
🧇 Where We Ate in ATL
And what to order
We ate our way through Atlanta in three and a half days, and some of these meals are still living in my head. The poke bowl from Bull Gogi that I tried to DoorDash to my hotel room the next day. The mushroom croquettes at Boqueria that my mom has not stopped talking about. The tiny Asian convenience store that makes breakfast sandwiches with no business being that good.
I wrote up every single restaurant, what we ordered, what Jamie ate, and a few spots we didn't make it to but are bookmarking for next time.
Honest reviews from a family that did it all in 4 days
The Georgia Aquarium is the biggest in the country and it earned it. The Children's Museum kept Jamie busy for two solid hours. And at Zoo Atlanta, he was terrified of every animal - except the petting zoo goats.
I've got the full breakdown of every activity we did, what's worth booking early, what stroller fits through the door (seriously, they measure), and a few things we're saving for next time.
The hotel, the valet, the strollers, and our full itinerary
The suite was the best decision. The valet was the worst. Two strollers sounds like overkill until you're standing in front of the aquarium and they're measuring your wheels. And the single most important thing we did was plan every day around the nap schedule, which is unsexy but the reason the trip actually worked.
I put together all of our logistics, the honest hotel review, and everything I'd tell a Charlotte family planning the same trip.
Here's to hotel valets that are actually valets, toddlers who make friends with bubble guns, and the kind of week where your biggest decision is which of Charlotte's eight egg hunts to hit first.
See you next week!
💚 Emily
Founder, The Charlotte Sprout
P.S. Jamie's bubble gun was the MVP of the trip. My mom got it for $5 at Walmart, but we forgot batteries and had to buy them for $10 at the hotel gift shop. So it was really a $15 bubble gun. Rookie move. Pack your own AAs.
Help The Sprout grow. If one idea made your week easier, please forward this email or tag @thecharlottesprout so more Charlotte parents can find us. 🌱
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