Northpoint Mall - Alpharetta, GA

A recent family-friendly find to beat the summer heat in Hotlanta!

Being a child of the 80s, I will be the first to admit that malls don’t really have the appeal that they held in my youth. Way back when, all I wanted was to go to the mall to see stars like Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. Today, I’m scrambling for tickets to take my girls to see Peppa Pig or taking them to Build-A-Bear for the birthday bear! (How times gave changed!) honestly, I don’t think about the mall as a potential outing much because aside from a Cinnabon or a trip to Claire’s, the mall usually doesn’t hold much entertainment for a family outing.

However, earlier this year I wrote about a trip to the Mall of GA, where the girls had fun at Billy Beez and riding the carousel there (followed by Cinnabon, of course). We have now stumbled upon Northpoint Mall in Alpharetta. It is not as busy as Buford, but it holds a lot of options for potential family fun inside its walls!

I’ll start with the FREE stuff. On the bottom floor - just outside Von Maur, is a train structure that the kids can play on, pretending to drive, hail, or ride in the bus.

Then, there is a FREE city-themed toddler play area. Here, the kids can run, climb, and crawl around roads, bridges, emergency vehicles, and animals!

Also downstairs (but NOT free) is the Peachtree Express train. It runs Wed-Sun and costs $5 per rider. It chugs its way past the shops encouraging onlookers to wave!

Upstairs in the food court, there are adorable toddler tables and chairs!

And a carousel! It runs EVERYDAY! Tickets are $3 or $20 for 10 (a great deal for 2 kids - stamp your punchcard and come back later)! Adults ride for FREE!

Another favorite with my girls was Cosmic Mini Golf and Play. This place has a sand pit with a climbing structure , slides, swings, and trampolines! $14 per hour and glow-in-the-dark mini golf for $8.73 for 5yr and under and $11.56 for adults!

There is Spallywood Kids spa where kids can get mani-pedis, facials, makeovers, have birthday parties with dress up and catwalks, karaoke, cotton candy, and cupcakes! They also have Mommy & Me appointments. I will have to try that another time and report back!