Decorations are down, visiting relatives have returned home and we're four days into the new year - with four more days left until classes start again in Hamilton and Catoosa counties.
Avoid the "I'm bored" whines by planning a family outing for one last hurrah before school starts back. The destination might even be educational - but the kids don't have to know that; they'll just think it's fun. Book one of the last cruises aboard the River Gorge Explorer to see sandhill crane migration, learn to skate at Ice on the Landing, investigate "Kitchen Chemistry" at the Creative Discovery Museum or turn the kids loose on some Lego bricks at a public library branch near you.
Here are some options to close out Christmas break that are happening Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 4-7.
LEARN TO SKATE
» What: Ice on the Landing
» Where: Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St.
» When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday
» Admission: $10 adults, $8 ages 12 and younger; includes skate rental and two hours rink time
» For more information: www.iceonthelanding.com
Visitors to Ice on the Landing on Friday and Saturday might just run into the Crash Dummies from Warren & Griffin. Family Night hours are Thursday between 5 and 9 p.m.
LAST LOOK AT THE LIGHTS
» What: Enchanted Garden of Lights
» Where: Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain
» When: 6-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
» Admission: $19.95 adults, $11.95 children Thursday; $22.95 adults, $12.95 children Friday and Saturday
» For more information: 706-820-6531
If you've procrastinated about visiting this light extravaganza, you have just three days left before it ends Saturday.
Tonight is the best deal, when an adult ticket is $3 less, and a child's ticket $1 less, than they will be Friday and Saturday. But no matter when you visit, it's money for a good cause. Proceeds from this holiday wonderland benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga.
Combo tickets with Ruby Falls and the Incline are also available to make a full day's adventure.
BOOKS, BRICKS AND MORE
» What: Chattanooga Public Library youth activities
» Where: 1001 Broad St., downtown branch; 5705 Marlin Road, Eastgate; 278 Northgate Mall Drive, Northgate
» Admission: Free
» For more information: chattilibrary.org
Parents watching their pennies after Christmas will want to check out the library's free activities for elementary children, tweens and teens at local library branches.
Thursday
» 10:30 a.m. Music and Movement, Eastgate
» 4 p.m. Sew What for tweens and teens, downtown
» 4 p.m. Kids Quest, Northgate
Friday
» 11 a.m. Duplo free play, downtown
» 4 p.m. Kids Lego Club, Northgate
» 4 p.m. Sew What for teens, Eastgate
» 5 p.m. Session Recording for teens, The Studio in downtown branch
Saturday
» 10 a.m. Spanish playtime, downtown
» 10 a.m. Sew What for teens, Northgate
» 11 a.m. Acoustic guitar for teen songwriters, The Studio in downtown branch
» 2 p.m. Kids Lego Club, Northgate
» 2 p.m. Session Recording for teens, The Studio in downtown branch
» 2:30 p.m. "Despicable Me 3," movie for kids to teens, Eastgate branch
Brothers test their skill on the climbing wall at the Creative Discovery Museum, where "Run! Jump! Fly! Adventures in Action" exhibit continues through Jan. 13.ADVENTURES IN ACTION
» What: "Run! Jump! Fly! Adventures in Action" exhibit
» Where: Creative Discovery Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
» When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday
» Admission: $13.95
» For more information: 423-756-2738
This week and next are the last days of the children's museum's current exhibit, "Run! Jump! Fly!" And kids literally do just that. Activities encourage little ones to try kung fu, surfing, snowboarding, yoga and climbing.
Then there are daily activities going on as well. And all these options are included in regular museum admission.
Thursday-Sunday
» 3 p.m. Cool Wonders Science Show. What happens to everyday objects when they become super-cooled by liquid nitrogen?
Thursday
» 2 p.m. Kitchen Chemistry: Drink It Caliente! Children may have tasted many of the hot drinks in this lesson, but they haven't made them and probably don't understood the science behind them. They will experiment with different temperatures, use herbs and spices to make hot chai, and froth milk to add to homemade hot chocolate.
» 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sensory Night for children with sensory sensitivity and their parents. Reservations required, limited to 100.
Friday and Sunday
» 2 p.m. Kitchen Lesson: Potato, Leek and Bok Choy Soup. Learn how to make this savory soup the whole family will love.
Saturday
» 2 p.m. Heart of the Home Cooking Series. This series on the first Saturday of every month focuses on cultural cooking tradition. Chefs from diverse ethnic communities will prepare a dish specific to their culture and talk about their heritage.
The Tennessee Aquarium's Sandhill Crane Cruises are the last chance to take a ride on the River Gorge Explorer. The cruises are scheduled Jan. 5-7 and 12-15.BOAT TO THE BIRDS
» What: Sandhill Crane Cruises
» Where: Depart from Sale Creek Marina, 3900 Lee Pike, Soddy-Daisy
» When: 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. Jan. 5-7 and Jan. 12-15
» Admission: $35 Aquarium members, $45 nonmembers
» For more information: www.tnaqua.org
How many chances do you have to see several thousand sandhill cranes lift off from marshes with a rushing "whoosh" sort of roar? It's a spectacle that should be on your bucket list - and getting there only involves a fun boat ride on the Tennessee Aquarium's River Gorge Explorer catamaran.
Don't put it off until next January. The River Gorge wraps up operation after these two last cruise weekends.
WINGED WONDERS
» What: "Conquest of the Skies 3D"
» Where: Tennessee Aquarium Imax 3D Theater, 201 Chestnut St.
» When: Noon, 2 and 4 p.m. daily, with additional 6 p.m. screenings Fridays and Saturdays
» Admission: $11.95 adults, $9.95 children ages 3-12
» For more information: tnaqua.org
It's impossible to really see the lightning speed of a hummingbird's wings with the naked eye, but it's quite visible in the new Imax movie, "Conquest of the Skies 3D." That's because its flight is shown in slow-mo on a six-story screen - making it obvious how they move through the air with such agility.
"Conquest" explores flight in a variety of winged creatures from beetles to birds. The film's excellent camerawork will give audiences a new perspective on nature's fliers.
- Compiled by staff writer Susan Pierce
Dragonflies can move their four wings independently, giving them phenomenal flying skills. Moviegoers can see this in detail on the six-story Imax screen where the new movie "Conquest of the Skies 3D" shows a variety of winged creatures.