Kids' activities in Lawrenceville: playgrounds, story times, pools

Things to do with kids in Lawrenceville: playgrounds, free library story times by age, indoor pools, family shows at the arts center and rainy-day ideas.

Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. Hours and ages come from the City of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation, the Gwinnett County Public Library and the venues themselves, linked. Library program times change each season; check the calendar before you go.

Lawrenceville families have a downtown playground on the Lawrenceville Lawn, big county parks nearby, two indoor pools, free library story times nearly every weekday and morning family shows at the Lawrenceville Arts Center.

Who to call

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation: 770-822-8840

Rhodes Jordan Park Community Recreation Center: 678-277-0890

Aurora Theatre and arts center box office: 678-226-6222

Playgrounds

Lawrenceville Lawn, 210 Luckie St.: the city park’s playground was upgraded with new turf, a shade structure over the large jungle gym, a new slide, sensory panels, “cozy cocoons,” musical equipment and a play cube, with ADA accommodations. Open dawn to dusk; children under 16 must be supervised by an adult (city page).
Rhodes Jordan Park, 100 E. Crogan St.: playgrounds, a fishing lake and a 1.9-mile paved trail.
Freeman’s Mill Park, 1401 Alcovy Road: a playground beside a restored 19th-century gristmill.
Alexander Park, 800 Old Snellville Highway and 955 Scenic Highway: playgrounds at both entrances, plus disc golf.
Tribble Mill Park, 2125 Tribble Mill Parkway: a playground, a fishing lake and a 3.4-mile paved trail.
Little Mulberry Park, with entrances in Dacula and Auburn: playgrounds at the Fence Road and disc golf entrances, a lake and an overlook at one of the highest points in Gwinnett.

County park details are on Gwinnett County’s parks pages. County playgrounds are tobacco-free, children must be with an adult, and pets are not allowed on them (park rules).

Free library story times

From the Gwinnett County Public Library’s events calendar for fall 2026. All free.

Branch	Program	Day and time	Ages
Lawrenceville Hooper-Renwick, 56 Neal Blvd.	Preschool Storytime	Mondays, 11:30 a.m.	3 to 5
Hooper-Renwick	Toddler Time	Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.	2 and under
Hooper-Renwick	Baby & Me	Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.	Birth to 1
Hooper-Renwick	Kids Reading Club	Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m.	Upper elementary and middle school
Collins Hill, 455 Camp Perrin Road	Toddler Time	Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.	5 and under
Collins Hill	Preschool Storytime	Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.	5 and under
Collins Hill	Weekend Storytime	Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.	5 and under
Five Forks, 2780 Five Forks Trickum Road	Toddler Time	Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.	5 and under
Five Forks	Preschool Storytime	Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.	5 and under

Hooper-Renwick also holds evening Pajama Storytimes (6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and Dec. 15, 2026) and a Lego Challenge (3 p.m. Oct. 29). Branches are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday (library hours).

Pools

Bethesda Park Aquatic Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road: an indoor leisure play pool, open weekday afternoons and weekends, and noon to 6 p.m. on Gwinnett school holidays. It is closed for renovations Oct. 5 to Nov. 15, 2026 (pool page).
Collins Hill Park Aquatic Center, 2200 Collins Hill Road: an indoor pool year-round and, in summer, an outdoor leisure pool with a lazy river, two giant slides and water play (pool page).
Rhodes Jordan Park Pool, 100 E. Crogan St., summer only: zero-depth entry, a giant waterslide and a lazy river.

Family shows downtown

The Lawrenceville Arts Center, 125 N. Clayton St., runs hour-long morning family shows, mostly at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and summer Wednesdays: The Halloween Magic Show Oct. 31, The Holiday Science Show Dec. 5, The Holiday Magic Extravaganza Dec. 12 (10 a.m.), The Holiday Juggling Show Dec. 19, a Lunar New Year Celebration Feb. 6, 2027, and more on the arts center calendar. Aurora Theatre’s Frozen runs June 24 to July 18, 2027 (Season 31).

Rainy-day ideas

Gwinnett History Museum, Lawrenceville Female Seminary, 455 S. Perry St.: county history exhibits, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday (county page).
Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, 185 W. Crogan St.: self-guided tours of the 1885 courthouse (county page).
Rhodes Jordan Park Community Recreation Center: a double gym with open gym hours that vary; call 678-277-0890.
Galactic Quest, 116 E. Crogan St.: a comic shop with new comics every Saturday.

Camps

Gwinnett County runs week-long day camps for ages 5 to 13 during summer, spring break and winter break, with Rhodes Jordan Park among the sites (camps page). See our spring break and summer camps and pools pages.

Frequently asked questions

Where are free story times in Lawrenceville? The Gwinnett County Public Library runs free story times at the Lawrenceville Hooper-Renwick, Collins Hill and Five Forks branches, split by age: Baby & Me, Toddler Time and Preschool Storytime. Times are on the library’s events calendar.

Is there an indoor pool for kids in Lawrenceville? Yes. Bethesda Park Aquatic Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, has an indoor leisure play pool, and Collins Hill Park Aquatic Center, 2200 Collins Hill Road, has an indoor pool open year-round.

Where is a good playground in downtown Lawrenceville? The Lawrenceville Lawn, the city park at 210 Luckie St., has a playground with turf, shade sails, sensory panels and musical equipment. Children under 16 must be with an adult.

What can kids do in Lawrenceville on a rainy day? Try a library story time, an indoor pool at Bethesda or Collins Hill, a morning family show at the Lawrenceville Arts Center, or the Gwinnett History Museum at the Lawrenceville Female Seminary.

What this means for you

Story times are free; check each calendar listing for any sign-up.
Bethesda’s indoor pool reopens after Nov. 15, 2026.
Pair a morning show at the arts center with lunch downtown and the Lawn playground.