Theme & Amusement Parks in Alpharetta

In 1976, busy California mother Joan Barnes wanted nothing more than to find a play place where she and her kids could enjoy age-appropriate, educational activities. Finding none, she developed her own innovative play environment within a developmental-based program structure now known as Gymboree Play & Music. Today, kids tumble and learn in locations around the world, engaging in open play and classes designed to build cognitive and motor skills. As parents participate in their child’s development, their child learns to paint, play music, and interact socially outside of preschool knitting circles.

A motley collection of secure and sanitized play structures dominates each Catch Air location's indoor play arena to sate the lively imaginations of children as well as the safety concerns of their parents. Each of the four locations opens its doors seven days a week to unique lineups of attractions, including three-tiered castles covered in colorful nets and padding, with space shuttles attached to appease every child's love of anachronism. Tykes 12 and younger can wade through ball pits or take to an interactive, light-up dance floor to practice moves before they reach the age when practicing becomes embarrassing. The staff maintain a watchful eye at all times and clean every play structure daily before opening. Staffers also host parties to celebrate birthdays or the end of second-grade finals week.

In KangaZoom's 10,500-square-foot indoor facility, youngsters between the ages of 2 and 12 leap atop nine inflatable jumpers, hurtle down massive slides, and meander through challenging obstacle courses. Between rounds of energetic play, tykes can work on their keyboard skills in the computer corner, compete with peers in arcade games, or reboot their systems with snacks. Elsewhere, a toddler exploration area engages tots with age-appropriate toys, and five party rooms host private celebrations for birthday boys and girls. Adults can relax in the parents' lounge while their kids play, join them on the dance floor, or challenge them to unknot the French horn provided in music class.

As drivers execute hairpin turns and speed along the straightaways, the sleek black-and-blue chrome bodies of superkarts screech across the winding, indoor track at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games. The featured attraction at the sprawling complex, the raceway boasts a junior track for drivers 8 and older and an adult track where racers 16 and older can quench their need for speed without fear of a traffic ticket from a cop disguised as a yield sign. The fun center also fosters adrenaline-charged fun with a high ropes course extending up to two stories above the floor and a climbing wall that, at its peak, rises more than 30 feet. The two high-flying attractions look out over the arcade floor, where visitors play classic games such as Ms. Pac-Man or modern favorites such as Big Buck Open Season, which digitally emulates the real-life experience of hunting today's super-intelligent, talking deer.

The constant clack of billiard balls fills the Sky Bar, where guests tipple frosty cocktails while looking down at the race tracks though a plexiglass floor. Beyond the sports-bar atmosphere of the Andretti Grill, a different kind of entertainment reigns at Bonkerz Comedy Club, where performers' standup routines tickle funny bones before they shrink into humorless elbows.

Banks of fog roll through the neon passageways of a seaside village beset by a dastardly pirate in Laser Voyage Cafe's themed laser-tag arena. When not blasting lances of light at each other through the watery maze, players crawl and bend through a maze of laser lights designed to emulate a scene from a heist movie or an extreme version of Charlotte’s Web. A host of arcade games invites guests to unleash their trigger fingers on digital foes, press pedals to the metal, or settle disputes with disco-lit dance-offs.

Currently the Director of Instruction at Keith Jarvis Golf Academy, Keith and his staff of qualified instructors call upon his 24 years of experience as a professional player and coach to enhance each lesson. Students perfect swings for extra distance off the tee and practice short-game precision for more one-putts and fewer galleries showered with sand. Lesson programs incorporate the wireless 3D K-Vest, worn to limit extraneous movements and develop muscle memory during the swing, and Tomi putting equipment, which helps putters develop a consistent stroke.