Things to Do in Duluth

In business since 2002, All Fired Up owners Jim and Bobbie Drummond share a passion for creating art, whether that’s to transform a white dinner plate into a colorful piece of art or fusing disparate pieces of glass to form a distinct tile. Inside their two studio spaces, the owners encourage a laidback atmosphere, where their customers can unwind while unleashing their inner Rembrandts during drop-in studio times, parties, or date nights with suave paintbrushes.

Zoo Atlanta set up shop in 1889 after a traveling circus rolled into town and stayed indefinitely. Financial hardships had driven the circus owner bankrupt, leaving a flood of out-of-work circus performers and animals without anywhere to go. With the help of generous donations from concerned residents, Atlanta adopted the animals and converted a part of Grant Park into what is now Zoo Atlanta.

Since those early days, many animals have found their home at Zoo Atlanta, from elephants and tigers to gorillas and zebras. All in all, more than 1,500 animals currently roar and romp in their respective enclosures, meeting up once a night to dish over visitors’ summer outfits.

A typical journey through the zoo begins at Flamingo Plaza, from which visitors can choose one of two paths: They either take the left path and come face to face with elephants, warthogs, and lions, or they can choose the right and find themselves amid a flurry of exotic birds and excitable children at the KidZone playground. Visitors can walk at their own pace and follow their own path, still watching otters play, the nation's largest zoological collection of gorillas and orangutans swing through trees, and pandas pretend like they don’t care people are watching them sleep.

Throughout the week, Knockout CrossFit’s 12,000-square-foot facility is abuzz with the clatter of weights and kettlebells and the raspy chorus of patrons striving intensely toward fitness goals. A crew of instructors certified by CrossFit leads adults of all levels of fitness through CrossFit classes and boot-camp sessions. After helping groups loosen up with stretching exercise, CrossFit instructors lead students through the system's signature workout of the day, an ever-changing exercise that is scaled to each participant's fitness level. Their hardcore cardio classes boost heart rates and core strength with a regimen dedicated to increasing both power and agility, and their kickboxing classes blend moves from MMA, karate, boxing, and muay thai that help exercisers hone speed while simultaneously bolstering confidence. The trainers also help youth bolster speed, conditioning, and techniques in an athletic program. In lieu of monotonous cardio machines, each course works with the facility’s abundance of ropes, rings, free weights, and kettlebells, and the open floor leaves ample space for running, jumping, and gesturing how big you want your muscles to be.