Things To Do in East Point

At 5-Tool Sports Training Center's 7,000 square-foot, air-conditioned facility, David Collings—a former scholarship player at Andrew College and the University of West Georgia—leads a team of specialized instructors whose collective experience includes minor-league play and collegiate-level coaching. Together the team shapes young baseball players with results-oriented clinics, including a pitching program designed after those used by major-league franchises and the Chinese national team. Other sessions range from summer camps that cover all aspects of the game to position-specific clinics, such as introductory and advanced catching with Mike Day––a four-time College World Series catcher who went on to play with the Montreal Expos.

To keep their skill set sharp, athletes can schedule time in one of four 55-foot hitting cages, two of which boast Iron Mike pitching machines or two dedicated pitching lanes. Private instruction gives kids individualized feedback, and a video-analysis room allows them to see the errors in their swing or the understated chicness of swapping out a cap for a beret.

Founded in 2013, the Bikini Basketball Association is comprised of five female teams in Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, and Philadelphia. Though the association's name suggests that players hit the court wearing swimwear, they actually play in tight-fitting spandex athletic gear that does not billow in the wind like traditional jerseys, threatening to fill with air and lift players off the court and out of the gymnasium.

Atlanta Rocks' expansive vertical playground is home to hundreds of climbs, 50 top-rope stations, and more than 12,000 square feet of professionally set routes atop a safe climbing surface. All passionate climbers themselves, the staff has created interesting and intricate problems to solve for climbers of all skill levels. Climbers looking to enhance their know how can participate in one of the gym’s many programs, and the staff also drops knowledge on beginners with introductory climbing courses that include all required gear and cover subjects ranging from advanced lead climbing to the fundamentals of massaging knots out of tense rope.

Since its inception as a small park in 1990, Dixieland Amusement Park has grown to include more than 20 rides and attractions for kids and parents alike. From high-flying cable coasters to speedy go-karts, the park's attractions foster adrenaline-fueled joy, while the Digital Armory, a bustling arcade, transports visitors to a virtual world with motion sensors and laser tag. Dining areas pepper the park's walkways for between-ride snacks, and, come nightfall, fireworks fill the sky to entertain visitors and idling pigeons.

When he isn’t exploring underwater or volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium, Jacob Moore, founder and owner of Living Water Conservation and Scuba Inc. and The Order of Atlantis, shares his scuba knowledge with students during classes. A NAUI-certified scuba instructor, Jacob leads courses that range from skin-diver and scuba certification to advanced scuba-diving and instructor courses. He also leads expeditions during which students and instructors alike can use their skills to explore reefs, caves, and wildlife at destinations such as Ginnie Springs, Panama City, and Ponce de Leon, Florida.

Founded in 1995 with one location at Chattahoochee Plantation, Universal Tennis Academy has since grown to include seven other locations located throughout the Atlanta area. At the Joseph D. McGhee Tennis Center and Washington Park Tennis Center, tennis pros help developing players hone their skills with focused drills, match play, and challenge ladders, focusing on attitude and work ethic as well as technique. Eight of McGhee's nine hard courts and all eight of Washington Park's courts stay lit in the evening, allowing competitors to play their unresolved matches in the dark without lighting the ball on fire.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Robert Herzog dropped off his laundry, picked up his mail, and took the local C train to work instead of the express A train. When he arrived for work at the north World Trade Center tower that morning, nearly 300 of his coworkers were dead. Stunned by his inexplicable escape from death, Herzog battled through his trauma by focusing on the good things in his life. Earlier that year, he met his wife-to-be playing coed softball. He had enjoyed the league but felt he could do better. Tempered by the sense of charity and community that was so ubiquitous after September 11, he opened ZogSports—a sports league that donates 10% of its profits to charity—in 2002.

Since then, leagues have spread from New York and the northeast out to Atlanta and the Twin Cities. Casual competitors in their 20s and 30s team up in touch-football leagues and indoor-volleyball leagues, making new friends on the field, at postgame happy hours, and at preseason press conferences.

When teams sign up for ZogSports's leagues, they choose a charity to represent. From there, teams compete to win the league championship, come up with the funniest team name, or order the most drinks at the bar after the game, all of which earn them money for their charity of choice. To date, the company has donated more than $1.5 million to various charities.