Things to Do in Forest Park

That Pottery Place Studio’s shelves brim with hundreds of unfinished ceramic pieces, each ready to blossom with a completely unique bouquet of colors and designs. Plates shaped like watermelons and cats sit propped alongside decorative birdbaths, planters, coffee mugs, and owl figurines designed to scare pigeons away from the china hutch. Guests of the DIY, BYOB painting room can throw their creativity at these 3-D canvases using the studio’s stencils, brushes, sponges, and dozens of glazes. Staff members shape twice-weekly classes around more complex seasonal projects, though they also make the rounds sharing tips on technique and helping sort through idea books with painters during open studio time. For those who want to build their pottery piece from the ground up, instructors also teach clay workshops on hand building, press molds, and slip casting.

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.

Throughout KangaZoom's 12,000-square-foot facility, youngsters aged 2–12 and their parents whoosh down giant slides, carom about jump castles, and dart through obstacle courses during daily open play sessions. The inflatable basketball court's added bounciness makes it easier for kids to dribble the ball or each other, and a separate area for toddlers allows them to safely interact away from older children’s high-octane play. Though adults can join their children as long as they're wearing socks, they can also kick back in the lounge café and snack on concessions and drinks. Three private rooms host birthday parties for groups of up to 20 revelers, and KangaZoom's staff run regular dance and fitness classes for kids to learn impressive moves before the kindergarten prom.

Handprints in a rainbow of paints coat the white walls and even the ductwork of Dip 'n Dab's spacious studio, surrounding students who are swiping equally bright brushes against canvas. Kids and adults follow step-by-step instructions to create their own interpretations of decorative pieces and great works by Matisse, Van Gogh, and Monet, often while enjoying BYOB drinks and snacks. The studio also offers open studio time, scrapbooking sessions, and Mommy and Me classes, where children create a piece for immediate crushing criticism from their parents.

Inflatables abound inside the family-owned indoor playground of HippoHopp, where kids leap about in bounce houses, glide down slides, and navigate their way through obstacles courses. Free air hockey and foosball keep kids of all ages busy, and play castles and age-appropriate bouncers entertain youngsters in the toddler area. While the tots are busy, free WiFi and magazines are available to parents, who join their children at the bistro-style café for snacks such as paninis made each morning, fresh-ground fair-trade coffee and biscotti, and kid-friendly options including chicken nuggets and grilled-cheese sandwiches. Along with encouraging health-conscious exercise in kids, the staff at HippoHopp maintains an eco-conscious space by cleaning its facility with nontoxic, biodegradable products and only using windstorms to inflate the bounce houses.

Matt Janke dreamed of landing the perfect glass-blowing job. After moving to Atlanta in 1986, he realized there wasn't a single glass studio in town, granting his art a ready-made niche. After settling in, he returned to grad school, earning an MFA in glass with the intent to launch his own university program and ultimately procure his own space. By the time he graduated in 1992, Matt further honed his skills, stockpiled equipment, and, in 1996, opened his own studio and hired himself.

Beyond the perks of being his own boss, having his own studio affords Matt a great deal of creative freedom. He infuses all his handblown light fixtures, tumblers, and vases with the prismatic swirls of his signature style, in which precise lines and natural variations vie for attention across undulating surfaces. A downtown gallery space facilitates sales of these works.

But the studio has also fulfilled more than Matt's original goal of finding glass-blowing employment, going on to catalyze a glass-blowing community. From single apprentices in the early days, the studio is now a full-fledged classroom, with space for five instructors, a dozen students, and the kilns that must melt their glass until they each finish their training by capturing and taming a fire-breathing dragon.