Things to Do in Greenfield

The resident experts at Beads Amore impart the intricacies of beading in classes for all skill levels. From the fundamentals of stringing and design to wire working and project-specific lessons, classes cover a wide spectrum of jewelry-related topics. Each class takes place inside Beads Amore's shop, which practically overflows with exotic and semi-precious stone beads. The jewelry artists teach with beads made of everything from pewter to gems, and lessons cover silversmithing and using beads to accentuate lamps or your cat’s tail.

Staring at a blank piece of paper can be intimidating, but browsing the blank, premade pottery at Kiln Creations draws hibernating creativity from its den, enticing the brain with shape, size, and bisque meat. Pieces range between $4 and $65, and all merry potters are assessed a modest studio fee—$8 for adults and $6 for children under 12—which covers everything required to design and fire a project, including time. Grab a blank plate and paint a meal upon it, stencil a cup with springtime flowers, or decorate a picture frame worthy of being hung inside itself. If the concept of whole objects is intimidating, spend time in the studio on a mosaic project and enjoy affixing a variety of vibrant tiles upon a wood base of your choice ($12–$65), then grout your gorgeous piece at home with supplied materials ($6–$8 studio fee applies).

Where prospectors once used the running waters of a river to search their hauls for gems and gold, Copperhead Creek Gem Mining Company employs a winding wooden sluice. Deputized geologists shovel scoops of raw material sourced from 12 mines into wire mesh sifters, allowing the current to carry off the dirt and reveal the colorful stones that lie within. The company also offers bags of mining rough that are likely to contain fossils and arrowheads, along with geodes that visitors can crack at home by using a hammer or throwing them really hard against a tree.

Paintball Indiana's owner and operator Chris bought his first marker––a PCS Storm––almost 20 years ago. He was hooked from the very first paintball shot, and within five years began refereeing games and designing his own equipment. Six years ago, his passion led him to purchase Paintball Indiana's expansive 20 acres of fields, which revolve around a central defensive castle. Chris now employs his own referees, a staff of young and passionate players that regulates games of speedball, woodsball, or scenario play on the three fields and lobby sofas. Chris' fields also play host to three- and five-man speedball leagues, which help players hone their marksmanship before upcoming tournaments. Large-scale games are de rigueur as well, as Chris and the staff takes down the nets between fields for the Big Game––an event hosting vast armies of players battling across 700 feet of terrain in the hopes of capturing the castle's prized Beanie Baby collection.

Surrounded by the bright butterflies, trees, and flowers painted on You Are The Potter's walls, patrons transform bare, gray dishware into vibrant works of art. After choosing a piece from the hundreds of raw bowls, platters, and mugs that line the shelves, artists use brushes, stencils, stamps, and ideas from project books or encouraging staff members to personalize their creation. Staff glaze and fire the finished products, making them ready to hold food or the attention of pets who have been told they contain food.