Things to Do in Lithia Springs

Hidden just east of Cobb Parkway, a complex of low, slate-blue warehouses shelters a community of textile workers, sculptors, and graphic designers intent on refining their art. Beads by Design's shop and atelier contributes to this creative wellspring, and today the Southern Flames—a society of glass-bead makers—gather there for their monthly meetings. The shop opened in 1998, displaying a wealth of Japanese Delica seed beads, fire-polished and pressed glass beads, pearls, gemstones, and glittering Swarovski crystals under the high, exposed-metal roof. Visitors can pick up notions or tools, or stick around for jewelry-making classes. These begin with the basics of knotting wire rings and stringing necklaces and expand into the creation of broad, beaded cuffs inspired by Ndebele jewelry and macramé techniques for braiding copper wire. To give students complete creative control of their work, instructors provide propane torches attached to work tables, and safely teach how to fabricate glass beads and intimidate nay-saying critics.

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.

As U.S. Olympian Jeff Galloway, race director for the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk told The Weekly, “What makes this program unique is that it’s not just a one-day event.” The race begins two months before the starting gun fires with a free eight-week training program, whose curriculum Galloway designed. Galloway describes the weekly sessions, created to foster fitness among corporate employees and people with essentially sedentary jobs, as “a perfect way to help someone get started with a fitness program,” much like a treadmill that emails embarrassing photos of its owner when no one is running on it.

During the culminating race, The Weekly predicts a turnout of more than 15,000 runners and walkers, affiliated with more than 350 companies. The throng departs from the Turner Field starting line, chugging through the route to collect finishing commemorative T-shirts and the cheers of high-school gym coaches at the awards ceremony.

With the Atlanta skyline as their backdrop, players at Dosser Works Paintball fire rounds of pigment on four outdoor fields, each covered to keep out inclement weather and the sun’s judgmental glare. Experienced paintball players run these facilities, and they channel their knowledge of the game by supervising safety and regularly changing field layouts and game scenarios. Themed competitions and night games play out on two tournament-size fields, an astroturf-covered speedball field dotted with air bunkers, and a post-apocalyptic warzone where competitors dive and shoot from behind mounds of tires, sandbags, and an authentic burned-out Ford Windstar. A sniper tower between the speedball and dirt fields lets players take aim and give constructive haircut critiques to those below.

The 18-hole course at St. Andrews Country Club drapes over 400 acres of countryside, demanding precise ball placement and keen focus as players navigate its two distinct sides. Course superintendent Heath Hammond keeps a meticulous watch over the conditions of the bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens, ensuring they stay not only pleasing to the eye but also lush enough for comfortable celebratory somersaults. Players choose from five separate sets of tees to start their round, rendering the course as long as 6,629 yards from the back tees but enjoyable for golfers of all ability levels. On the front nine, players must exhibit precise control over shots as they wind through the course's residential portion. The game relaxes on the back nine as it winds through open spaces dotted with handsome trees and allows players to unleash power. Before a round or during practice sessions, golfers can hone their strokes on St. Andrews' two-tiered driving range. A chipping green, a sand trap, and a bentgrass putting green round out the practice area's offerings, allowing players to re-create actual course conditions.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Total length of 6,629 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.7 from the back tees
• Course slope of 135 from the back tees
• Five sets of tees per hole

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 more than 650 locations in 33 countries 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.