Things to Do in Mableton

For nearly seven decades, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has bridged musical gaps with an extensive catalog of Grammy-winning recordings that include symphonies, operas, and gospel and classical choral works. Once helmed by the chorale superstar Robert Shaw, the orchestra has produced six Grammy-winning releases in its 12 years under current director Robert Spano. Its allied institution, the Atlanta School of Composers provides training, support, and ear massages for hardworking contemporary artists.

Since banding together in 1979, the historians at Atlanta Preservation Center have helped ward off packs of angry bulldozers from more than 175 endangered buildings. Working alongside local government, businesses, and community leaders, the preservation team has saved elaborate structures including the Peters House and Winecoff Hotel. In addition, its headquarters—the 1856 Grant Mansion in Grant Park—is one of just two antebellum houses left in Atlanta and the team is currently working to restore the building to its architecturally accurate origins. When it isn’t keeping delicate treasures from crumbling, the Atlanta Preservation Center leads walking tours of historic districts and tells embarrassing stories from the days when the city’s buildings were just a bunch of baby bricks.

MatzoBall has been helping single Jewish people (age 21–49) matchmake, babymake, and network for 23 years at its annual parties in 11 cities. Its sponsor, the Society of Young Jewish Professionals (SYJP), has sparked more than 1,000 marriages, thousands of friendships, and even a few bar mitzvahs. This year's Atlanta event will take place at Halo, a cavernous 3,000-square-foot lounge that can comfortably accommodate the entire ATL diaspora and then some.

Aboard their luxury buses, vans, or motor coaches, the guides at Atlanta Sightseeing Bus Tours immerse locals and visitors alike in the rich history, culture, and architecture of the Greater Atlanta area. As tours trundle past sites including the Atlanta White House, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and the Margaret Mitchell House, tour guides passionate about the region and its myriad anecdotes relay interesting tidbits about historic locales such as the Fox Theatre and Centennial Olympic Park, the site of the three-legged race finals at the 1996 Olympics. During the five-hour voyage, passengers can take pictures, stretch their legs at hand-picked stops, and take in sweeping views of the Atlanta skyline and Appalachian Mountains from 825 feet up in the Skyride swiss cable car at Stone Mountain.

Click above to buy tickets to see Grey Gardens on a Wednesday, September 2 at 8 p.m. or September 9 at 8 p.m.; Thursday, September 3, 8 p.m.; Sunday, September 6 at 5 p.m. or September 13 at 2 p.m. Click on the links below for tickets on other days.

It didn't take long for the Atlanta Dream to establish themselves as one of the WNBA's premier organizations. The team played their first game in 2008. The Dream made their first playoff appearance a year later and captured back-to-back conference titles in the following seasons. In establishing that winning tradition, the Dream also instituted a fast-paced style of play that consistently lands them at or near the top of league in scoring and breaking the sound barrier. Of course, it doesn't hurt to feature some of the world's top players, a fact backed up when two Dream players were invited to represent their home countries in London last summer.