Things to Do in Newnan

• For $10, you get one reserved-seating ticket to Swingin' Medallions on Saturday, July 2, at 7 p.m. (a $20 value) • For $25, you get one reserved-seating ticket in level 2 to Kool & The Gang on Saturday, July 16, at 8 p.m. (a $50 value). • For $25, you get one reserved-seating ticket in level 2 to 10,000 Maniacs and Edwin McCain on Saturday, August 20, at 8 p.m. (a $50 value).

The National Museum of Commercial Aviation sends visitors into the friendly skies without ever leaving the ground. Inside the 6,000-square-foot facility rests a collection of more than 35,000 artifacts from airlines and facilities dating as far back as the 1930s. Glass cases house a variety of dishes and flatware from mile-high kitchens, as well as timetables and ticket jackets. Meanwhile, mannequins display 200 vintage uniforms for pilots and attendants alike. Visitors can take a seat inside a Delta Airlines 727 familiarization trainer, replete with switches, gauges, and buttons. Inside they can attempt realistic take-offs and landings while navigating the Microsoft Flight Simulator housed within. The museum is also home to one of the first tug tractors, a Gate Gourmet catering truck, and the cockpit of the Eastern Airlines Martin 404 once used by singer and musician Ray Charles to travel from gig to gig along with his three million baby grand pianos.

Located in a historic train depot in Jonesboro—the setting for Margaret Mitchell’s _Gone With the Wind_—the Road to Tara Museum assembles memorabilia and artwork inspired by the novel and its classic 1939 film adaptation. Visitors can meander past reproductions of the costumes worn by Vivien Leigh or peruse the many foreign translations of the book. The voice of Fred Crane, who played Brent Tarleton on screen, narrates sights throughout the museum, regaling with behind-the-scene tales of the movie set and Clark Gable’s mustache wax. Regular tours extend the educational experience outside the museum walls, exploring Clayton County’s various plantations and historic battlefields still littered with cork pop guns and broken water balloons

Spotlight Theatres screens enrapture audiences with the high-definition imagery and digital soundscapes of first-run Hollywood movies. In each movie house, audiences get to rest easy in plush, high-backed stadium seats—each outfitted with a coin-operated mustache comb—or get thrown directly into the action through 3-D technology. Soda, candy, and salty, crunchy popcorn are available in abundance at the concession stand, and can be used to bribe the projectionist into splicing in a happier ending.

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.

When the Center for Puppetry Arts opened its doors in 1978, Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog were on hand to cut the ribbon. Fittingly, one of its first major exhibitions, The Art of the Muppets in 1981, attracted more than 50,000 attendees. Since then, the center has matured into a multifaceted complex equal parts museum, performance center, and hub for working artists.