Things to Do in Olive Branch

Bead Towne's classes range in price from $10 to $30 and possibly more, depending on supplies; a variety of options are offered for fledgling-finding fumblers and bead-wielding artisans alike. Classes are often created with customer suggestions in mind; request a specific type of class, and Bead Towne will do its best to accommodate you. Past offerings have included earring workshops ($15), pearl rope bracelets ($38), and making swirl beads with polymer clay ($20). Learn the basic skills of jewelry construction from seasoned instructors. Then you can go to town customizing bracelets and rings into towering, hubris-laden stacks of glittering crystals that threaten to buckle the knees of their wearers. The store stocks everything from Czech glass and fire-polished crystals to semi-precious gems and Swarovski crystals, as well as the tools needed to construct accessories for your bridesmaids or your bejeweled boatswain. Classes usually take place on Thursday and Saturday, but if you have a group of three or more who want to take a class together, you can arrange a girl's night out for a Friday night.

Since swinging its doors open in 2007, Strike Zone Bowling Lanes has served as a community-first, family-oriented polestar for pin-pummeling action. Sphere flingers collect strikes and spares seven days per week, including during dance-fueled Boogie Bowl on Friday and Saturday evenings, and on Dollar Day Wednesdays, when $1 bills can be used to purchase single games or pooled into a bifocal fund for poor-sighted balls. In addition to hosting pickup games between friends, Strike Zone lends its alleys to globular engagements during league-play and birthday parties. Players on a break between frames can also venture into the facility's onsite pro shop, to stock up on gear, or into the arcade area, where video games and air-hockey tables help eyes and hands communicate and avoid using walkie-talkies.

Inspired by cosmologist Carl Sagan's historic discovery that everything looks totally awesome under strobing blacklights and smoke machines, cosmic bowling turns an ordinary bowling ball into a glittering planet hurtling through a vast and unknowable universe before exploding into a supernova of scattered neon pins. Your Groupon lets you choose one of FunQuest’s two late-night cosmic options, depending on which night you roll. On Friday nights after 10 p.m., you and a partner get two hours of bowling, a large pizza, and two pitchers of soda for dipping—because hungry bowlers leave happy pins, and when pins are happy, an angel slaps a kitten. On Saturday nights after 9 p.m., you and your friend get three hours to bowl, a large pizza, and one pitcher of soda. Shoe rental is included on both days.

Mid-South Ice House sparks heated competition amid icy environs by hosting hockey, curling, and broomball teams. The center also caters to figure skaters with regular freestyle sessions. In addition to athletic endeavors, it supports family-friendly revelry with regular open skates, lessons for ages 2 to adult, and a private party room. Cosmic Skate sessions every Saturday night capture the dazzle of the northern lights, sending a multihued glow over glinting ice.