Things to Do in Powder Springs

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 locations 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.

The curators of the Marietta Museum of History honor the heritage of Marietta and Cobb Counties with educational events, rotating exhibits, and four specialized galleries that focus on different facets of Marietta tradition: home life, general history, the military, and the Civil War Union Raiders. Since 2000, museum staffers have hosted more than 90,000 visitors, guiding groups past Native American artifacts and antiquated industrial machinery in the General History gallery and navigating a 15.5-acre aviation park filled with civilian and military aircraft manufactured in Marietta. Guns, shells, and uniforms line the cases in the Military gallery, which elucidates the stories of the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and Vietnam, among others. The museum’s special exhibits rotate several times a year, with themes such as Y’All Come Eat: Exploration of Southern Food Ways, which features the nation’s largest display of antebellum macaroni costumes. Visitors can drop by Monday–Saturday, or pick up a membership to receive a newsletter and special invitations.

Throughout KangaZoom's 12,000-square-foot facility, youngsters aged 2–12 and their parents whoosh down giant slides, carom about jump castles, and dart through obstacle courses during daily open play sessions. The inflatable basketball court's added bounciness makes it easier for kids to dribble the ball or each other, and a separate area for toddlers allows them to safely interact away from older children’s high-octane play. Though adults can join their children as long as they're wearing socks, they can also kick back in the lounge café and snack on concessions and drinks. Three private rooms host birthday parties for groups of up to 20 revelers, and KangaZoom's staff run regular dance and fitness classes for kids to learn impressive moves before the kindergarten prom.

A shotgun-only facility, Tom Lowe Trap & Skeet Range invites beginner marksmen to shoot across 20 combination trap-and-skeet fields as well as a five-stand sporting-clays field. At each of these areas, clay pigeons launch into the sky above dense forests and rolling hills. Shooters as young as 10 (with proper supervision) can target the wingless birds during practice sessions and competitive leagues. Tom Lowe Trap & Skeet Range also partners with local independent instructors, who train beginner shooters to shoot and track the migratory patterns of clay pigeons.

Before hitting the field, visitors can rent a gun from Deshotels Arms, Inc., the onsite pro shop. The shop also sells ammo, used guns, and new shotguns from brands such as Beretta.

Ten minutes from the bustle of Atlanta, hummingbirds and dragonflies buzz around gardens, and horses crunch leaves under their hooves as they amble down dirt-covered trails leading to a private pond. Fruition Farm beckons visitors to relax at this idyllic refuge, whether by swaying on the porch swing with a book in hand or trapping sleepy friends in a hammock draped between two trees.

Communing with nature is reflected in the farm's approach to horseback riding—natural horsemanship, which fosters a special rapport between equestrians and steeds based on respect and trust, motivating horses to obey commands without riders threatening to expose their secret pasts as cows. This philosophy encompasses all activities at Fruition, from lessons and camps to weekend retreats and creative excursions such as moonlight rides and Tea on Tuesdays, which pairs laid-back rides with a catered lunch at the farmhouse.