Things to Do in Redan

Inflatables abound inside the family-owned indoor playground of HippoHopp, where kids leap about in bounce houses, glide down slides, and navigate their way through obstacles courses. Free air hockey and foosball keep kids of all ages busy, and play castles and age-appropriate bouncers entertain youngsters in the toddler area. While the tots are busy, free WiFi and magazines are available to parents, who join their children at the bistro-style café for snacks such as paninis made each morning, fresh-ground fair-trade coffee and biscotti, and kid-friendly options including chicken nuggets and grilled-cheese sandwiches. Along with encouraging health-conscious exercise in kids, the staff at HippoHopp maintains an eco-conscious space by cleaning its facility with nontoxic, biodegradable products and only using windstorms to inflate the bounce houses.

Matt Janke dreamed of landing the perfect glass-blowing job. After moving to Atlanta in 1986, he realized there wasn't a single glass studio in town, granting his art a ready-made niche. After settling in, he returned to grad school, earning an MFA in glass with the intent to launch his own university program and ultimately procure his own space. By the time he graduated in 1992, Matt further honed his skills, stockpiled equipment, and, in 1996, opened his own studio and hired himself.

Beyond the perks of being his own boss, having his own studio affords Matt a great deal of creative freedom. He infuses all his handblown light fixtures, tumblers, and vases with the prismatic swirls of his signature style, in which precise lines and natural variations vie for attention across undulating surfaces. A downtown gallery space facilitates sales of these works.

But the studio has also fulfilled more than Matt's original goal of finding glass-blowing employment, going on to catalyze a glass-blowing community. From single apprentices in the early days, the studio is now a full-fledged classroom, with space for five instructors, a dozen students, and the kilns that must melt their glass until they each finish their training by capturing and taming a fire-breathing dragon.

Kathy Antar opened The Sewing Studio planning to provide sewing services for design professionals and event producers, but was soon flooded with phone calls and emails from people who simply wanted to know how to use their sewing machines. To meet that need, The Sewing Studio began to offer a selection of beginner, intermediate, and advanced sewing classes. During each 2.5-hour session, students learn how to thread machines, wind the bobbin, and practice various stitches using their own machines. In addition to classes, Kathy custom-designs furniture upholstery, bedding, and window coverings and supplies expert design-consultation services, which can transform a client's dream design into a tactile reality.

Bounce-A-Rama’s seven colorful and inflatable play structures sway like tree branches in the wind. The source of the swaying rests inside the facility’s bounce castles, obstacle courses, and slides, where youngsters do everything but rest. Housing the energetic vibes, Bounce-A-Rama’s 8,000-square-foot play space features open-bounce sessions, birthday parties, a separate play area for toddlers, ample seating, and complimentary WiFi for grown-ups looking to sublet a bounce apartment.

In the spacious room of Sip & Stroke’s new location, students of all skill levels pick up brushes and daub pigments onto canvases to create works of art during instructor-guided canvas-painting classes. The art studio especially caters to children, who can take on canvases, clay, or strings of beads on their own, or explore creativity with a parent during Mom & Me sessions. Guests of any age are always free to craft a one-of-a-kind keepsake, creating glittering baubles from the studio’s wall of beads or decorating a pre-made ceramic piece that they hand off to experts to glaze and fire.