Things to Do in Stockbridge

Whether wearing a horned Viking helmet—cheekily dubbed the official Wine-Making Hat—or working bareheaded, the team at Warm Springs Winery crafts an array of muscadine wines. The sweet red and off-dry varieties of muscadine are produced from grapes grown in Georgia. As guests sample wines from souvenir glasses, they can gaze into Warm Springs’ pond, where lotus flowers float above a family of colorful koi.

Baldwin Bowling Center’s 24 polished lanes reflect gleaming overhead lights and the competitive glint in bowlers’ eyes as they rack up spares and strikes with gutter-hugging curves. Automatic scoring systems keep track of each frame, freeing up bowlers to focus on hunting elusive turkeys and clearing the gutters of dried-up pins. The bowling center’s snack bar replaces energy lost while hurling balls or smashing buttons in the arcade room, which harbors games designed to further test one’s sharpshooting accuracy. During cosmic bowling on Friday and Saturday evenings, glowing lights flood the lanes and the sounds of pins crashing share the airwaves with pulsating dance beats. Make reservations ahead of time to bowl from Sunday through Wednesday.

Most farms house livestock, cornfields, and vegetable patches. But the crown jewel of Skydive the Farm’s 55 acres of property is something a little less typical: a Grand Caravan turbine-engine plane. Its Blackhawk engine modifications allow it to jet briskly to proper skydiving altitude, at which visitors leap out its doors and parachute to the farm’s spacious landing area. Adventurers can dive tandem-style, strapped to a certified instructor, or opt for more independent freefalls. Available only after several hours of training, these flights earn divers AFF licensing, requiring them to open their own parachute and land with radio assistance. Family and friends can watch their loved ones master the skies from a spacious viewing deck instead of having to find a sturdy enough cloud to climb upon. Divers can also watch themselves afterward via the center’s professionally-made flight DVDs, complete with video footage and photos.

A network of winding trails and windswept pastures extend over the 18 acres of countryside belonging to Fasco Farms LLC, an equestrian and agricultural facility. Stephanie Williams, the ranch’s owner, specializes in transforming adults and children into sound horseback riders through lessons in the disciplines of English and Western riding as well as Natural Horsemanship clinics. Each clinic helps students advance their saddle work, pick up problem-solving techniques, and learn how to load a trailer. The farm also practices equine massage, which, like sports massage for humans, keeps horses at peak physical shape in preparation for competition or while recovering from a breakup.

A heavy mist settles over the rolling hills of High Point Farm each morning and slowly dissipates as the sun rises to reveal the arenas where Cindy Thaxton and her staff train horses and riders. The farm, which was established in 1993, spans 35 acres and includes several facilities. In its world-class competitive arenas, Cindy helps develop harmony between her students and the horses while sharing her own passion for dressage, equitation, hunters, and jumpers. A USDF silver and bronze medalist in her own right, Cindy has led six students to silver-medal status. She practices a multidimensional teaching approach, instructing competitive students as well as those with little interest in racing against their horses.

Iron Gate Farm owner Lisa Eisele harnesses a life's worth of horseback-riding dedication—including a youth career with the American Paint Horse Association—to enrich the skills and horsemanship of novice riders. Along with instructor Sarah Hutchinson, who draws upon her own extensive experiences breaking and showing horses in various disciplines, Lisa emphasizes safe riding techniques as well as important skills such as barn husbandry, equine first aid, and reminding steeds to double-knot their horseshoes. When not accommodating students at private sessions, group lessons, or summer camps, the farm also shelters owners' horses in 12'x12' matted stalls replete with blanketing and twice-daily feedings.