Things To Do in Valdosta

Thronateeska Heritage Center provides an exploration of science and South Georgian history through an interactive science center and history museum, both of which are free to the public, as well as a planetarium. Wetherbee Planetarium’s SciDome hi-def projection system, 40-foot diameter dome, and surround-sound system is the first of its kind in the world, launching reclining stargazers into celestial vistas with a higher definition than the actual night sky. Get sucked into shows, including the Liam Neeson-narrated Black Holes: the Other Side of Infinity, a harrowing journey to the formation of the early universe, the birth and death of stars, and premium-boosting collisions of giant galaxies. Or bring your cosmic dowsing rod to Oasis in Space, a beautiful voyage through the universe on a quest to find liquid water, a key ingredient in the delicious recipe of life. Two more shows focus on the nature of molecules and the history of the telescope.

Movies 8’s towering vertical sign flashes its red letters and pastel colors at passersby, enticing them to step inside and enjoy a night at the cinema. In the lobby, black-and-white checkered tiles, pink and orange walls, and neon signs hark back to the 1950s, when ladies often wore polka-dot dresses and gentlemen still slicked back their pompadours with crude motor oil. Before feasting their eyes on recently released blockbusters stretched across the silver screen, moviegoers line up at the snack counter, where an old-fashioned menu displays the theater’s bounty of popcorns, snacks, and drinks. Once movies let out, guests can test their button-mashing mettle in Movies 8’s arcade, which has its own separate nook.

Professor Gallop Franklin shuns half measures. Not content to settle on one black belt, he trotted headlong into four—one in goju karate, one in tae kwon do, one in tang soo do, and one in nisei goju. A devoted martial artist since 1963, Gallop pulls from his lifetime of training and instructional experience to lead karate classes at his dojo, Gallop’s Karate. Red and blue mats stretch across the floor of a facility more than 2,000 square feet, where he and his staff of kick-smart martial artists lead students of all ages through karate techniques and training exercises, aiming to enhance physical fitness levels while building confidence and discipline. The instructors infuse adult classes with rigorous drills of functional exercises—a regimen described by reporters from Tallahassee Magazine as “a mind-boggling number of jumping jacks, pushups, karate sit-ups and leg lifts.”

In addition to traditional karate classes, trainers also conduct an energetic boot-camp program that combines martial arts movements with high-intensity exercises. The staff hosts a daily after-school program as well, where they engage youngsters in crafts, games, and karate lessons. They offer students assistance in homework, help them study for tests, and lend constructive feedback on their performance art pieces expressing anguish over bad cafeteria food.

An expansive floor space replete with treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight machines satisfies all fitness needs at American Fitness 24/7. Racks of free weights rest against a wall of mirrors, and an open area yields enough room for people to swing kettlebells and to play on the adult jungle-gym. Certified trainers guide members through group training and semiprivate personal training to help meet fitness goals that range from losing weight to prepping for a marathon.

Designed by the late Dean Refram, a former PGA Tour pro and course architect who worked with Arnold Palmer, The Golf Club at Summerbrooke's 18-hole, par 72 course bounds over a diverse landscape of rolling hills, dense groves of trees, and waterways and ravines. Measuring 6,845 yards from the farthest tees, the course begins with a relatively open, par 4 first hole, graciously letting duffers find their groove before hitting into tighter fairways and treacherous tree lines. An 80-foot-deep ravine surrounds the green of the par 3 15th, which marks the beginning of the three-hole Contemplation Corner, a climactic gauntlet that challenges clubbers with forced carries, bottomless ravines, and burbling water hazards. A relaxing finishing hole, the par 5 18th settles the nerves, letting golfers swing freely as their pin-hunting odyssey draws to a close.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course designed by Dean Refram
• Length of 6,845 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 73.9 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 140 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options

Gold's Gym Tallahassee has provided a body-sculpting destination for fitness seekers for more than 20 years. Members take advantage of unlimited access to three locations, each sporting rows of free weights and cardio equipment--including True Fitness treadmills--as well as tanning services. For exercise in a group environment, instructors lead small class training such as Les Mills, while the cardio cinema immerses guests in a projected movie and surround sound as they sweat away calories on treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals.

Expert hands, marked by the evidence of careful labor, bring together frames with gilded baroque flourishes or sleek contemporary lines to shelter photos, paintings, mirrors, and cross-stitch samplers at Frames +. Computerized onsite mat cutting makes pieces seem to leap from the wall with color-complementing depth, drawing out the greens of a mountainscape or adding to the crayon signature on a fake diploma. Jerseys and souvenirs nestle in shadow boxes, and antique photos stay safe with conservation framing that preserves the visages of ancestors who traveled to America on the Mayflower or the barnacled back of a generous whale.: