Things to Do in Valdosta

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.

Fun Station Jr. assembles playful activities geared to ages 1–12 in a wonderland voted Tallahassee magazine's Best Place to Take the Kids from 2007 to 2010 under the facility's old moniker, Zoinks. Technicolor arcade games trumpet winners of plush plunder, and bumper cars slap sides in rubbery high-fives. An inflatable bounce area draws excess energy from sock-footed youths, and a concession stand serves trail mix, bottled water, and slices of pizza to replenish empty fuel tanks.

Staff members prioritize safety in conjunction with fun, fitting groups with matching wristbands to help them to stay together and dedicating an area to toddlers who intimidate older children by claiming to be dinosaurs. In a separate lounge, adults rest in comfortable chairs during breaks from friendly competition to catch up on work with complimentary WiFi or to watch what's playing on high-definition TVs.

The consortium of professional instructors at Fred Astaire Tallahassee, which was cofounded by the legendary toe tapper himself, shepherds students of all ages and skill levels through lessons that span the style spectrum. Low-pressure private sessions allow enthusiastic teachers to fine-tune individual students' techniques and form, using their expert eyes and mechanical dancing shoes preprogrammed to do the Charleston. Patrons can learn how to cavort through classic waltz and fox-trot romps or swivel through the modern steps of salsa, swing, or samba. For dancers hoping to hoof it up in a social setting, the group practice parties provide a one-night extravaganza of instruction, demonstrations, and amateur firewalking.

The Fun Station can't keep its entertainment contained, spilling out of its 20,000-square-foot indoor facility and into an outdoor activities center including miniature golf and go-karts. Drivers as young as 10 years old strategically weave between rumbling karts on a quarter-mile track or pilot bumper boats equipped with water cannons and inflatable first mates. Slinging heat at up to 85 miles per hour, batting cages hone slugging prowess, and a laser-tag arena simulates futuristic battles between college professors and PowerPoint presentations that have gained self-awareness. A video arcade re-creates retro gaming experiences, and a gem-mining sluice fills prospecting pans with relics such as gemstones, arrowheads, sharks' teeth, and fossils.

Golfers drive, chip, and putt their way across Hilaman Golf Course, a 30-year-old, par 72 layout that spans 6,333 yards of player-friendly terrain. On most holes, players look out onto wide, unobstructed fairways that invite them to swing freely with their driver or steer their golf cart blindfolded. Water comes into play on multiple holes—a small pond sits directly in front of the fourth green, and holes 11–16 strategically wrap around two large water hazards to make the back nine slightly more challenging. The course complements its 18 holes with a restaurant that serves up sandwiches and salads, a driving range for golfers to hone their game, and four tennis courts where players can learn how to hit short irons off of asphalt.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,33 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 70.7 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 123 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard

Equistarre Horsemanship’s head instructor, Analese, doles out lessons on the fundamentals of horseback riding from atop a galloping lectern as she leads students across 15 acres of rustic green pastures. After a childhood spent among steeds at her family's boarding facility, Analese continued to indulge her lifelong passion for horses as a trainer, rider, and competition judge before earning a degree in equine science from the University of Florida. She brings her wealth of knowledge to Equistarre Horsemanship, where she introduces students to her stable of personable horses before accompanying them on rides across the ranch’s scenic landscape. During lessons and trail rides, students practice basic techniques and learn to read subtle horse signals, such as "May I have a carrot?" and "That's not a radio dial." When not leading rides out into the meadows, Analese cares for horses in a boarding area that features nine stalls, two storage areas, and a large bay for grooming.