Things To Do In Columbia

Replete with ornate gardens and a brick mansion fronted by towering, white columns, Rippavilla Plantation winds the clock back to the time of the Civil War. In the fall, the smells of bonfires and steaming hot chocolate fill the sprawling grounds as they host pumpkin paintings and other old-timey, outdoor fun. The Rippavilla corn maze tests internal compasses and scarecrow-bribing techniques on a 10-acre, labyrinthine path. As they pass through the maze, guests encounter signs that boast historical facts about major Civil War battles in 1862, putting them in touch with the site's legacy. For a plus-size serving of fresh, autumn air, guests can also board the hayride to circle the grounds, which are devoid of the sinister ghouls that often emerge at many fall festivals; instead, the grounds remain family-friendly throughout the night.

Across Xtreme Paintball's two outdoor fields, colorful salvos paint the sky as opposing gunsmiths duke it out during simulated battles. Red-and-black inflatable cover peppers the speedball field, guarding teams from enemy fire. The warzone field sets the stage for intense scenarios such as capture the flag and team elimination, during which players attempt to mark each opposing paintballer or stick a Kick Me sign to their back. Both open-air arenas play host to casual paintball outings, special events, and league play.

Xtreme Paintball's safety-focused experts monitor each 3–10 minute skirmish. The staff also checks over equipment between each game, whether players rent their gear or airdrop it in from home.

Four years after he first stepped onto a skeet field, Terry Hetrick joined the All American Team and All State Team at age 17. Two years later he won the Pennsylvania State High Over All championship, one of many state, regional, national, and world titles he’d collect before being inducted into the Pennsylvania Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame in 1996.

Though he continued amassing accolades after relocating to Nashville in 2000 – including eight Tennessee state championships and another hall of fame induction – he decide to chase his lifelong dream of teaching. At Terry Hetrick Shooting School, he’s mentored national and world champions alongside celebs such as Nicole Kidman, who learned how to shoot looks that melt hearts. Along with future champs and famous faces, Terry works with all levels of shooters to impart shotgun and clay target fundamentals, instill safe gun-handling technique, and help his students dispose of of bad habits.

Tennessee Skydiving, LLC, which is one of the closest skydiving schools to Nashville, boats a squadron of crack skydiving instructors that are more daring than most. Riding alongside clients in their spacious and speedy turbo-charged plane, the instructors strap themselves to jumpers for tandem jumps at the standard height of 10,500 feet, which provides 45 seconds of free fall. Sometimes, though, they urge the pilot to climb higher—up to 18,000 feet—for jumps they call “extreme tandem”. At this height, divers need oxygen tanks to breathe, but the risks are well worth the reward—a lengthier, 90-second free fall at face-stretching speeds of up to 120 mph. Even at such intense speeds, adventurers have no need to fear because Tennessee Skydiving is Department of Defense certified with most of their instructors being ex-military.

As the official store of the Tennesse Titans, Titans Locker Room is a one-stop shop for apparel and accessories. Don a Pro-Bowler guise with a personalized jersey ($79-$99) or other authentic player apparel for men, women and Titan tykes. Get in the game with second-season sideline gear like hats ($22–$25) and sweatshirts ($89). Couch coaches can dress like head football guru Jeff Fisher sans his usual chainmail and astronaut boots with the basic polo($39) or travel back in time with the ladies’ retro hooded tee ($42). Outfit tiny Titanites in the infant Chris Johnson jersey ($40), and watch them produce the game-winning snore during this afternoon’s nap.

As the weather turns cooler, celebrating the season often means bundling up on the couch with a mug of cocoa and a heated book, which is great until stir-craziness sets in. Today's Groupon offers the cure by getting you out of the house and onto the ice with an ice-skating pass and skate rental at Centennial Sportsplex for $4 (an $8 value). Ice skating was invented in 1983 as a means of enjoying the company of others in a cold setting, a goal that Napoleon declared, "The ultimate pursuit, although it inevitably ends in too much fun." Sk8 or Die: Vertical Rush: When a Russian nuclear submarine gets trapped in the arctic ice, the only skater who can get close enough for a rescue attempt is five-time Olympian and U.N. Mercenary John Nash. But who is sending him mysterious text messages about the secrets that lay in wait at the top of the world?Sk8 or Die: Meltdown: John Nash is ready to represent the United States in the Beijing Olympics. But when factory pollution causes massive ice meltage across the nation, Nash is forced to face the deadliest foe of all: climate change.Sk8 or Die: Seventeen-Seventy-Sk8: This time-bending prequel follows John Nash as a voodoo amulet causes him to go back in time and inhabit the body of his great-great-grandfather, a colonel in the Revolutionary War. Released in the United Kingdom as The Skate-triot.