Photograph by The Sintoses
It’s January: a month to reset, reflect, and renew—or just veg out in your comfy clothes and savor the last of your holiday treats. Who are we to judge? The new year offers a fresh opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and experience new things.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of 25 ways in Atlanta to get moving, get creative, or just get started on a new hobby. You don’t have to change your whole life to kick-start something amazing in 2025: A new pet friend, a ballroom dance class, or a volunteer gardening project could be just the spark you need to make this a year to remember.
Edited by Rachel Garbus
1. Get back in the saddle with a bike repair workshop
No need to reinvent the wheel; just get the same ones rolling. Free-Flite Bicycles offers a Maintenance 101 class once a month. Learn the basics of bike care—including lubrication and the removal and installation of wheels—and get a discount on cycle equipment. Classes are free at all three locations (Marietta, East Cobb, and Sandy Springs), and you don’t even need to bring a bike. Starter Bikes, a co-op through Georgia Tech, offers public bike repair every Friday at the Campus Recreation Center parking deck. Tools and parts are available, and a knowledgeable volunteer will help you get back on your bike. Plus, you can become a volunteer yourself.
2. Do more with less at Atlo
To combat waste created by single-use cleaning supplies—and to make eco-friendly cleaning products a little more fun—Grace Moore and Avery Lain founded Atlo. With locations in the West End and Avondale Estates, Atlo is a “refillery” where you can bring your own containers and fill up on laundry soap, dishwasher tablets, and even shampoo and conditioner, among other products. The name Atlo, a truncated version of até logo, or “see you later” in Portuguese, is a cheeky invitation to come back again and again to stock up.
3. Indulge ethically with Xocolatl
The only thing better than chocolate is responsibly produced chocolate. Married duo Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt fell in love with Costa Rican cacao while visiting the country. In 2014, they founded Xocolatl, which produces chocolate bars using cacao sourced directly from farmers and cooperatives in Nicaragua, Peru, Tanzania, and Uganda. At their microfactory in Krog Street Market, they turn this high-quality, direct-trade cacao into dark-chocolate bars and hazelnut spread. To experience their chocolate in its purest form, try one of the single-origin bars, all of which are made with dark chocolate. But don’t overlook the bars with added elements, such as the Wide-Eyed Espresso chocolate bar, made with espresso and coffee beans.
Photograph by The Sintoses
4. Hone your cooking skills
You can never know too much about cooking. Whether you’re a beginner struggling to boil noodles or a gourmand refining your bechamel sauce, learning from an expert can help you upgrade your kitchen game.
The Cook’s Warehouse in Midtown has long been a go-to spot, not only for cooking utensils and cookware, but also for its cooking school, complete with state-of-the-art Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen appliances. Upcoming classes include Extreme Chocolate Desserts, Indian Cooking Made Easy, and Valentine’s at the French Laundry, which features chef Thomas Keller’s risotto recipe. Popular chef Nzali Scales—aka Chef Za of Zaza’s Kitchen—also teaches out of the Cook’s Warehouse, offering lessons in pasta making, farm-to-table cooking, and steak menus.
Two other culinary gems are Vino Venue in Dunwoody and Tuscany at Your Table in Virginia-Highland. Both noteworthy spots host small-group cooking classes, which include tips on wine pairing and entertaining. Roll up your sleeves as you perfect Spanish tapas, Italian meatballs, and more.
If you want to go whole hog, Pine Street Market in Avondale Estates offers instruction in whole animal butchery. Classes are held at a nearby brewery so you can celebrate craft beer and craft butchery at the same time.
5. Get crafty with an art class
Taking the time for creative expression reduces stress and improves mental health; sometimes, the best therapy is doing something with our hands. Whether you do it solo, with a partner, or as part of a group, participating in an art class or getting involved with an artists’ group such as ATL Art Pals encourages playfulness and builds community. Many local institutions and nonprofits—such as Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), Scraplanta, and the Bakery Atlanta—offer affordable workshops that include supplies.
6. Get into composting
Food that lands in the trash turns into methane gas—a lot of it. You can reduce waste, lower climate-heating emissions, and save space in your garbage bins by composting your food scraps. Anyone with a backyard can buy a compost bin and make their own premium-grade soil. If you can’t compost at home, the Raleigh-based company CompostNow offers door-to-door service: It provides the bin, picks it up at your door weekly or biweekly, and swaps it out with a clean one.
Photograph by Getty Images
7. Spend an hour with your gorilla neighbors
There is something grounding and meditative about taking an afternoon to commune with our primate cousins. Zoo Atlanta is home to one of the largest populations of gorillas in North America and has won prestigious awards for its spacious enclosures and superlative treatment of its western lowland gorillas. The zoo’s longtime star silverback, Willie B., passed away in 2000 at the age of 42, but he is survived by his children, their offspring, and a lively mix of newer arrivals, who eat, play, or sit in silent contemplation. If you can’t make it to the zoo, you can catch the gorillas from anywhere on the live Gorilla Cam.
8. THRIVE TIP: Detox from screen time
First, get a sense for how much time you are spending on screens, and then set reasonable expectations for reducing that time. Make sure to plan screen-free activities that are enjoyable, and remind yourself why doing those things are important, whether it’s health, connecting with friends and/or family, or being a good role model.
– Justine Welsh, MD, director of Addiction Services for Emory Healthcare
Photograph by The Sintoses
Photograph by The Sintoses
9. Eat your veggies close to home
While many farmers markets are open seasonally, you might be surprised how many operate all through winter. From November to March, local farmers may have less variety on offer, but you’ll find plenty of healthy and delicious produce, including root vegetables, such as turnips and yams, and leafy greens, from kale to collards and spinach. Here are a few local farmers markets that operate year-round:
Grant Park Farmers Market: Sundays 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Marietta Square Farmers Market: Saturdays 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Freedom Farmers Market at the Carter Center: Saturdays 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Atlanta Harvest, Ellenwood: Sundays through Fridays 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Morningside Farmers’ Market: Saturdays 8 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Photograph by The Sintoses
10. Get your hands dirty: Volunteer for outdoor spaces
In the words of Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood, “In spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” Her oft-quoted line underscores the benefits of horticulture therapy or, to put it more plainly, digging in the dirt. Atlanta, often called the “City in the Forest,” provides a glorious canopy and green spaces worth preserving. To that end, volunteer opportunities abound.
The nonprofit organization Trees Atlanta is always open to individuals eager to dig in and help with tree planting, tree care, weeding, mulching, or reforestation projects. Saturday and weekday projects are available.
The Atlanta Botanical Garden has a wide range of volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Sign up for its quarterly “Digging In” newsletter to learn more about finding the right task for you, be it pruning in the garden, helping maintain flower exhibitions, or working in the greenhouses.
Oakland Cemetery welcomes newbies to volunteer and join efforts to preserve the historic gardens and grounds. Duties vary: They may include flower planting and tending to areas around headstones and markers. While you’re making new friends in the sunshine, you may spot the volunteer team known as the Silver Magnolias, a passionate group of ladies who focus on maintaining the African American grounds.
11. Get into the team spirit with a social sport league
You don’t have to hit the gym to stay active: An Emory University study showed that adults who participated in recreational sport leagues gained significant physical and mental health benefits. If you’re looking for a fun team sport to get exercise, try Atlanta Sport and Social Club, which hosts recreational sports leagues in flag football, pickleball, Ultimate Frisbee, and more, at parks across metro Atlanta. You can sign up as a team, join an existing one with a group of friends, or meet new friends as a solo entry. If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, consider Stonewall Sports, which offers a range of queer-friendly team leagues, such as kickball, bowling, and tennis, with many playing year-round.
12. Unwind with a day at Jeju Sauna
Treat yourself to the luxurious experience of Jeju Sauna, the eternally popular 24-hour Korean spa in Duluth. A flat fee gives you access to a bevy of saunas, pools, and cardio rooms, with additional a la carte options for purchase, such as a body shampoo and an acupressure massage. Later, grab some bibimbap at the spa cafeteria. It’s winter. It’s cold. You deserve it.
Photograph courtesy of The Center for Puppetry Arts
Photograph courtesy of The Center for Puppetry Arts
13. Keep a sketchbook for your doodles
MODA recently hosted New York Times bestselling illustrator Mike Lowery for a presentation titled “How Keeping a Sketchbook Changed My Life.” Lowery, a Decatur resident, told the gathering he carries a sketchbook with him everywhere he goes. He noted some benefits of doing so: “It helps you keep track of your days on this planet, declutters your brain, and helps you reach a meditative state.” Meetup opportunities abound, online and in-person, for drawing enthusiasts; we recommend Sketchbook Saturdays at the Center for Puppetry Arts, where participants draw inspiration from a selected item in the center’s magical collection of characters and props. Paper and pencils are provided.
Photograph by Mar Arrington
Photograph by Mar Arrington
14. Lace up your shoes and join a run club
Gen Z’s new preferred “dating app”—according to a summer 2024 TikTok trend—is run clubs, which are thriving in Atlanta. Of course, you don’t have to be on the prowl to enjoy a social running experience: Joining a run club is a great way to get exercise, meet friends, and enjoy a drink or snack after your workout. Plus, they’re free to join, with no sign-up necessary.
The Atlanta Run Club offers various distances at different paces and meets three times a week across three locations: Saturday mornings at Piedmont Park, Sunday mornings at Peoples Town Coffee Bar, and—the largest gathering—Monday nights at Ponce
City Market.
Beltline Run Club welcomes walkers and runners and meets every Thursday evening at restaurants and breweries on the Eastside and Westside trails.
Big Peach Running Co. hosts group runs throughout the week from several store locations around the metro Atlanta area.
15. THRIVE TIP: You can recycle—not trash—all that Styrofoam
At Live Thrive’s Centers for Hard to Recycle Materials, Styrofoam is repurposed into home insulation. In 2024, we repurposed more than 300,000 pounds—and that’s not all! We also accept mattresses, cooking oil, electronics, paint, household chemicals, tires, and much more.
– Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe, founder and executive director of Live Thrive
16. Plan a luxurious outdoor getaway
Get back to nature while keeping creature comforts at these beautiful stays, all just a short drive from Atlanta.
At North Georgia’s Chateau Elan, visitors can choose from outdoor activities such as golf, tennis, and biking on the property’s 3,500 acres—or explore the sprawling winery and its recently opened tasting room.
Cloudland Lodge at McLemore Resort, located in Northwest Georgia, offers breathtaking views and plenty of family-friendly indoor and outdoor activities. The hotel’s elegant interior is almost as beautiful as the wild surroundings.
Situated near the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and North Georgia’s mountains, Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge is more than the namesake 729-foot waterfall. Try archery, hiking and hatchet-throwing, and to continue your adventure, stay overnight in a cozy lodge room, a private cabin, or an accessorized safari tent.
A rustic experience awaits at the Len Foote Hike Inn, named for conservationist Leonard E. Foote. Hike five scenic miles to Amicalola Falls and back, then unwind with other guests in the Sunrise Room or on the wraparound porch. To encourage unplugging, the inn doesn’t have electrical outlets in the rooms, so phones are best left in the car.
Photograph courtesy of Spin Art Nation
17. Let your frustrations out in a rage room
Feeling furious? Book a session at Spin Art Nation, Atlanta’s combined paint studio and rage room. You can connect your own music via Bluetooth (we recommend Alice in Chains), invite up to five friends (or enemies), and gear up under the blacklights to fling paint and smash CDs, glasses, and other satisfyingly breakable stuff. Choose from the 30-minute “Short Fuse” package or the 60-minute “Mood Swing” package.
Photograph by The Sintoses
Model: Kellyn Archambeau/Ursula Wiedmann Models
18. Get a sweet taste of nature
Sweetwater Creek State Park may be only a short drive on I-20 from downtown, but it seems half a world away. There’s a 215-acre lake surrounded by forest, along with 15 miles of hiking trails and 10 yurts available for overnight rental. But the real treasure is Sweetwater Creek itself, and the beauty of the water’s rolling rapids. The main trail follows the creek and goes past the ruins of a textile mill that burned during the Civil War. Fans of The Hunger Games will recognize it as the spot where Katniss and Gale share a comforting moment and soak in the tranquility of the river. Take their cue.
Photograph by Cat Max Photography
19. Hang out with your friends . . . and your kids
Friendships change when kids come along (especially when one friend has kids and the others don’t), but maintaining those friendships is important. Picking a place to hang out, kids included, doesn’t have to be a challenge. Here are some ideas:
Breweries such as Monday Night Garage in the West End and Round Trip Brewing Co. in Underwood Hills offer ample space to spread out and outdoor areas for kids to play in. Monday Night Garage sells wood-fired pizzas—a crowd-pleaser for all ages.
At the High Museum of Art, hang out in the kids’ play area for a bit before checking out one or two of the exhibits. Afterward, grab a caffeinated beverage and a pastry from Refuge Coffee Co. and enjoy it in the Woodruff Arts Center courtyard, where there’s plenty of room for kids to run.
At The Works, a brightly repurposed industrial complex in Upper Westside, kids can burn some energy at the Camp, a one-acre park with seating and play areas. Afterward, head to nearby Fox Bros Bar-B-Q for brunch or lunch on the patio.
Get out and go on a group hike. You don’t have to go far to enjoy nature in Atlanta, and everyone, especially kids, can benefit from spending time outside with friends. Try going for a hike up Arabia Mountain near Lithonia, stroll the East Palisades Trail along the Chattahoochee River, or try a scenic loop at the Kennesaw Mountain Environment Trail.
Photograph courtesy of DDP Yoga
20. Stretch your spirit and body at DDP Yoga
It might seem counterintuitive that a hot new yoga program was devised by a 6-foot-5 former professional wrestler, but DDP Yoga is a powerful workout that has low impact on the joints and raises a serious sweat. “Diamond” Dallas Page is a three-time WCW World Heavyweight champion who sustained numerous injuries during his career, making traditional workouts a challenge. Page teamed up with Dr. Craig S. Aaron, a sports chiropractor, to create a workout program that draws from traditional yoga, sports rehab therapy, and dynamic resistance. You can follow the fitness program with the DDPY app or book a class with a certified private instructor.
Photograph by Fernando Decillis
21. Treat your ears to a chamber music feast
The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta is in its 32nd year of presenting free classical music concerts. Feed your soul with the Cooke Noontime series at the Carlos Museum and Emerson Concert Hall, free and open to the public. The concerts, always beginning at 12 p.m., feature both local and national musicians playing work by Dvorak, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and more, as well as by contemporary composers.
22. THRIVE TIP: Say goodbye to all that clutter
It’s okay to let go of stuff! Give yourself permission to donate things that no longer serve you. Try asking yourself whether you want to keep something and not whether you should. Banishing guilt from the decluttering process makes it easier to just start.
– Sara Wilkin, founder and owner of Sara Wilkin Organizing
Photograph by The Sintoses
23. Take a spin with dance lessons
Learning a new genre of dance or developing basic skills isn’t just a survival trick for parties and weekends. Regular cardiovascular exercise has tremendous physical and mental benefits, including better sleep, increased brain health, reduced anxiety, and improved cognitive functions such as memory and problem-solving. And no offense to other workouts, but dancing is one of the funnest ways to break a sweat.
City Dance and Music offers dance cards that let you attend various classes over time, ranging from ballet and jazz to hip-hop, salsa, and bachata: a 10-class card for three months ($150) and a 20-class card for six months ($280).
Want something more specific? Try line and country dancing at Heretic with DanceOut Atlanta, community dance classes at Manga African Dance, or flamenco lessons at Caló Gitano. Or brush up on your ballroom-dancing skills at Academy Ballroom Atlanta, where you can take five classes for $65.
Photograph by TVBC Photography
Photograph by TVBC Photography
24. Learn your local history
Atlanta is chock-full of history—good, bad, and ugly. You can soak up the stories of the city in all kinds of formats. For a deep listening dive, try Archive Atlanta, a podcast hosted by Victoria Lemos, which explores the places, people, and events that shaped Atlanta. Or join a walking tour from Unexpected Atlanta, a company founded by historian Akila McConnell that introduces visitors to Atlanta’s history through its vibrant culinary scene. For short bites of fascinating history, follow Anecdotal ATL on Instagram: The brainchild of Briton-turned-ATLien Will Edmonds, these snappy videos jump into some of the city’s most unique corners and surprising stories.
Photograph courtesy of LifeLine Animal Project
Photograph courtesy of LifeLine Animal Project
Photograph courtesy of LifeLine Animal Project
25. Foster a pet for the weekend . . . or foster-fail and adopt one for good
Fostering or volunteering with a local animal rescue such as your local Humane Society or LifeLine Animal Project is one of the easiest ways you can save lives while enriching your own. It’s also an introductory course for anyone considering adopting a pet.
Don’t have the space to foster? There are plenty of ways to volunteer with your local animal rescue, from walking dogs and cleaning animal stalls to writing pet profiles.
This article appears in our January 2025 issue.
Advertisement
