Plan your next date around options that will appeal to the daredevil in every couple: get high, free fall and soar over the most action-packed city in the state. Check out these kick-the-bucket-list, dare-devil dates right next door that are sure to pack a little spice into any relationship.
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Atlanta Skydiving Center
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; reservations required
Price: $195/person
There probably is no greater rush than free falling through the sky at the rapidly approaching ground. Satisfy your thirst for adventure and feel the adrenaline pounding through your body, at the Atlanta Skydiving Center. The center (featured in “Best Destinations for Skydivers“) offers instruction on basic safety procedures and the mechanics of the jumps, of course. Plan to plummet from about 12,000 feet before pulling that ripcord and floating to the ground.
Balloons over Georgia
Hours: Daily – one hour prior to sunrise and two hours prior to sunset
Price: $325/person for a private couples flight; $225/person for a non-exclusive flight
Some people prefer the thrill of going up in the air on an atmospheric adventure without reaching terminal velocity. For those couples, Balloons over Georgia, based out of Cumming, offers couples spectacular views of the Atlanta skyline as well as Tennessee and North Carolina. Your flight can be as low as the treetops or as high as several thousand feet off the ground, so the amount of thrill is entirely up to you.
Richard Petty Driving Experience
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Price: $109 for a ride-along experience, $449 and up for a driving experience.
Get your thrills while staying low to the ground; zoom around a racetrack at 160 miles an hour and get your blood pumping. The Richard Petty Experience is available at NASCAR stops throughout the country, and can be a great option for couples who feel the need for speed. Choose to ride along with a NASCAR instructor, or go for the full-fledged driving experience with anywhere from eight to thirty laps around the track.
Related: Best Atlanta Area Paintball
Georgia Equestrian Center at Lake Lanier
Hours: daily; every hour on the hour, daylight only
Price: $35/person
Adventure doesn’t have to mean hurtling at high speeds or leaving the face of the planet. It can also mean exploring new areas by new means. Lake Lanier offers trail rides and lessons for novice horseback riders. The resort also offers ride and romance packages that are perfect for couples, combining a 45-minute private trail ride with a picnic lunch and wine on the shore of the lake.
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Banning Mills Screaming Eagle Adventure Park Zipline
Hours: Mon to Sat – 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m; Sun 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Price: $49/person for the beginner level, going up to $99/person for advanced levels
Restrictions: Maximum weight of 250 lbs for women and 285 lbs for men. Minimum weight is 50 lbs.
Maybe floating above the trees in a balloon isn’t your bag. Perhaps plummeting in a free-fall to earth doesn’t do it either. Combine the two for a fantastic adventure. Zipline tours allow you to get close to nature by zooming directly over it suspended by a wire accelerating through the tree canopies to speeds of 60 mph. Enjoy more than seven miles of zipline. Banning Mills also offers controlled free falls, extreme challenge and ropes courses, and a bed and breakfast after you’re completely worn out.
Related: A Guide to Indoor Rock Climbing in Atlanta
Michael Francis is a freelance writer studying at Georgia State University. His work can be found at Examiner.com.
