Adrenaline Junkies
While the South has a reputation for taking things slow and being a place to sit back and relax, there is also the side that appeals to the adventurous adrenaline hound. If you are ready to get ‘down and dirty’ then read on for a wide variety of adventures that your friends and family will talk about for months to come.
While the South has a reputation for taking things slow and being a place to sit back and relax, there is also the side that appeals to the adventurous adrenaline hound. If you are ready to get ‘down and dirty’ then read on for a wide variety of adventures that your friends and family will talk about for months to come.
Photos: Porche Cars North America, Inc.
1. Test Drive the Porsche Life
Within the withered husk of every commuter wasting away behind the wheel of a grocery-grabber beats the heart of a driver. At the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, you can find the pulse of that heart, then send its BPM soaring as you tear across the track in one of the finest automobiles known to man.
No less a visionary than Ferdinand Porsche once said, “Life itself is a race, marked by a start, and a finish. It is what we learn during the race, and how we apply it, that determines whether our participation has had particular value. If we learn from each success, and each failure, and improve ourselves through this process, then at the end, we have fulfilled our potential and performed well.”
Of course, he also famously said, “I couldn’t find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself.”
For many of us, the car he willed into existence sits at the center of our loftiest ambitions for that race. In life, we all want to be the person behind the wheel of that Porsche, its sleek design and horsepower sending us roaring through a life well lived.
But, owning one of these legendary machines might not be in the cards just yet. So the best we can do is hope to spend a few laps putting one through its paces.
At the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, along 1.6 miles of track, we can all live that life if only for one day. Here, whether you are looking to purchase a Porsche or just want to see what it feels like, you can take out one of these machines on a driver development track that incorporates a whole world of experiences. Hug winding country roads on the handling circuit. See how well you handle ice and rain on the kick plate. Test the Cayenne’s off-road engineering on the obstacle course. And make the physics of driving your plaything on the dynamics area and low-friction courses.
On these courses, drivers have a fleet of 77 vehicles representing the full range of core Porsche products at their disposal. And when they’re done giving their adrenal glands a workout, there is plenty more to see, do and taste at the Porsche Experience Center.
At the Heritage Gallery, view static displays of significant vehicles from Porsche’s long history. At the Porsche Classic Factor Restoration Workshop, owners of classic Porsche models can enjoy restoration services unlike anything outside of Germany. At Restaurant 356, enjoy gourmet excellence overlooking the track. At the Driving Simulator Lab, dive into a state-of-the-art VR experience that puts those behind the wheel on some of the most famous tracks in the world.
And if a few laps around the track has you convinced that, like Ferdinand Porsche, you must build the sports car of your dreams, you can do that at the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur – Personal Design Studio, where you can build your Porsche from the ground up, selecting leather, paint samples, options and specialty parts. And when it’s time to sign the paperwork, the New Vehicle Delivery Program offers a private vehicle orientation with a New Vehicle Delivery Specialist, drive experience on the Driver Development Track in a Porsche similar to their new vehicle, a tour of One Porsche Drive and lunch for two in Restaurant 356.
Porsche Experience Atlanta is located at One Porsche Drive in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit porschedriving.com/atlanta or follow @PECATL to learn more.
Photos: D. Paul Graham
2. Throw a Round
Disc Golf Emerges as the Fourth Largest Growing Sport in the U.S.
If your reaction is “disc what?” when you hear the phrase disc golf, then you are missing the newest sports craze. Disc golf is what happened when a frisbee and the game of golf decided to get married, courtesy of inventor Ed “Steady” Headrick. It is currently listed as the fourth fastest growing sport in the United States.
In the early 1970s, Ed Headrick began work at “Wham-o” toys, working his way up to head of research and development. His job was to improve existing toys so that they would sell better and invent new games. The company had a project called a saucer that was not selling well, so Headrick stepped in and redesigned it, coming up with the frisbee.
Headrick went on to create disc golf, a hybrid of frisbee and regular golf, before he left the toy company to start his own business. In 1976 Headrick brought into existence the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), and in 1977 trademarked the “Disc Hole Pole” as a standardized catching device that could handle a disc thrown from any direction. Today, there are over 7,000 disc golf courses installed throughout the world, and this unique game is enjoying a resurgence of popularity.
Headrick was so proud of his creation that he left instructions that his ashes should be incorporated into a limited number of discs to be given to family, with the remaining ones sold to support the 501c3 nonprofit to fund the “Steady” Ed Memorial Disc Golf Museum at the PDGA International Disc Golf Center in Columbia County, Georgia.
Today, disc golf is quickly becoming an amateur as well as professional phenomenon. Part of the reason for the resurgence in popularity is the need in a post COVID world to have a new sport that can be played outside. If you are ready for a new adventure by playing disc golf, then here are a few places you should visit!
Where to get gear + Play
Tybee Island, GA
TIMS Bikes, Beach Gear & Disc Golf
timsbeachgear.com
Jaycee Park Disc Golf Course
Pooler, GA
Dynamic Discs Savannah | @dynamicdiscssav
Tom Triplett Community Park | 912.965.9629
more at dgcoursereview.com
Ready to Play?
you’ll need at least three disc golf discs + a bag to carry them in water bottles, snacks, sunscreen and bug spray, more discs (for when you get your first three stuck in trees) disc retriever (and/or ball or other hard object to throw at discs in trees to knock them out) disc golf towels (for water perils and mud pits).
3. Ziplining and White Water Rafting
Welcome to the oldest white water outfitter in the US Southwest. Wildwater was started in 1971 on the Chattooga River and has expanded to cover four rivers across four states including Georgia, North and South Carolina and Tennessee.
The Chattooga is the crown jewel of southern white water rafting and it is famous for being a location in the movie Deliverance. Clients can choose from the family-friendly, slower water section, or do the complete experience that includes an overnight stay. For the ultimate experience, add in the Chattooga Ridge Canopy Tour that will take you through multiple ecosystems and end with an outrageously fun zipline water crossing and the 1200 foot Bell Tower Express zip.
4. Skydive over GA
Ever wondered what it would be like to jump out of an airplane? The Jumping Place Skydiving Center in Statesboro, Ga., is the perfect place to do just that, learn how to skydive and take that next step into the beyond. Advanced freefall (AFF) and canopy flight training — combined with the United States Parachute Association Integrated Student Program — provides skydivers with a guided method of training. Broken into categories, training begins with a four-to-six hour ground school and the first freefall jump. Each category advances jumper skill sets and completes the steps required to become a licensed skydiver. It is designed to teach patrons to become a solo freefall skydiver in just a few jumps.
Ground school and training for the first jump is a half-day program, but the remaining jumps can be done at a much faster pace (up to three jumps per day). Each category contains training in such areas as equipment, aircraft procedures, freefall, canopy flight, as well as other technical information needed to advance through the sport and make participants competent and safe skydivers.
5. Charleston Speed Boat Adventures
Have a unique adventure on the high seas by piloting a speed boat in the Charleston Harbor. This is a great outing for all ages (except those under the age of three). Receive instruction on how to pilot the boat and then take the wheel to navigate through all the sites available on the harbor, all the while having a highly trained professional guide on the other end of a two way communication system. See all the wildlife that live in and around the harbor, and cruise for 13 miles, past the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Waterfront Park, the cruise ship terminal and the Charleston skyline.
speedboatadventures.com/charleston
Photography by Bruno Brokken
6. Excuse Me While I Kiss The Sky
At the top of the world, where the line between planet earth and outer space begins to blur, KĒBĒ Keith Edward Snyder did something no human being has done before. Call it an act of extreme sports insanity. Call it the pursuit of a high unlike any other. Call it a moment in history. No matter how you look at it, the fact remains: Snyder jumped out of a plane at 13,500 feet, a mere mortal. When he touched the ground, he landed as a man who had experienced a higher plane of existence.
The Great Pyramids of Egypt have stood watch for centuries as conquerors, kings, and legends rose up and returned to the dust. The last of the ancient world’s wonders to still stand, they were already unspeakably old when Christ walked the earth, the memory of their construction long-since buried in the sand.
They have witnessed the march of history, but on November 1, 2021, they witnessed something they had never seen before. In fact, it was something no one had ever seen before. From 13,500 feet in the air, KĒBĒ Keith Edward Snyder came corkscrewing toward their peaks, spinning at 222 rpms as he made his way into the record books.
“You know when you see kids playing and they spin around with their arms out and then fall to the floor? They’re feeling that high feeling,” he said. “It was kind of like a rebirth during the spin. Like everything left and then I came back to life.”
The spin landed Snyder in the Guinness Book of World Records, setting a new record for “most helicopter spins while skysurfing” at a mind-boggling 160.
But he didn’t do it for the record books. Snyder’s jump was, in part, a way to honor his father, whom he’d lost to Glioblastoma the year before. It was also a way for him to transcend himself, reaching a higher plane.
“During a rotation you’re just this spinning entity… relative time is shifting,” he said. “I was looking at the horizon, and then looking into the spin. There wasn’t any finding a spot on the ground. I was just staying in that tube. Then you get to a balance point where you’re starting to feel what it’s like to exist as this spinning entity. It’s cool.”
Even cooler is coming out of that spin and realizing you’re gazing at something that has fascinated humanity for centuries, from a vantage point few will ever share.
“I exit the spin, and I’m just thinking, ‘let’s not push things. Just shake it off.’ And then I realize I’m on top of the pyramids with a parachute,” he said. “The first time I really saw them was after my parachute deployed.”
Rock out like KĒBĒ Keith Edward Snyder: If you’re going to launch yourself at the ground from the edge of space, you’re going to want some kickass tunes for the ride down. Here’s the playlist Snyder had in his earbuds during his world-record jump.
- Pearl Jam: Just Breathe
- Jimi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune
- Soundgarden: Superunkown
- Pearl Jam: Supersonic
- Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
- Soundgarden: My Wave
- Moby: Flower
The Great Pyramids of Egypt witnessed the latest step in history as KĒBĒ Keith Edward Snyder spun his way into the Guinness Book of World Records. Snyder himself felt born anew after the transcendent experience.
7. Take the Ride of Your Life
For a flying high adventure, check out Hilton Head Helicopter Tours. Pick an exciting adventure ranging from breathtaking tours to private charters that touch down on remote islands to go horseback riding. See Hilton Head, Daufuskie, Tybee Island, and downtown Savannah by air. Perfect for families, couples, and groups. For the ecologically minded, the remote beaches and wildlife eco-tour offers a unique look at pristine sands that are impossible to reach by car. Along the way, enjoy seeing shipwrecks, deserted lighthouses and old fishing cabins, along with sharks, dolphins and bald eagles.
Or, take the Lighthouse Tour. As one can imagine, the scenery on this flight is absolutely magnificent. Along the way see not only the long-forgotten beacons of the sea, but downtown Savannah, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, breathtaking coastal views of the Lowcountry, and small remote islands only a few have ever seen.
8. Escape Zombies
Senoia, Ga., was just another sleepy southern town until 2011 when the hit television series “The Walking Dead” (TWD) began filming there. For anyone not familiar with TWD, it is based on a popular comic book series about a group of misfits that somehow survive the end of the world as we know it, and they band together to fight zombies that have been turned into the ‘walking dead’ by a virus. Before filming started, there were only 10 businesses in town. Now, there are over 50, and many of them exist because of the show. AMC offers official studio tours of filming locations, or visit the walled town of Alexandria that is featured in the show just outside Senoia. While there, visit the famed restaurant Nic and Norman’s owned by Norman Reedus who plays Daryl, one of TWD’s main characters. There are many places selling memorabilia from the show and others are simply named after people or places in TWD.
visitpeachtreecity.com/explore-zombies
9. Get Your Wings
Ever dreamed of becoming a pilot? Well, Savannah Aviation is here to make dreams come true. They have a team of 14 instructors and a fleet of 12 aircraft and will even fly to pick you up when signed up for lessons. Savannah Technical College has even teamed up with Savannah Aviation so that students at the college can begin pilot training. Not ready to begin classes? Then simply call Savannah Aviation and book a Discovery Flight for only $129. If getting a pilot’s license is on at the top of your to-do list, look no further than Savannah Aviation, an authorized Computer Assisted Testing Service (CATS) center, offering examinations for all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) written exams as well as hundreds of different educational, licensing and certification tests.
10. Learn how to Scuba Dive
There are plenty of dive shops in the South, but very few of them cater to families learning how to dive. The whole tribe can take snorkeling and scuba diving lessons in the local pool — an environment that is safe and controllable. There is equipment for sale and to rent, air tank fill-ups or book a local charter to take the family out for an afternoon of diving in the ocean. For a true adventure under the sea, plan a trip to St. Simon’s Island and Georgia’s Golden Isles.
11. Go Beyond the Wild Blue
Experience something exciting, exhilarating, and adventurous on the Wild Blue Challenge Course, featuring 72 suspended obstacles elevated up to 35 feet in the air. The course is expertly designed for maximum thrills, but one doesn’t have to be a CrossFit warrior to embrace the experience. Wild Blue Ropes is made up of three difficulty levels, ranging from beginner to expert. Some of the obstacles just take sheer grit to cross, while others may test balance or spatial skills. Wild Blue also offers a selection of outdoor activities and adventure sources for people of all ages and all fitness levels. From exploring the outermost limits to pushing boundaries, Wild Ropes offers courses for individuals and groups. This adventure park is perfect for team building activities, class trips, birthday parties or an after school program.
12. Eco ATV Tours
Historic Banning Mills, located in the historic Snake Creek Gorge, has a plethora of offerings for the adventure hound from ziplining and kayaking to horseback riding. But the truly unique experience they offer is Eco-Spider ATV tours. Eco-Spiders by Swincar are powerful and rugged four-wheeled electric vehicles with spider-like arms that move independently to tackle tough off-road terrain. The pendulum seat allows drivers to remain level while keeping all four wheels in contact with the ground, even on steep inclines. The quiet motor allows for silent running and low environmental footprint. After an afternoon of adventure, stay overnight at one of the lodges at Banning Mills or simply pull up a chair for dinner.
historicbanningmills.com/eco-spider-tours
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