Decatur GlassblowingPhotograph by The Sintoses Meet new people IRL for friendship or flirting Sarah Smith and Eric Daiter were fed up with meeting people—romantically and platonically—online. Instead, they created Wacky Social Club in 2024 to host events with the sole goal of getting people off their phones and into face-to-face activities. The duo organizes what they call non-awkward, non-exclusive meetups (mostly for friendship but sometimes as singles dating events) that encourage people to try new things together. Recent adventures have included pickleball, roller-skating, trash pickup, and salsa dancing. The age of most attendees ranges from late 20s to early 40s, but all are welcome for Wacky club activities. Learn how to do ink tattoos (but safely!)  Forget paint-and-sip. Drink and Ink takes creativity to the next level by letting you “be a tattoo artist for a night.” Hosted at Inkorporated Tattoo Parlor in Marietta, this one-of-a-kind event allows you to try your hand at real tattooing on synthetic skin, no experience needed. Led by Elijah Akeem, a professional tattoo artist, Drink and Ink covers the basics, from handling a tattoo gun to outlining and shading, in a fun, judgment-free zone. It’s the perfect night out for those who love art and trying something new. Bring a friend and grab a drink (it’s BYOB), and see if your doodling skills can translate into actual body art. Join an Atlanta skate club Atlanta’s roller-skate scene has always been a hub for self-expression, and the city’s skate clubs and mainstay venues are taking that legacy to new heights. Groups like Bad Bitch Skate Club, an all-LGBTQ+ crew, host weekly Beltline meetups and themed pop-up skate parties. At the legendary Cascade skating rink on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, adults-only nights turn into minicompetitions, with regulars and professional crews showing off their best routines. Sparkles Family Fun Center (multiple OTP locations) offers families an easy entry into the scene, as well as other kid-friendly attractions such as laser tag, an indoor playground, and arcade games.  Get Up and Dance!Photograph by Nova Star Media/Emma Sage Try a beginner arts or dance class Sometimes feeling good means allowing yourself to be a beginner again. Why not flex a new creative muscle with a dance class or art workshop? For the movement curious, start with Atlanta Fusion Bellydance, a studio owned by Faaridah (Farah) Taylor that celebrates movement and confidence through Middle Eastern dance. The teachers specialize in MENAHT (Middle East, North Africa, Hellas, Turkey) and transnational fusion dance styles and offer dance fitness classes that include Bollywood, salsa, Zumba, yoga, and Pilates. At Get Up and Dance!, a multigenre studio owned by Leah Boresow Groover, classes range from foundational techniques to advanced choreography. You can learn everything from adult hip-hop and tap to ballet and musical theater in a supportive, come-as-you-are atmosphere. For something less structured, Dance Church Atlanta turns fitness into a release with upbeat, free-for-all movement sessions held Sunday mornings and Thursday nights and hosted by professional dance artists.  the Tuftest Class In TownCourtesy of The Tuftest Class In Town Prefer to create with your hands? MudFire in Decatur offers pottery classes and open studio time for beginners ready to spin clay on the wheel. Decatur Glassblowing is a great place to fan the flames of creativity—literally. The shop is open for public group and private classes, where you can create everything from ornaments and paperweights to kitchen glassware and animal figurines. For experienced glassblowers, the shop also rents studio space to create on your own work. Meanwhile, at The Tuftest Class in Town, you can design and tuft your own custom rug from scratch. Or stop by Sea Love Atlanta to pour candles with handpicked scents that fit your mood. Each of these experiences invites you to slow down, play, and remember that the best way to start something new is simply to show up. Join an all-women gun owners’ social club For women curious about safe firearm use, Chicks Who Carry provides intimidation-free education. Lady V—aka Violet Reed-Sanders, a licensed gun-safety and self-defense instructor—launched Women with Weapons Social Gun Club in the fall of 2020, hoping to empower herself by learning the art of self-defense weaponry. What began as an invitation to a small group of friends and family quickly grew into a community of women interested in becoming responsible gun owners. This social club, geared to women over 35 years old, mixes safety education and mental preparedness with empowerment and community, offering beginner-friendly training sessions and meetups in cities around the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Chicks Who Carry currently has four chapters throughout Georgia and hosts a self-defense bootcamp open to all members.  Grab a book and read with others Featured in our 2024 Best of Atlanta lineup, the local chapter of Silent Book Club is for introverts who still crave community. This book club (founded by Sophia Griesenauer) is the perfect low-pressure social scene. There’s no assigned reading or small talk requirements—just book lovers gathering at local restaurants, bookstores, and outdoor spaces to read together in comfortable silence. Participants are encouraged to arrive by 1:00, start reading at 1:30, and, if they choose, meet and mingle at 2:30. Bring your current read, and settle in for an hour of collective literary quiet.  This article appears in our January 2026 issue. The post 6 ways to get out of your comfort zone in Atlanta this year appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less