Georgia State University Recreational Services: Achieving Excellence in an Urban Setting

Mission

The Georgia State University Department of Recreational Services promotes healthy life-styles through exceptional recreational programs, services and facilities.

Vision

The Department of Recreational Services will be the leader in recreational programs among urban universities serving a diverse student body.

Description of Facility(s)

Recreational Services manages three facilities on the Atlanta campus: Student Recreation Center, Indian Creek Recreation Area and Panthersville. The department also provides programs, services and facilities on the Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody and Newton campuses.

Student Recreation Center

The flagship facility, located in downtown Atlanta is the Student Recreation Center opened in August 2001. In 2002, it was recognized by NIRSA as an Outstanding Sports Facility. In 2012, the building became Green Globes certified, earning three globes out of four due to its commitment to being green and sustainable development.

The Student Recreation Center is a 161,000-square-foot facility located on the Atlanta Campus. Facility highlights include:

Multi-level 14,600-square-foot area dedicated to free weight and cardio space.

The Aquatic Center includes lap pool, zero depth entry leisure pool with vortex, spa and sauna.

Touch the Earth Outdoor Recreation Rental Center and 35-foot climbing wall.

Game room with billiards, table tennis, air hockey and gaming consoles.

Studios include aerobics, dance, cycling, yoga and martial arts.

Main gym with courts lined for basketball and volleyball.

Indoor track that is one eighth of a mile.

Omni gym is a multiuse gym with recessed soccer goals. The court area is lined for indoor soccer, basketball, volleyball, arena flag football, badminton and fencing. It also includes team boxes and spectator seating.

Indian Creek Recreation Area

The Indian Creek Recreation Area was purchased by the university in 1938. Recreational Services took over responsibility in 1974. Property highlights include:

4,700 square-foot lodge that houses a large multipurpose room, two breakout meeting rooms, an open lobby reception area with a fireplace, a catering kitchen and front and rear decks with outside seating.

Ropes Course that has high and low elements. The high ropes course is over 130 feet long and has two levels with its highest point at 38 feet above the ground. The three zip lines off the course total nearly 1,000 feet long.

15.5 acres of land use with low challenge program elements around the property.

Panthersville Recreation Complex

The Panthersville Recreation Complex hosts outdoor intramural sports, sport club practices, sport club competitions and numerous special events. Complex highlights include:

Two large lighted natural grass fields and two softball fields.

Field house with sundeck for spectators.

Programming Highlights

Aquatics/Safety

Every semester we offer various scheduled activities including private and group swim lessons, swim development clinics and special programs including Dive in Movie, Underwater Basketweaving and Leisure to Lifeguard.

Our safety program offers American Red Cross Adult CPR/AED and First Aid with anaphylaxis and epinephrine auto-injector training and Lifeguarding certification courses.

Fitness

Our program offers a wide variety of group fitness classes and instructional clinics. Group fitness classes are free and no registration is required. Classes vary from Zumba, boxing, majorette dance, Pilates and AfroFusion dance cardio.

Instructional clinics are fee-based and participants learn a skill at the end of the semester-long session. Clinics range from ballet fundamentals, self-defense, belly dance, yoga and more.

Fitness assessments and personal training sessions are available. Graduate assistants serve as personal trainers and guide participants through one, four or eight sessions throughout the semester.

Recreational Services offers free Nutrition Counseling with Pawsitive Nutrition. Services include individualized goal setting such as increasing muscle mass, mindful eating, portion control and improving food choices.

Competitive Sports

Our Intramural sports program offers 18-20 leagues/tournaments annually. Champions of the Atlanta campus basketball league compete against perimeter campus champions for an annual ALL Georgia State University Championship game.
We offer 16-18 different sport clubs ranging from soccer, capoeira, volleyball, golf and barbell.

Outdoors (Touch the Earth)

Touch the Earth — Recreational Services’ outdoor recreation program — offers a wide variety of experiences designed for all skill levels and led by a team of experienced volunteer trip leaders and facilitators. Trips and clinics range from stand up paddleboarding, hiking, rafting, glamping, backcountry cooking, zipline and bonfire, and special overnight experiences.
Touch the Earth also offers equipment rental to help support personal adventures and a high and low ropes course for all team-building needs.

Special Events

Annual Signature events include Pounce Around the Rec, NIRSA Rec Day, State of Play Series, and Rec and Relaxation. This year’s Pounce Around the Rec’s theme was Let’s Glow. Activities included laser tag, a DJ, Floor is Lava, an Escape Room and more. The State of Play Series offers a series of special programming at Hurt Park such as fitness in the park, safety activities, field days and art clinics.

Informal Drop-In Recreation

Students and members can check out a wide variety of free equipment including basketballs, soccer balls, jump ropes, resistance bands, racquetball equipment, volleyballs, etc. For sale items include towels, swim goggles and caps, earbuds, weightlifting gloves, and more. All facility spaces are open for drop-in recreation unless there is a prior reservation.

Fun Facts

The Department started in 1973 and has been serving the Georgia State University community for 51 years.

The Student Recreation Center has consistently been one of the highest accessed facilities on the Atlanta campus with over 100 million entries to date since opening in 2001.

The department is one of the largest employers of students on campus. There are approximately 200 student employees.

In 2024, Recreational Services was awarded two NIRSA Innovative Programming awards. One award was for the State of Play Series the other for NIRSA Rec Day Your Way.

Hosted politician and civil rights activist John Lewis at our Student Recreation Center for Welcome Week and for his book signing in fall 2019.

Department hosted the Atlanta Olympics badminton competition in 1996.

Indian Creek Recreation Area Lodge is the first LEED-certified building at Georgia State University.

Indian Creek Recreation Area – Indian Trail Tree – American Indian historians believe Native Americans would mark their trails, sources of water or areas of danger by modifying the growth of young saplings. The property boasts a great example of this technique over 200 years later.