Riverside EpiCenter, a new event center in south Cobb at 135 Riverside Parkway, opened Jan. 4 as hundreds braved the cold for a tour of the facility.
The sprawling $34 million facility, located just outside Six Flags Over Georgia on I-20, was envisioned by Bishop Dale C. Bronner of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral and is operated by a separate non-profit. Referred to as EPIC, the facility spans some 113,000 sq. ft. and offers an array of professional, personal and social meeting spaces. It also includes a wellness center, gym, rock climbing wall, youth center, six-lane bowling alley, a 600 seat conference center and a food court.
The church built the center across from its campus to provide clean, safe options for fun in a crime-ridden area. This faith-based complex is open to anyone regardless of their religion.
“This will be a great asset to the community,” Bishop Bronner said. “We see it as a compliment to Six Flags.”
Open to the public daily, the 1800 sq. ft. café and Internet lounge features Subway and Einstein Bagel, along with local-brands Tony Morrow’s Real Pit Barbecue, Creole Nouvelle Express (Cajun-style cuisine), Internet Café and Suco Organic Juice Bar.
“This facility is an example of someone who stopped talking and started doing,” former Gov. Roy Barnes said of Bishop Bronner’s dream. “Now we have that place that changes the community and those who live in it.”
“This edifice is extraordinary,” said Congressman David Scott.
EPIC is being marketed for:
• Events: The 600 seat auditorium can host concerts and conferences while banquet seating for 350 is available for birthdays, weddings, and other gatherings. In-house carting is available.
• Sports and fitness: An NCAA sized gymnasium is surrounded by massage, steam, sauna and Jacuzzi rooms. There’s a dance studio, aerobics, cardio and a weight room in the fitness center with an overhead walking and running track.
• Food and Entertainment: In addition to the food court, there is indoor and outdoor dining, bowling, rock climbing, arcade and banquet rooms.
• Youth Facilities: The arcade includes table games and sport, TV lounges, free WiFi, interactive learning and a professional sound studio.
The EpiCenter is also environmentally friendly, earning a LEED Silver Certification with high efficiency mechanical systems, water conservation systems, native plant landscaping and was build using recycled materials.
The EpiCenter is on the former site of a Garden Ridge, since relocated to Douglasville.
From the January 2014 issue of The Bright Side, Cobb County Georgia’s Newspaper covering Smyrna, Vinings, Mableton and Austell, GA.
