MARIETTA, Ga. — Fasten your seatbelts! Andretti Indoor Karting & Games is gearing up to open in Marietta this week.
The business, named for the Andretti racing family, offers state of the art gaming, Sodi RTX electric karts, Andretti-designed multi-level tracks, boutique bowling, laser tag, a 7D theater, driving simulators and more. The new Marietta location features several bars and a restaurant, too.
"To bring in my family, you know, my son, my grandson, my nephew and his son, we're all in on this project and you can see this represents the growth from what we started in Roswell," Mario Andretti told WSBTV.com's Nelson Hicks at the ribbon cutting and VIP party this week.
Andretti's opened in Roswell in 2001. There's also a location in Florida.
"After 14 years of success at our Roswell location, it was an easy decision to open a second location in the Atlanta area. Cobb County's family community offered an ideal environment for our expansion," said Dominic Minniti, managing member.
The new facility offers 100,000-square feet of entertainment space, complete with an arcade of more than 110 video games for the entire family, the XD Dark Ride 7D interactive movie theater, one of only two in the state; both owned by Andretti, and the CXC driving simulator, the only one of its kind in commercial use in the country with international iRacing capabilities.
The simulator even challenges someone who has won both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500.
"So many things are so challenging, you know, especially those simulators," Andretti said. "I can see those young kids going. I get confused in (the simulator). (I'm) gonna have to devote more time to be decent at it, but that's a challenge."
Additionally, Andretti offers 10,000 square feet of event space for corporate meetings, teambuilding events, social gatherings, birthday parties and more.
"Since opening the first Andretti entertainment facility in 1999, our primary focus has always been to offer our valued guests the latest state of the art attractions, the highest level of customer service and a clean and safe environment," said John Andretti, Mario's nephew, who has raced in NASCAR and the IndyCar series. "The Andretti family looks forward to bringing our brand of entertainment to Marietta!"
The new Andretti's opens its doors on Oct. 17. It's on Roswell Road, just off I-75.