We aren’t sure if the term lawn “sport” is really accurate since you’re practically required to have one hand on a cold beverage for the duration of the competition. Regardless of what you call it, these games are precisely what the backyard was created for.

Kubb
Have some Brannvin and sing a round of “Helan Gar” while you play this Swedish lawn game that claims to date back to the Vikings. Use your Battle Axes to knock over all of your opponent’s Shields and you’re a conqueror. Probably the most addicting game you’ve never played.

Cornhole
The name still prompts some scoffing, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from knowing the sweet feeling of winning a game by your bag going straight through the hole without touching the board.

Bocce
The Italian bowling game for old men is having quite a renaissance these days. The eight balls and a pallino can really be played on any type of surface (sand, dirt, grass), allowing you to mix up the speed and approach to the game.

Croquet
The decidedly English pastime of hitting balls with a mallet through hoops staked in the grass. Your form is always better with a Pimms in hand.

More: check out these videos by Tretorn on how to play Bocce and Croquet.

The Atlanta Jazz Festival will showcase a collection of jazz veterans and up-and-comers spanning a variety of jazz styles. Performers will include Spyro Gyra, Stanley Clarke Band with pianist Hiromi, Marcus Miller and Grammy winner Diane Schuur with drummer and composer Jason Marsalis.

Noon-11 p.m. May 29 & 30. Free entrance.

We could tell you about Paces 88, the new restaurant inside the St. Regis Buckhead, but instead thought we’d show you the new American bistro. Welcome to Bearings’ first video feature. We hope that by adding more of a visual element it will give you a better perspective on what makes the restaurant distinct from others in Atlanta. Click the photo above to watch the feature hosted by Dowd Keith and produced by Tripp Crosby.

On Monday nights in the quiet neighborhood of Underwood Hills, three friends are keeping alive two classic southern traditions: late night bull-sessions with buddies on the back porch, and homemade booze – in this particular instance, beer. The Monday Night Brewery (MNB), as it has been dubbed, was started by Jonathan, Jeff, and Joel, three buttoned-down professionals by day, who met in Bible study at a local church, and are now ardently pursuing their dream of opening a brewery by 2010.

Until then, ale-lovers can drop by to sample the beer; cost of entry is willingness to clean a keg and a few good stories to enliven conversation after brewing. Once MNB perfects its ales, the guys plan to introduce their craft beers (such as Weissguy Hefeweizen, Laissez-Faire Barleywine, and Eye Patch Ale (IPA)) across the Southern region. To learn more about how to become a part of their journey (or how to get a ringside seat), visit www.MondayNightBrewery.com.

The Nutcracker. Photo credit: Charlie McCullers

There are few better ways to get in the Christmas spirit than to celebrate the season with traditional performances of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Nutcracker”.

If you’re in the mood for A Christmas Carol’s Tiny Tim and Ebenezer Scrooge, consider Trois, around the corner from the Alliance Theater, for an early pre-perfomance dinner. Trois, Bob Amick’s modern, French-inspired restaurant is currently offering theater-goers a three-course, fixed-priced dinner ($30 per person) every day from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

For those that prefer Tchaicovsky’s Nutcracker, take in the classic ballet at the Fox Theater after having dinner at Baraonda, a Midtown Italian eatery known for its diverse selection of pastas, wood-fired brick oven pizzas and wines, as well as its warm, window-filled atmosphere.