Auburn Hills, MI Indoor Activities

Although their name fondly alludes to Michigan's proudest industry, the Detroit Pistons rolled off the assembly line in a different state entirely—Indiana. Automobile-part mogul Fred Zollner founded the team as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, joining the young National Basketball League in 1941. Under Fred's direction, the Pistons immediately found success on the court, winning back-to-back NBL titles in 1944 and 1945 and amassing 166 wins in just nine seasons. As the sport grew, so too did the team. In need of a bigger audience, the Pistons left Fort Wayne for the Motor City, where they continue to challenge Eastern Conference opponents in the NBA. Throughout the years, the team has claimed three NBA championships—most recently in 2004—produced hall of fame players, and earned the record for the highest-scoring game in NBA history—a 186–184 triple-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets in which both teams accidentally scored touchdowns for a whole quarter.

Avon Players has been a cultural and civic mainstay of the City of Rochester Hills before it was even known as City of Rochester Hills. Founded in what was then known as the Avon Township, the non-profit theater group has spread its contagious "Let's put on a show!" spirit throughout Southeast Michigan since 1947. With a wealth of local talent onstage and behind the scenes, Avon Players mount an average of five elaborately produced shows a year, all featuring special effects, live orchestras, lavish sets, and dazzling lighting. In addition to entertaining the community with a variety of Broadway musicals, British comedies, and award-winning dramas, the Players also mount youth theater productions, which teach budding thespians the craft and how to cook thrown tomatoes into a mean marinara sauce.

The fourth-annual Passion for Fashion show cultivates a wintry celebration of elegance and holiday goodwill. Models strut down the catwalk robed in the latest flowing fashions from top local designers, stepping in time to the energizing dance music that DJs sprinkle into the air. As guests remark on the beauty of the designs, the vision of the hairstylists, and the unerring ability of each model to turn before walking off the edge of the runway, guests nibble on hors d'oeuvres and sip cocktails from a cash bar. Portions of the evening's proceeds go to benefit the Adopt-A-Refugee Family Program, which works to empower and assist families displaced by conflict.

A miniature locomotive passes beneath the shadow of a towering monkey statue. Nearby, a dragon-shaped roller coaster zooms past oversized ferns and a yawning hippo. Tropical accents like these define Jeepers!’s frenetic, color-saturated space, which, in addition to five amusement park rides, entertains tykes aged 12 and younger with more than 80 arcade games. Once kids have expended their excess energy, families can retreat to the concession stand and refuel with a menu of pizzas and burgers.:m]]

Moms, sisters, wives, and friends unite beneath a mud-splashed banner in a collective effort to conquer the Diamonds & Dirt Women's Adventure Run. At a length of 3–6 miles—depending on the route chosen by each racer—the course sends feet scurrying across trails, rivers, and sludgy terrain. As muck-masked participants march forward, a lineup of boot-camp-like exercise stations lies in wait to further drain endurance reserves and test taxed muscles until they succeed or cry "Uncle!" An award ceremony recognizes the day's quickest participants, and a post-race celebration enables racers to refuel with food while comparing new layers of confidence that sprung up along the course.

At Extreme Fun’s inflatable playland, kids bounce, climb, and slide across 27,000 square feet of springy tunnels and obstacles. With feet snug inside socks or thumbless mittens, young ones can explore the climate-controlled play area’s collection of sturdy inflatables, which include Nickelodeon characters, Superman–theme obstacle courses, and Finding Nemo stations that take kids through the cushy mouth of a great white shark. Extreme Fun also features a collection of interactive video games as well as a 550-square-foot inflatable basketball arena. Parents are welcome to join their young ones during bouncy basketball games to teach them basics of the game, such as defensive plays or how to stick out their tongue like Michael Jordan while dunking.