Things to Do in Bakersfield

Roars, growls, and clanking metal clamors from behind the castle walls. This is Camelot Park, where families can roar around curvy courses in growling go-karts and smack baseballs with aluminum bats at the batting cages. After chasing checkered flags and practicing their swings for the zombie apocalypse, guests take it down a notch to putt around waterfalls, a pink castle, and a painted pagoda on the 18-hole mini-golf course. Afterward, guests can play arcade and redemption games inside or fire streams of water at each other from aboard bumper boats. Party packages combine these attractions but throw in pizza, balloons, and a personal party host.

BodyKind Pilates's founder and principle trainer, Jennifer McCandless, has dedicated most of her life to the healing arts. She has spent the last 20 years exploring functional anatomy, biomechanics, yoga, and meditation, and achieved a master’s degree in holistic health and wellness. Entranced by Pilates's innovative blend of Eastern and Western body-healing approaches, she then went on to open her own studio. Here, she and a crew of seasoned instructors foster a noncompetitive community, welcoming students of all fitness levels to practice the strength-developing workout regimen. The bright, private studio is loaded with sticky mats, a collection of specialized equipment, and spandex pants that magically fit everyone. The instructors conduct private and small group classes in the Reformer and mat Pilates styles, helping students build bodily awareness, strengthen their cores, and improve their posture, flexibility, and coordination.

Dave’s Hobby Central proliferates the 65-year legacy of Atkins Hobby's with a stock of model airplanes, helicopters, rockets, and cars in both analog and radio-controlled styles. Armed with remote controls, racers pit vehicles against one other in bi-weekly open bouts, hoping to place in the top three to earn a coveted Dave's Hobby Central plaque. During and after races, an onsite repair team stands ready to revitalize damaged models. For more hardcore racing fanatics, the shop stocks a variety of detail paint, allowing owners to intimidate competitors with racing stripes or spot-on depictions of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

Every Thursday, Comedy Hideaway ushers in a lineup of HBO– and Comedy Central–anointed performers, its stage still echoing with the bygone riffs of such national acts as Zach Galifianakis and Whitney Cummings. The club's founder, Andrey Belikov, often hosts and performs at the evening's revues, spinning impressions of his Ukrainian father and detailing his foibles in American society. Between sets, guests avail themselves of Petrini’s menu of Italian fare, sip laugh-loosening drinks, and stand in line for autographs from nationally touring microphone stands.

After spending years as head coach for the Weil Tennis Academy and tournament director for the Bulgarian Tennis Federation, USPTR professional Dimitar Yazadzhiev now leads a team of professional tennis coaches at Oceanside School of Tennis. Through group and private lessons, the coaching staff aims to help students develop critical areas such as technique, footwork, peak performance, intimidation grunting, nutrition, and strategy. During each camp and clinic, students also take part in fitness sessions with certified athletic trainers and certified conditioning specialists. All Oceanside School of Tennis sessions take place at Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort, which is surrounded by a natural enclosure of mountains and the Pacific Ocean.