Things to Do in Bakersfield

During public skate sessions at SJCH Ice Center of Bakersfield, a SMG managed facility, staffers give experienced skaters a wide berth, but stay on hand to assist novices with the basics, including lacing up their skates and getting back up after taking a tumble on the ice.

Instruction continues at the skating school, where students of all levels and ages can enhance their skating skills during private lessons or 12-person classes with 12 free public skating sessions and progress reports after their first month. The climate-controlled center—always kept at below 60 degrees—also hosts 14-week youth hockey seasons and three divisions of adult hockey league, which accommodate recreational to top-tier players.

Along with action on the rink, SJCH Ice Center of Bakersfield keeps its pro shop stocked with figure skating and hockey apparel. The in-house technicians can spruce up skates with repair and sharpening services. After hockey games or skating practice, guests can reenergize with pizza, popcorn, and hot chocolate from the Slap Shot snack bar, which entertains visitors with video games such as Super Mario Goes Ice Fishing.

The promoters behind Valley Comedy draw from a rib-tickling lineup of local comedians and touring funny folk to host monthly shows at Shamrock's Irish Pub in Bakersfield, Silver Dollar Hofbrau in Fresno, and the venerable Western-themed Old Town Saloon in Clovis. Valley Comedy also works with the community to arrange public and private events, dispatching standup comedians to fundraisers, corporate events, parties, and glum parent-teacher conferences throughout the Central Valley.

The flight instructors at Just Fly Paragliding steer students over California landscapes in tandem paragliding lessons and USHPA flight-training programs. They teach basic paragliding maneuvers as well as more advanced flips, turns, and a range of landing approaches. Before taking off, though, they prep students for the risks of getting airborne by covering risk assessment, proper gear handling, weather interpretation, and landing under emergency conditions such as high winds or raining meatballs. In addition to helping customers commemorate flights through photos and video, Just Fly Paragliding provides the means to fly with beginner and intermediate gliders by Ozone, Shoo'ka, and Flying Planet.:m]]

Tucked amid the shadows of eucalyptus trees and mexican palms, Buena Vista Golf Course roams across 6,710 yards of dramatically undulating terrain. Throughout the par-72 layout, golfers grapple with uneven lies wrought by the hilly topography, as well as large, contoured greens that require a soft touch with the putter. As players make their way from tee to green, hillcrests offer glimpses of the surrounding farmland, the two lakes that comprise Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Center, and distant mountains as they ripple out into the horizon and hide the unsightly edge of the earth. Guests looking to polish their game can consult Buena Vista's two PGA Class A professionals, who offer private lessons and club-fitting services.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course

• Total length of 6,710 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 72.9 from the back tees

• Slope rating of 124 from the back tees

• Four sets of tees per hole

• Scorecard

Backed by a landscape of rolling green hills, paintballers navigate a maze of trenches, only peering above ground with their be-goggled eyes for a careful survey. With 14 battlefields to choose from, paintballing combatants test their mettle while fostering team-building and strategization skills. Players fire off rounds from Tippmann or Kingman air guns while ducking behind rusted, paint-splattered oil drums, stacks of large tires, or the big yellow dump truck left behind by Godzilla's toddler. Each battleground presents a different challenge—the turf airball course is populated by inflatable obstacles, and the woodsball field forces teams to traverse forested grounds made hazardous by wetlands and overgrowth. After a grueling match, players can take refuge in the shaded picnic areas to rest, refuel, or brush up on Sun Tzu's lesser-known text, The War of Art.