Things to Do in Benton Harbor

Strikes & Spares Entertainment Center regales visitors of all sizes with a venue chiming with clattering pins, zooming go-karts, and flashy arcade games. The dazzling array of attractions lures visitors to the emerald alleyways of nine-hole black-light mini golf, a stable of cosmic and bumper bowling, and a new stock-car-racing simulator replete with a variety of virtual tracks and a digital milk-chugging station for the victor. Kids safely navigate the twisting labyrinth of the indoor go-kart tracks on eco-friendly electric steeds, and adults decompress with billiards, darts, and frosty brews on tap at Keglers Sports Bar. After enjoying outings at the prize-laden arcade or at the slick bowling lanes, groups can settle down with pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream at the diner.

Susan Molnar’s world is made of glass. As the owner of Glass House Designs, she oversees the facility’s three divisions: the gallery, the classroom, and the artist’s studio. In the gallery, Susan showcases her work alongside the pieces of more than 50 other local, regional, and national artists. For visitors hoping to create glass masterpieces of their own, Susan offers classes in fusing, mosaics, lampworking, and stained glass, and guest instructors offer classes in other artistic disciplines.

Chippewa Bowl has plenty of space where bowlers can let their inner competitor roam free—70 lanes worth of space, to be exact. While pins clatter in the bowling area, players can refuel at the Laneside Grill or grab a drink at one of two sports bars, both of which host karaoke on Friday and Sunday evenings. Guests can also try their luck at an arcade game that spits out tickets, which they can swap for prizes or attempt to swap for admittance to a Bon Jovi concert.

During the Cold War, anything could happen. The US military's response to this reality was to ring every major metropolitan area with defensive missile bases that could launch Nike antiaircraft supersonic missiles at any time. The goal was to make attacking the United States so costly that the Soviets would not dare try. One of the roughly 20 bases defending the Chicago area was Nike Missile Base C-47, a 14-acre site built between 1954 and 1956. Surrounded by 8-foot-tall cyclone fences, the base housed three underground concrete bunkers, three launchers, five radar towers, a fallout shelter, and day barracks.

Today, the Cold War is safely tucked in the nation's memory, but much of C-47 still remains. However, instead of military personnel coming and going throughout their 24-hour shifts, it's paintball and Airsoft players who creep along the 10 sprawling fields, simulating the warfare that luckily never occurred on the base. The terrain includes many of the original features—such as a mess hall, army barracks, and satellite towers, which host strategic meetings and midbattle naps. Referees enforce special safety rules for minors to keep games safe and organized.