Bradenton, FL Outdoor Activities

Saturn 5’s intergalactic theme seeps into every corner of its 20,000-square-foot fun center, which encompasses an 18-hole mini-golf course illuminated by black lights, a laser-tag arena, a 400-square-foot bouncy obstacle course, an arcade with more than 70 games, and a billiards room. The indoor mini-golf course takes after its fresh-air counterparts with diminutive greens and obstacles, but it replaces the sun with black lights that illuminate holes lined in green, red, and blue. A rainbow of hues also embellishes the behemoth bounce house, where kids careen down slides and scramble around cushy pillars to get to meshed-in areas for jumping.

At the arcade, the perimeter of an air-hockey table glows a space-age green, and retro pinball machines exude a vintage air akin to the black-and-white makeup worn by ‘50s-era TV stars. In the billiards room, a 40-inch TV and an 80-inch projection screen are emblazoned with the day's games, which can be watched atop bar stools with snacks, beer, and wine from the concession bar.

It’s not uncommon to stumble upon fake alligators as you make your way around a mini-golf course. But at Smuggler's Cove's locations, live American alligators snap their jaws in exhibits nestled amid the miniature fairways—including a self-contained enclosure at Sarasota for Pearl, one of an estimated 40 albino alligators in the world. With an old-fashioned bamboo pole or a meat-scented golf club, players can dangle a piece of fried meat above 20–50 alligators, which leap from the water to snatch their treat. Between feeding frenzies, games take place across on Smuggler’s Cove’s 18-hole outdoor courses, where balls roll past rushing waterfalls, into caves, over mountainous terrain, and into a hole atop a pirate ship.

Shielded from the elements, customers at Glowgolf traverse the course’s 18 holes of indoor miniature golf amid an extraterrestrial neon glow. Vivid murals of jungle and underwater scenes adorn the course’s walls, with giraffes, zebras, and otherworldly creatures serenely coexisting. The course itself brims with potted plants and decorative treasure chests along with traditional mini-golf obstacles such as loop-the-loop ramps and water traps filled with live sharks.

Amid the emerald fairways and greens, marble-white sand traps, and blue waterways of Waterlefe Golf and River Club, PGA pro Steve Dietz feels at home. As director of instruction at The Golf Academy of Waterlefe, Steve draws from 25 years of experience as a golf pro to create the curriculum used by his staff of fellow PGA instructors. The Golf Academy's ultimate goal is to help golfers hit straighter drives, more accurate approach shots, and longer putts en route to lower scores. Along with the personalized help of a PGA pro, lessons often incorporate a combination of video swing analysis, user-friendly online tools, and other modern training devices without forcing golfers to care for a robotic caddy. In addition, the Academy's club-fitting services match golfers with their ideal club set based on swing technique and body type, ensuring that pupils are getting the most out of their equipment.

Away from the amusement parks and tourist hotspots Florida is known for, its rivers wind along sandy beaches, wildlife habitats, and lush marshlands. Canoe Outpost's fleet of kayaks and canoes allow access to these natural attractions, thanks to their steadfast crew which helps paddlers launch into the Little Manatee River. Opportunities to paddle, hike, and arm-wrestle fish pepper the rivers, which boasts roaring whitewater for rafting, as well as calmer areas for cool, refreshing swims.

Designed by Ted McAnlis to take advantage of the area’s natural wetlands, the fairways at The Preserve Golf Club are riddled with water hazards and marshy areas. Water comes directly into play on 9 of the course’s holes, and players end up traipsing across 11 bridges as they hit their way from beginning to end. Many stumble at the 3rd hole, whose aim-blocking sabal palms earn it a handicap of 1, or at the course’s signature 17th hole, which drowns balls left and right. The course’s greens are newly recarpeted with ultradwarf bermuda grass, and pines, oaks, and palms line the fairways, their branches grasping at stray balls like nature’s catchers' mitts.

Before tackling the aquatic mischief of the championship course, golfers can take aim at the island target greens of the aqua driving range, where 40 hitting stations let players gear up for the watery course. After facing down the fairways, players select from a deli-style menu at Ryder Cup Grille, which features live music from artists such as Larry Crane, longtime guitarist for John Mellencamp.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 7,000 yards
• Course rating of 74
• Slope rating of 141
• Three tee options
• See the scorecard