Branford, CT Indoor Activities

Brightly colored pennants embellish the ceiling at Port Jeff Bowl, but bowling skills demonstrated in the lanes below are what attract attention. Players hurl balls toward pins for fun or team up with peers to play in one of many leagues, divided by age and whether or not a player is tall enough to ride a roller coaster. On Tuesday nights from 9:30 to midnight, athletes enjoy an unlimited amount of fun during Bottomless Bowling. And after hours spent satiating competitive impulses built up over years of being benched during tag, patrons can quench thirsts and appetites with a beer and bite at Splitz Sports Bar. The alley also hosts parties and private events for up to 200 guests, which lets partygoers pair play with pizza, soda, or buffet fare in the 11th Frame Lounge.

Steve Sohn's Krav Maga & Kickboxing owner and CEO, Steve Sohn is dedicated to nurturing clients' health. Steve has been studying martial arts for more than 30 years, earning 20+ certifications and awards, such as obtaining his black belt in krav maga, a feat shared by only a few instructors and schools in northeast America. His passion for teaching and improving students' physical abilities has also netted him recognition from the Educational Funding Company, including Outstanding Martial Arts School in 2005 and Exemplary Mentor in 2011.

To match Steve's enthusiasm for self-defense instruction, the two-floor facility boasts a number of amenities that help students reach their fitness and defense goals. Experienced instructors lead students through krav maga, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts sessions in two separate training floors. Olympic training mats reduce the impact of exercises, and an on-site changing room allows students to change from their workout clothes into their crime-fighting spandex without worry of revealing their identity.

If you asked someone what ballerinas and soldiers have in common, it would sound like the setup for a joke. Bad punch lines aside, "Pilates" would be a valid answer. Initially, Joseph Pilates' fitness system was used in army hospitals to rehabilitate soldiers and in dance studios to tone and stretch ballerinas. At Pilates of Stamford, Pam Giambrone applies her expertise just as broadly, strengthening and lengthening the muscles of beginner and veteran athletes alike.

Pam and her team of instructors have all been certified to impart Pilates techniques with a variety of equipment. Their mat classes cover focused stretches and the use of several props, from arm weights to stability balls and magic circles. Alternatively, Reformer classes provide highly personalized resistance-apparatus demonstrations. Whether guests drop in to a group lesson or schedule private training, teachers adjust their exercises to fit each person's pace, fostering an atmosphere of support and continual growth rather than one of competition and slap-fights.

Fun Station USA fills its indoor space with the scaled-down amenities of an amusement park, such as mechanical rides, a multileveled maze, and a large concession stand stocked with carnival cuisine. At all hours of operation, the air buzzes with excitement—a byproduct of jingle-jangling machines, flashing lights, and splashes of color at every corner. After acquiring tickets from myriad arcade games that include skee-ball and air-cannon shooting galleries, revelers head to the redemption counter to exchange their winnings for prizes and foreign currency.

For the tiniest tots, there are foam towers to topple in the Tot Spot and instruments with which to make rhythms in the mUSic area. Toddlers and preschoolers sift and shovel on the Sandy Island, and older children can use a penny to watch a 100-year-old Mutoscope silent movie or use the Bricks & Sticks wire spinner to design their own 3D shapes. Click here to see the museum’s activity gallery and plan out a day trip. Or, simply show up with plenty of energy and your favorite child to discover the museum together, and help him or her build vital skills in social interaction, education, and colored-block identification. Schoolchildren can bolster their studies without realizing they're learning by organizing games in the ClimbIt@LICM structure, or by comparing barometric readings in the Our Backyard outdoor area. Get today's Groupon to treat a special proto-adult to a day of horizon expansion, enjoyment, and giant bubbles.

Donavon is a surfer-turned-musician whose self-titled debut was released on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records and made the ARIA top 40 charts in 2004. In Mulcahy’s 1,400-person sound-o-sphere, his surf rock ballads, such as “It Don’t Matter” and “Move By Yourself,” will have the full force of live emotion and quality sound to superbly strum heartstrings and tickle earbones. Donavon’s Bermudan musical companion, Mishka, also has roots in the sea soil, having spent much of his childhood sailing and windsurfing before turning to reggae’s guitars and off-beat rhythms. In 2009, Mishka was named Best New Artist in the singer/songwriter category by iTunes.