Things to Do in Brook Park

Synergy Paintball aims to be a way of giving back to the community by offering a safe place to have fun and expend pent-up energy. As if in agreement, youthful shouts ring out from across the arena's 35 acres, punctuated by the whispery noise of paintballs cutting through the fresh air. The style of play varies across multiple playing fields, which serve as venues for games of capture the flag and speedball. In the jungle area, camouflaged warriors crouch and tumble between towering trees and shimmy among tufts of low brush. Snipers stash themselves atop mounds of dirt or in the beds of dump trucks in another field.

The park has also played host to United States military reserves tactical training, an exercise that filled the park with humvees and transport vehicles before the beginning of a mock Medevac evacuation.

The nonprofit Cleveland Reads has been spreading literacy to children, youth, and families of Northeast Ohio through engaging projects and a dedicated network of tutors since 1987. Its ninth-annual fundraiser promises an elegant evening of all-you-can-drink wine sipping and beer swilling and catered fare of both the savory and sweet varieties for the business-casually adorned do-gooder. Network with your local mail carrier at the see-and-be-seen event or peruse the silent-auction offerings in hopes of stumbling on a porcelain Alf statue. A spirits table raffle offers you the opportunity to bring the party (in a bottle) back to your apartment while simultaneously supporting Cleveland Reads.

Emerald corridors spiral across a landscape of vibrant flowers, trees, and rocky outcrops to comprise Mulligans Family Fun Center’s 18-hole miniature golf course. A gushing waterfall broadcasts tranquil vibes throughout the circuit, as pale-red bricks keep balls from straying off-path or absconding to audition for position in a juggling act. Mulligans' pavilion adds to the vacation atmosphere, allowing guests to arrange romantic post-golf picnics with snacks and refreshments available at the clubhouse. The center also includes a basketball court, where guests can practice free throws or javelin-tossing putters at the backboard.

What started out as a search for a fun alternative form of artistic expression led to the founding of an institution for preserving and sharing a millennia-old craft. That enthusiasm proved to be contagious, as more than 700 students from all ages and walks of life attended J & C Glass Studio's workshops in the first year alone.

Today, J & C Glass Studio continues to teach the art of glass blowing with instructional workshops that cater to beginner and advanced students. Passionate instructors share techniques performed almost the same way as artisans did thousands of years ago. During sessions, a mixture of sand, limestone, and silica is heated to 2,000 degrees until it reaches a honey-like consistency. From there, students shape it with tools, the power of suggestion, and their own breath, creating custom works of art that can decorate a mantel or desk for a lifetime.

During the days of antiquity, artisans often recorded major cultural and historical events on the sides of their intricate pots. Although books and computers took over most of the archiving duties, the practice of painting ceramics as a means of commemoration continues today. At Kiln Pottery, shelves of uncolored pieces await the inspiration of local artists and artists-to-be. After grabbing the necessary supplies, guests add their touch to one of the hundreds of available pieces, including platters, mugs, and bowls. Those interested in building their own creations can opt for a class in hand building clay or pottery wheel throwing. A series of workshops focuses on specific projects, such as fusing glass night-lights, weaving clay baskets, or exploring where ceramic babies come from. Sessions are open to kids and adults, and can be reserved for groups or parties.

Happy shouts float across Swings-N-Things Family Fun Park, whipping out of the mouths of drivers racing around go-kart tracks and captains ricocheting off one another in bumper boats. The satisfying clunk of colorful spheres falling into holes on the mini-golf course perks up ears in the sprawling complex of indoor and outdoor attractions. Go-kart drivers whiten their knuckles behind the wheel of 9-horsepower Honda engines, tearing through a quarter mile of twists and turns on the Grand Prix track as if it were a high-school principal’s lawn. Alternatively, patrons frolic across the park’s two outdoor mini-golf courses before practicing their aim in a laser shootout game, and children ages 10 and younger scramble their socked feet over slides and rides inside the Kids Korner indoor play area. Swings-N-Things Family Fun Park is easily accessible from the area's major highways.