Things to Do in Carmel

Staring at a blank piece of paper can be intimidating, but browsing the blank, premade pottery at Kiln Creations draws hibernating creativity from its den, enticing the brain with shape, size, and bisque meat. Pieces range between $4 and $65, and all merry potters are assessed a modest studio fee—$8 for adults and $6 for children under 12—which covers everything required to design and fire a project, including time. Grab a blank plate and paint a meal upon it, stencil a cup with springtime flowers, or decorate a picture frame worthy of being hung inside itself. If the concept of whole objects is intimidating, spend time in the studio on a mosaic project and enjoy affixing a variety of vibrant tiles upon a wood base of your choice ($12–$65), then grout your gorgeous piece at home with supplied materials ($6–$8 studio fee applies).

Indianapolis Sailing Club is a private sailing club housing a friendly fleet of fun-loving sailboats that provide entertainment for families, racers, and first-time sailors alike. Today’s “Your First Sail” class is specially designed for Groupon customers who want to break out their sailing wings and learn how to soar through the water like helicopters. During the class (most of which will be on the water), an experienced instructor will teach aquatic adventurers all the basics of sailing, from rigging, boarding, and launching the boat to learning the sail positions, maneuvering, steering, and tacking. Classes are semi-private: each instructor will work with two students at a time (each student needs a Groupon), so tell a friend about today's deal or let the club place you with a fellow solo learner.

When designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. made Prairie View Golf Club his first Indiana project in 1997, he peppered 18 holes across 206 acres of natural beauty. His design hugs the White River, which rings the course on three sides, but only interferes with shots at four holes. Native grasses trim the entire perimeter of the former soybean- and cornfields, while oak, sycamore beech, and cottonwood trees surround the back nine holes. But the natural obstacles pale in comparison to the manmade impediments – 90 sand traps, including one that stretches 135 yards, make the par-72 course a challenge for even the most avid golfer. Creative flagstick positioning invites visitors to modify their technique for approach shots, with an emphasis on precision rather than power, much like surgically extracting a swallowed engagement ring.

For some added muscle on the course, patrons can practice swings at golf lessons or map out a plan of attack over breakfast at The Albatross Grille, which overlooks the course.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, Par 72 Course
• Total length of 7,000 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 74.5 from the back tees
• Course slope of 138 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole

Immaculate bent-grass tee boxes, fairways, and tees stretch across 6,507 yards of pristine woodland terrain at Wood Wind Golf Club's 18-hole course. The picturesque par 71 throws down a gauntlet of challenges across its emerald acres, with water hazards on 15 holes and a king's guard of 82 bunkers hugging the edges of fairways and butterfly-kissing well-fortified greens.

All of the course's considerable obstacles await at the memorable 14th hole, a par three where players must send tee shots somersaulting over an elongated pond to reach a shallow green buttressed on all sides by rippling waters, two backside bunkers, and a vanguard of feral windmills closing in from the nearest mini golf course. A relatively difficult course when played from the tips, the grassy monolith caters to golfers of all abilities with four sets of tees.

Anchored by a staff of PGA–certified aces, Wood Wind Golf Club's teaching academy fosters pin-hunting prowess with deft instruction and the latest in golf technology. The club's lavish banquet facilities also provide a spacious and scenic venue to host wedding receptions or parties celebrating the birthday of golfers' favorite club-head covers.

Course at a Glance:

18-hole, par 71 course

Bent-grass tees, fairways, and greens

Length of 6,507 yards from the farthest tees

Course rating of 71.5 from the farthest tees

Slope rating of 130 from the farthest tees

Four tee options

X-Site Laser Tag & Games arms its patrons with miniature cannons capable of firing a beam of light across their 12,000 square foot laser tag arena. Thus outfitted, competitors take to the vast, darkened room, blasting away at an opposing team as the Nexus Generation equipment keeps real-time score via the simple use of radio signals. When not locked in laser duels, patrons pass the time in the arcade, which mixes the flat screen video games of yore with interactive virtual reality games and classic redemption-style challenges, such as the crane game.

A classic checkerboard floor leads bowlers to their lanes and perseveres as one of the few retro holdovers in Pinheads’ modernized domain. As pins clatter in surrender, bowlers keep an eye on the automatic scoreboards from black, leather seating flanked by blue walls. Between frames, the onsite Louie’s Bar & Restaurant summons players with handcrafted quesadillas, towering sandwiches, and sliders served with fries and meaty fillings. Because all of Pinheads is a smoke-free facility, the only smoke to waft through the air is from burning guitar solos during live-music performances or when patrons emulate Elvis during karaoke on Friday nights.