Carrollwood, FL Outdoor Activities

Masked warriors charge over the top of trench fortifications, spearheading an attack on enemy lines, spurred on by a telltale popping noise and flurry of splattered paint. "I don't care if you're a man, woman, child or 65-year-old grandma, you're going to get an adrenaline rush," Owner John Gross told the Tampa Bay Times, speaking to paintball and airsoft sports’ ability to bring out that competitive spirit in almost everyone, from military folks to birthday-party guests.

Players of all ages and stripes engage in friendly combat on the rolling slopes of six separate fields, which sport obstacles and features such as mock-pillboxes, buildings, and a hulking U.N. tank. Visitors ambush, flank, and outmaneuver opposing teams using the field’s arsenal of pigment-hurling paintball cannons, or more realistic pellet-shooting airsoft rifles. Referees carefully watch play to ensure soldiers adhere to house safety rules and Geneva Convention standards.

As they flock to the nearby beaches of Clearwater or the nightlife of Tampa, most tourists overlook Dunedin, a pretty burg known for its sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico. But, thanks to the segway-riding guides at Sun Glide Tours, the region’s hidden gem just became much more accessible. Astride their two-wheeled steeds, visitors can explore the Pinellas Trail that cuts through downtown, steering their segways alongside runners, bikers, and the town’s famous rollerblading squirrels.

Slippery Brook Enterprise’s head instructor, Tracy Schlabach, has spent more than 30 years working with horses, a wealth of experience that has earned her silver and bronze medals from the United States Dressage Federation . Aspiring equestrians pick Schlabach’s brain for horseback-riding knowledge during her private riding lessons at the picturesque Half Pass Stables, whose dressage ring, clay arena, and jumper arena emerge out of lush, emerald foliage. She teaches a variety of styles that strengthen the relationship between human and equine, making them work together to accomplish pole-clearing bounds, ballet-like dressage dances, and record-breaking three-legged races. Schlabach also runs a horse-boarding and lodging program at the same stables, housing four-legged companions in the barn’s 34 stalls and turning them loose for regular grazes on verdant pastures.