Cincinnati Indoor Activities

Cherry Grove Lanes embraces the changing of the seasons with both indoor and outdoor areas dedicated to group recreation. During the warmer months, the alley raises the nets on seven sand volleyball courts. Primed for nighttime play, the well-lit courts rest beside an open-air lounge that accommodates groups with colorful parasols, shaded tables, and ample room for airborne chest bumps.

Indoors, Cherry Grove Lanes provides solace from summertime sweats and wintertime gusts with 34 synthetic bowling lanes and a pub equipped with dartboards and pool tables. The lanes host fall and summer leagues for adults, seniors, and children, as well as bowling instruction from four-time PBA national titlist Brian Himmler. The staff also fires up sandwiches, appetizers, and pizza to prevent guests from cracking open bowling balls in hopes of reaching the tasty nougat cores.

The bowling alleys at Crossgate Lanes, Stone Lanes, and Eastgate Lanes invite gamers to send balls down gleaming runways in expansive, family-friendly facilities. Those weary of drawing straws to count the pins after each ball can take comfort in automatic scoring at all three locations. Each alley also hosts regular glow bowling, with lighting more luminescent than the water-wheel-powered disco balls of the 1970s. Patrons of Stone Lanes can also relax after their games in an onsite lounge, which is outfitted with three televisions.

Though its name implies a focus on inflatable attractions, the all-ages indoor playground at Pump It Up of Omaha also gets kids active on an 18-foot rock-climbing wall and a theatrically lit karaoke and dance stage. These attractions stand among a sea of air-filled slides and climbing structures, some designed by members of the management team. The Slippery Slope challenges climbers to run up an inflatable slide, collecting velcro flags as they race to the top; bounce castles propel jumpers into the air; and the Chaos obstacle course lets racers run side-by-side or practice shaking hands while walking. The playground also holds special programs such as day camps for young and medium-young children, private birthday parties, and field trips. Many of Pump It Up's staffers are university students working toward education degrees; they often organize contests and games, and supervise visitors while playing on the same level as their smaller guests.