Things to Do in Clawson

Over his 30-year tenure teaching golf, founder Mark Reason has established Reason's Golf Academy locations in Michigan and Florida to spread the wisdom of his Ferris-wheel-swing technique. This coaching philosophy—designed to build swings that travel on a controlled, vertical axis rather than in a less-dependable merry-go-round motion—serves as the unifying force in all of the academy's instructional programs and as the building block for the development of a consistent, correctable, and windshield-friendly swing. Instructors use golf-simulator and swing-analyzer technology to scrutinize imperfect motions and weighted, molded-grip clubs and other training aids to guide clients toward proper technique. To further optimize patrons' pin-hunting prowess, the Academy offers club-fitting services, which pair clients with the clubs or modified pool noodles that best fit their unique swing profile.

A lap around Skateland West’s sea-foam-green floor transports inline skaters back in time with psychedelic rainbow lights, arcade games, and music. Despite the retro-chic atmosphere, Skateland West keeps things modern with activities such as freestyle-skating sessions and inline-skating lessons. The center also has a staff of fitness instructors who run patrons through fun and challenging Zumba, kickboxing, kids’ dance classes, and yoga workouts to help patrons stay in better shape than a buff geometry teacher. The skating rink also hosts kids’ birthday parties and has a snack bar where skaters can refuel with sodas and pizza.

Vibrant colors coat walls surrounding the glossy rinks at ERDU Skate-A-Rama , where experienced staff members monitor skaters of all ages in a family-friendly environment. Equipped with rented wheels, skaters glide along smooth surfaces under colorful lights to the beat of lively music. Their family members, perched along the rink's perimeter, watch or take bets on who can do a figure eight the fastest.

Skaters can take a break from four-wheeled footwear to play arcade games at some locations or silence rumbling stomachs with bites of pizza or other snacks, such as cones from the ice-cream shop, at ERDU Skate-a-Rama, which serves up swirls of soft serve doused with fudge.

Jeff Warmuth and the talented artisans at Canterbury Stained Glass draw on their nearly 40 years of experience crafting commissioned artwork to fill their showroom and teach others the art of glass manipulation. More than 40 educational programs—divided into short workshops and longer, weeks-long pursuits—focus on beginner, intermediate, and expert glass techniques of all sorts. Students can assemble glass jewelry, fuse patterned glass into bowls, or use their glass-blowing skills to build a see-through glass dome around endangered penguins. A fully stocked shop sells books, glass cutters, and other useful tools for finishing glassmaking and fusing projects.

Throughout the year, the 91-acre Charles L. Bowers School Farm educates students of all ages about science, agriculture, and livestock. But as the season's change, so does the farm's lineup of family-friendly outdoor activities, welcoming guests of all ages for autumnal activities including corn mazes, pumpkin picking, and wagon rides. Like the 1958 Plymouth Fury, the farm's corn mazes come in both haunted and unhaunted varieties, challenging explorers of all ages with 2.5 miles of twisting, turning paths. Should they find their way out, guests can reacclimate to life on the outside by striking up conversation with the resident rabbits, sheep, and llamas. From there, they explore the pumpkin patch for a perfect pie or jack-o'-lantern candidate or ride one of the farm's ponies, which turn into pumpkins at midnight.

Yoga Now feels as much like a spa as it does a yoga studio. Plush couches and wooden shelves stacked with rolled-up mats greet guests in the lobby, giving a foretaste of the serene inner spaces. Classes take place in windowed rooms that look out onto verdant foliage and flowering trees, and secluded enclaves lined with hardwood floors set the tone for soothing candlelit sessions.

This is all in keeping with the studio's mission of inclusion and comfort. Everyone, from seasoned yogis to beginning students to clients recovering from injuries, finds a place at the table. Its diverse collection of nine class styles includes gentle introductory classes as well as innovative advanced courses. Each class is conducted by the studio's staff of Yoga Alliance–certified instructors and held beneath the soft lanterns of the private studio. After class, clients can relax in the homey lobby with complimentary cups of ginger tea and herbal tonics, peruse yoga gear in the onsite boutique, or help fellow pupils to fold mats back into origami swans.