Things to Do in Davis

Crepes in San Franciso. Butter chicken in Toronto. The organizers behind Dishcrawl connect people with the local dining scenes of cities across the United States and Canada. They do this in two ways—first, through Dishcrawls, which are self-guided tours to an array of restaurants. As guests saunter between establishments, special performers—from interpretive dancers to improv comics—enliven the journey. Dishcrawl's second method highlights single restaurants through special dinners, giving chefs a chance to dazzle visits with their favorite dishes.

Every October, the quiet vegetables fields at Bastiao Farms come alive with the laughter and shrieks of the annual Halloween festival. On one side of the grounds, a motor-powered train makes its way through the haunted corn maze, a massive, growing labyrinth supplemented by three additional corn and hay-bale mazes plus a Halloween-themed pumpkin patch. In other areas of the grounds, children and adults alike can navigate historically engaging sights that include a one-room schoolhouse and a scaled-down Wild West town featuring wooden saloons, storefronts, inns, and a covered wagon that secretly dreams of becoming a hardtop.

Founded in 2001 by a group of enthusiastic thrill seekers, Recreational Rentals helps customers hug curves or crest waves behind the controls of Can-am Spyders or Sea-Doo personal watercrafts. When not riding themselves, staffers replace their old equipment every two years to keep their inventory current and their drag-racing alter egos secret. They also maintain, repair, and upgrade recreational vehicles in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse space.

Vacaville Ice Sports sends skaters spinning, coasting, and pirouetting across a pair of NHL-size rinks. Each day of the week, the facility swings open its doors for open-skating sessions, and, when the ice isn't getting its hard-to-reach itches scratched by public blades, the arena buzzes with hockey leagues, birthday parties, and learn-to-skate classes. An on-site arcade and free WiFi keep mitten-free fingers busy in between ice-based orbits, and the center's snack bar ensures legs remain fully fueled for additional spins around the polar sheets.

Largely self-taught, Shannon Jane Morgan has spent the last 19 years firing up her furnaces and creating delicate, one-of-a-kind works of glass art as the owner and founder of Girl Glass. Her pieces include gracefully curved vases; pigment-dappled paperweights; and whimsical, translucent pumpkins. In private classes, Morgan shares her years of carefully cultivated expertise with students, delving into the nuances of molten glass with tutorials on blowing, shaping, and creating goblets strong enough to survive an operatic high note.

During his 17-year-long professional paintballing career, Micah McGlocklin clinched five championships, including one with Sacramento XSV, a team he formed in 2003. He has more than 12 years of experience operating paintball fields, and this technical expertise paired with his obvious passion for the sport is evident in the facilities at Davis Paintball. Eager to introduce others to the joys of chromatic chaos, Micah and his staff walk novices through the game’s rules, equipment, and safety tips. Newbies are then organized into teams for refereed bouts on one of nine fields spread across 40 acres. As tenderfoots test out their paintballing skills on fields such as Four Corners and Center Castle—where a roomy distance separates opponents—advanced players can compete in more compact spaces at two hyperball fields, an airball field, and a paint-soaked broom closet.