Things to Do in Deerfield

Under the moniker of David Anthony Art, multifaceted photographer David Geary captures everything from sizzling boudoir portraits designed to express love to personal headshots inside his private studio or on location. Before each appointment, David and his clients meet for a brief consultation to discuss wardrobe changes, stylistic desires, and the most dignified ways to say "cheese." After retouching images from the completed session, David then uploads them to a secure online gallery, where subjects can select their favorite shots to be immortalized in high-resolution prints.

Matt Feeney and Joel Berman share a disability and a dream. Feeney broke his neck diving off a 100-foot cliff and Berman lost his ability to walk after a runaway flatcar hit him while laying rail tracks. Together they founded Adaptive Adventures to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities through participation in sports and outdoor recreation. The organization runs progressive sports programs year-round for children, adults, and service members who have been severely injured in conflicts abroad. They cater to people with a wide range of disabilities, including spinal-cord injuries, amputations, and cerebral palsy. The programs help build confidence and social skills in participants who could not otherwise afford equipment, training, and travel for recreational sports.

Founded in 2011, the Chicago-based American Chamber Opera features an ensemble committed to singing full-length oratorios in English. Its productions resemble concerts more than traditional opera performances: the music takes center stage as the singers belt and emote in settings that evoke the world of the story with just a few well-placed details.

One part bowling alley, one part laser-tag arena, and one part sports bar, eSkape Entertainment facilitates friendly competition and allows guests to bond over rivalry-burying toasts. The high-tech bowling lanes aid players’ games with electronic score keeping, automated bumpers, and instructional videos on how to high-five. In the laser-tag course, players wield phasers and wind through dim corridors while searching for opposing team members. In between strikes and futuristic games of tag, guests can refuel at eSkape's in-house sports bar and lounge. The kitchen staff fires pub specialties—including mini cheeseburgers and slow-roasted baby back ribs—and orders can be delivered to each lane.

At Olly Olly Play Café, pirates bury treasure, knights rescue princesses from dragons, and parents watch as little ones develop social skills through creative play. The interior space looks like a storybook spilled over into reality, with troves of costumes and toys spread beneath a ceiling painted to resemble a cloud-filled sky. A castle stands at the entrance, serving as the junction between different rooms where roads wind through town houses and a kid-size pirate ship lets little ones imagine attacking all-you-can-eat cruise buffets.

Aside from open play, Olly Olly Play Café educates kids during music classes that range from Baby Signing to preteens belting out Broadway songs. Elsewhere, a menu of locally sourced salads and sandwiches fuels visitors and their health-conscious imaginary friends.

In 2012, Jump America— located next door to Six Flags Great America— debuted more than 16,000 square feet of springy floor space—trampolines cover the floors and walls. A game of dodge ball gets an antigravity twist over two courts and jumpers can use a trampoline as a launching pad into a pit of foam. Guests aged 3 and up watch a safety video before embarking upon hours of bouncy play monitored by attentive staffers. Between cushy crimson borders, the trampolines send visitors flying into the air during open-jump hours or two-hour parties that come with all the traditional trimmings, such as pizza and birthday candles that reignite every time you try to lick them.