Things to Do in Diamond Springs

Inside Bouncerz Indoor Party Center, kids can plunge down cushy slides, vault off of springy bounce-house floors, or reign over pumped-up castle turrets that are spread over a 6,000-square-foot, climate-controlled facility. Bouncerz also keeps tykes occupied with an arcade and dodgeball games, and parents can kick back with free WiFi. Each day, staffers clean and inspect the facility to ensure safe, sanitary conditions and to rescue abandoned action figures. It's also possible to set up parties at Bouncerz, or you can turn your own front yard into a mini carnival by renting inflatables from the facility.

As a new mother, Tanya Rose Bordner found herself suffering from the severe headaches, hormonal imbalances, and emotional lows that often accompany motherhood. She knew she needed to take better care of herself and decided to try Bikram yoga. Though skeptical at first, she found herself hooked after one class when she discovered that she felt better physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and she eventually decided to become a Bikram-yoga instructor.

Now, Tanya and her team of certified instructors—all of whom have trained for several hundred hours—strive to share the benefits that Tanya felt in that first class with others. Using two breathing exercises designed to circulate oxygenated blood, these instructors lead students through 26 postures that carve out toned muscles and pump up flexibility. The classes take place in a 105-degree room with a recently renovated rubber floor, and after each session, staff members encourage students to press an ice-cream cone or the provided frozen lavender towels against their heated brows.

With roots stretching back to 1933, the Marysville Stampede barrels forward each Memorial Day weekend with two days of rodeo festivities. The Marysville Stampede, backed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, showcases modern-day ranchers who ride bulls and break broncs to the thundering sound of cheers. Competitors also mount horses bareback, wrestle steers with their bare hands, spur steeds around barrels, and rope cattle in teams or using tie-down techniques. Youngsters can take part in the Mutton Buster event, in which junior ranchers aged 4 to 7 gain bravery from the encouraging roar of spectators.

Smack dab in the middle of the Sierra mountains, the amenity-packed grounds of Squaw Valley resort sprawl across the pine-speckled lowlands surrounding Lake Tahoe and extend to summits rising 8,200 feet above sea level. Filling their lungs with brisk mountain air, visitors can hike the many trails, meander through the village's picturesque plazas lined with shops and restaurants, garner panoramic glimpses of the gorgeous landscape on an aerial tram ride, or traverse the ropes course in the activity-packed base area. Whether attending a music festival or taking a good-ole-fashioned jaunt in the witness-protection program, guests never have to worry about boredom hunting them down, as they can swim, paintball, zipline, or golf at a moment's notice.

Battle Born Sporting Clays and Shooting School has no real address. That's because its team of NSCA-certified instructors teach clay shooting amid the real-world conditions that only untouched, natural settings can provide. All avid shooters, the instructors started the business after looking for a place to practice with tournament-style targets and chart the migration patterns of clay pigeons. Unable to find such a place, they set up shop amid a slice of Nevada's rolling foothills, big sky, and vast, open terrain. Here, they teach customers the proper techniques needed to blast clay targets out of the sky.

Music thumps and LED lights flash as up to 15 people don props and watch themselves file into Flash Photo Booths’ private booth on a 20” flat-screen LCD monitor. After guests select color or black-and-white photos, an ultra-high-resolution, 18-mega-pixel digital SLR camera snaps shots every six to eight seconds. Lab-quality printers produce 4"x6” prints in fewer than 15 second, enabling partygoers to collect ample evidence of revelry at weddings, birthday celebrations, graduations, and reenactments of landmark court trials. Greenscreen effects are also available, allowing customers to set their photos against exciting backdrops such as a leopard-filled jungle or a hockey game. An onsite attendant follows the booth to take charge of both setup and takedown, and remains on-hand to assist with operation.