Things to Do in Fort Thomas

Tommy Evans, who has been diving since 1983, shares the beauty of the underwater world through his hobby—aquatic photography—and his business: Central Coast Dive Center. At the PADI-award-winning center, dive instructors can introduce students to diving basics, such as operating the air tank and making sure its full of laughing gas. They also can prepare them for PADI-open-water certification and other more advanced certificates.

Students can practice in the onsite heated pool, or in natural waters on the center’s trips to Little Cayman, Cabo San Lucas, and other tropical locales. To complement its classes and trips, the center stocks gear from high-end brands, such as Atomic Aquatics, Zeagle, and Henderson.

Hundreds of unadorned pottery pieces line the shelves and wooden worktables at Mad Potter, a whimsical studio where walk-in artists can select the preferred vessels for their creativity and set to work crafting custom masterpieces. The studio’s panoply of provided art supplies includes patterns, stencils, and colorful paints with which to decorate vases in floral designs and pasta bowls with step-by-step instructions for wielding silverware. Professional potters emerge from the earthenware scenery to answer questions throughout the process and to fire finished artworks until each is hardened and safe for food, dishwashers, and microwaves. Large groups can rent out the studio to fashion brittle cakes for birthday parties, and resident artists often travel to businesses and homes to allow kids to paint in their natural habitats.

Flying Hoofs Stables’ head trainers, Jessica and Asha, dedicate its 19-acre plot of Kentucky land to instruction in proper horsemanship. A surrounding network of trails and an outdoor arena provide ample space for catching wind in the hair during summer camps and trail rides, whereas a second indoor arena sets the stage for the stable’s lessons. Here, beginners get a first taste of proper horsemanship and tack fundamentals, and advanced riders receive customized instruction in a choice of styles including Hunter, the classic English riding style, or Jumper, a prerequisite for learning horse hopscotch.

Throughout her entire adult life, Sharon Obermeyer has lived and breathed art. She studied it at the University of Cincinnati, taught it at Antonelli College for 17 years, and she created it for children's books at Standard Publishing. Despite her career successes, she felt the need to spread her passion to a wider audience. "I made the decision to make art accessible and affordable," she says, and this led her to found Mount Washington Art Works, where she designs inspiring art curriculums for both children and adults. Certified by the National Association of Art Educators, she uses step-by-step lessons to teach an array of styles, including drawing, painting, perspective, and charcoal. No matter which lesson she's teaching, she supplies her students with all the of the necessary art materials, such as a canvas, brushes, paints, and a resident oyster that allows for reenactments of Girl with the Pearl Earring.

The instructors at Bros Boards teach clients of all ages how to standup-paddleboard (SUP) on any body of water at least 12 inches deep, from flat and open waters to Class II to V whitewater rivers. Once riders feel comfortable enough to venture out on their own, Bros Boards' team rents boards at both their headquarters and through partner locations. Additionally, a sales team supplies SUP enthusiasts with low-maintenance models from Body Glove and Imagine Surf, such as the Wave paddleboard made of indestructible, scratch-and-sniff plastics.

Paul Miller has been laughed at for most of his life. Not in the sad, pity-inducing way, but as a touring member of the Ringling Bros. Circus where he steered the clown car and strode upon stilts, charming audience members with his comedic exploits. Eventually, however, he wanted to extend the circus's reach—not only to those who yearned for a chance to fly on the trapeze, but to people who, by virtue of their age, background, or disability, doubted their capacity to do so. He created Circus Mojo as a noncompetitive venue for absolutely anyone interested in the big-top arts to discover and showcase their own “mojo,” conducting lessons with a joint emphasis on physical feats and creativity.

Circus Mojo's staff boasts the equipment and expertise to lead classes on plate spinning, clowning, and acrobatics, among several other performance styles. In addition to holding workshops and summer camps at their studio space, they parade their comedic and aerial talents at special events, such as birthday parties and protest rallies against gravity. In keeping with Paul's vision of circus outreach—a goal that has earned the circus considerable press coverage—they travel to hospitals and incorporate residents into the act through the Mojo Medicine program. Paul also works with struggling youth from high schools and detention centers, striving to impart the sense of accomplishment and inspiration that stems from owning the spotlight.