Fort Wayne Outdoor Activities

Paintball Plex hosts colorful clashes on the battlegrounds of a 38,000-square-foot indoor field and across multiple acres of outdoor fields that are open from spring through fall. In the expansive indoor combat zone, players dive behind air bunkers to duck from incoming fire and cacophonous army drummers before reemerging to pump opponents full of color with semiautomatic Tippmann markers powered by complimentary compressed air. Outdoor fields cajole combatants with a lush 300’x180’ speedball area and a WWII-style scenario field peppered with two acres of foxholes, mazes, and sandbags. Games typically last 10–20 minutes and often include combat missions such as search and rescue and capture the flag.

Additional paint is available for onsite purchase to replenish dwindling supplies for combatants or battlefield stenographers. Participants may also browse Paintball Plex's pro shop, which teems with new scenario- and tournament-style paintball gear and loads of gently used equipment.

Chicago Paragliding’s instructor-adventurers catch wind from Illinois to Indiana and soar above tawny fields of grain on the Midwest’s great updrafts. They introduce students to multiple windblown sports, from paragliding to kite surfing. After familiarizing beginners with the skills needed to control each craft, they perform assisted and tandem flights to acclimate their charges to faster speeds, greater altitudes, and clouds shaped like scarier and scarier dogs. The team, with certifications from groups including the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, is also prepared to help more advanced adventurers perfect their skills.

Just Add H2O's diving experts have guided students of all levels of experience safely through waters for more than 34 years. Providing diving certifications through PADI and NAUI, instructors chart progression from introductory diving lessons all the way up to instructor certification, which comes with a license to ride giant seahorses. Just Add H2O's staff also hosts local and regional dives and leads trips to Lake Michigan shipwrecks, the cool depths of Gilboa Quarry, and tropical destinations such as Truk Lagoon in the Eastern Caroline Islands. To ensure that dives proceed without a hitch, the facility lets guests rent or purchase gear and can help to maintain used equipment.

Nick Kant and Heather Adams wanted the already extraordinary feeling of free fall to be even more incomparable for their customers. The couple devised a skydiving business that could be exhilarating not only for the jumpers but for their family and friends. At Skydive Great Lakes, nonskydivers are welcome to cheer on their flying pals in drop zones designed for spectators, who can view a live video feed from onboard the aircraft. Nick's skills as an aerial videographer allow clients to capture every moment of an inaugural tandem dive, from the initial jump-off to the inevitable midair arguments with Peter Pan. Flying out of Goshen, ground-school grads can board a yellow Pilatus Porter plane that fits up to 10 jumpers. Heather and Nick are the only enthusiasts in the country who launch skydivers from a Sikorsky S-55 helicopter, which hovers over drop zones on select weekends.

When Jim Wiseman bought what would become Swiss Valley Ski & Snowboard Area in 1968, it consisted of a dilapidated farmhouse and seven rope tows. A mere day before opening, five of the tows were condemned. But Jim remained undeterred, forging ahead with a humble inventory of 122 pairs of rental skis. Today, that number has grown to 2,000, in addition to 500 snowboards, which plunge down 11 runs and a 225-foot peak that also allows guests to test-drive the equipment and practice their yardstick skills. The terrain parks, one of which was added in 1997 to reflect the resort’s devotion to freestyle skiing, greet visitors with new challenges such as tabletops, high spines, grind rails, and pyramids.

Whether skiers tackle the stunt-ready equipment or seek out beginner lessons, they’re guaranteed fresh powder thanks to Swiss Valley’s expert method of snowmaking. The technology ensures enough snow for winter fun, as long temperatures allow and no salt giants attack the slopes. After their frosty jaunt, visitors can warm up in the fireside lounge, dotted with freestanding fireplaces and picture windows that overlook the snowy terrain.

Hart City Scuba’s team of dive masters and instructors turn mere waders into full-blown explorers of the aquatic world. They achieve that through group and private scuba programs such as open water diver, rescue diver, and conversational mermaid. In addition, they can mend any dive gear gone awry and fill tanks with fresh O2.