Things to Do in Fort Wayne

Resplendent with a multitude of American art forms, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art brandishes masterpieces from United States artists from the late 18th century to the modern day. The permanent collection entices meandering visitors with nearly 1,400 American-grown pieces from artists including George Inness, Janet Fish, and William Forsyth, such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, and flags fashioned from apple pie. In addition to a permanent display of 56 Amish quilts, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art touts rotating exhibits such as the current Material World, a collection of textiles hailing from different countries, time periods, and transdimensional planes.

The theater is part of the artistic arm of the First Presbyterian Church, and auditions for the troupe's roughly six annual plays are open to anyone. An art gallery doubles as the lobby for this 300-seat auditorium, which regularly hosts well-known ensembles, including past acts The King's Singers and saxophonist Ashu.

Prana Yoga School of Yoga and Health takes its name from the Sanskrit word for "breath," a vital life force. As part of the studio's mission, its instructors aim to expose students to all the benefits of yoga and holistic health in a welcoming and nonjudgmental environment. With 60 classes available each week, Prana Yoga's two locations offer sessions designed for practitioners of every experience level. During all-levels courses, instructors invite all students to practice together while also modifying and adjusting poses for those who need it. Restorative sessions help practitioners relax, and prenatal courses bring relief to mothers-to-be.

In addition to group yoga, the facility hosts private one-on-one yoga, teacher-training programs, and a variety of workshops. Massage therapists are also available to perform Thai, hot-stone, and Swedish massages. As part of a commitment to giving back to the community, the founder of Prana Yoga also runs the Pranayoga Foundation, which brings yoga therapy to people with cancer and other chronic illnesses.

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.

At Black Rose Rentals, helpful teams of party suppliers deck out celebrations with brand-new equipment. The staff sets up summery white canopies over outdoor banquets and facilitates toe tapping with DJ rental systems. Inflatable moonwalk palaces keep revelers entertained and airborne, while portable dance floors turn lawns and patios into glitzy ballrooms. Black Rose Rentals delivers, installs, and strikes all equipment, and staffers are backed by the confidence of full item insurance, a million-dollar liability, and a pat on the back from Bacchus.

Competitors and friends converge to fill their spare time with strikes and high-fives, and to scatter pins atop Georgetown Bowl's 40 lanes. Automatic-scoring systems track points as bowlers chase the elusive 300-point gutter ball seven days a week—including on Beer Bash Friday, when all-you-can drink drafts supplement two hours of unlimited bowling. Inside the Sports Gallery Lounge, four big-screen TVs broadcast both professional and college games, and at the snack bar, bites of wings, wraps, and pizza help players refuel between frames. Beyond the lanes and video arcade, the full-service pro shop's industry veteran, Trace Chamberlin, helps upgrade equipment by re-drilling holes to fit their owners' fingers or rolled-up treasure maps pointing to the center pin.