Things to Do in Fredericksburg

Northern Virginia's Premier High Speed Indoor Kart Race Track

Across 5,000 square feet and two levels of obstacle-laden territory, taggers crouch around corners, rain lightning from the towers, and blend in with the dense vapor of the king's electric fog machine. During each 15-minute round, young squires can defend the keep for themselves or align with fellow beam archers in the name of the queen, the fiefdom, or love. To the victor go the bragging rights and a seat at the round table at home for family taco night.

More than 400,000 monthly readers flip through the pages of The Washingtonian, spending an average of 96 minutes on every issue, gleaning helpful dining tips and doctor recommendations, as well as information about local politics, business, and culture. Regular features list and review restaurants and doctors, giving readers valuable insight into area institutions, as opposed to a list of DC’s tallest presidential monuments, which offers people no new information. Online blogs such as Capital Comment and Dead Drop educate readers on national politics and foreign policy, and style and nightlife sections help deal hunters zero in on shopping and happy hour opportunities.

Ultrazone Laser Tag might be familiar to fans of The Real World, whose cast members—fed up with drama—blew off steam by ducking colorful laser beams in the sprawling multilevel arena's fog-filled maze. There's enough space for 45 vest-clad players to face off at one time, and plasma monitors let the next wave watch the game as they eagerly await their turn. The expansive recreation center also hosts sleepover parties that grant exclusive overnight use of the laser-tag facilities, the plasma-screen theater, and the room that's inexplicably full of doorknobs. Outside the arena, an arcade keeps synapses ablaze with video games, air hockey, and golf simulators, supplemented with slices of Papa John's pizza from the cafe.

Invented in the '70s as a humane alternative to the draconian waffle eat-off that previously resulted in oft-disputed rankings, the college bowl system has become a beloved football tradition. With today's Groupon, $35 gets you a ticket to the second annual EagleBank Bowl on Tuesday, December 29, and admission to the all-you-can-eat tailgate feast before the game. Watch the clash of UCLA vs. Temple from the all-star seating section, sated with food from local restaurants and the knowledge that your Pomeranian could probably never get into your jar of premium capers.

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