Things to Do in Gilbert

Before East Side Art was officially founded in 1971, its first inhabitant was the visionary artist Benhardt Michelson, who used the location as an artist community in the 1930s. Today, art instructors and students flock to this oasis of beauty for summer and winter courses in painting, drawing, sculpture, and meditation. After pupils practice in the classroom, they can pop into the art-supply store, where wooden walls and ceilings shelter rows of shiny new supplies. East Side Art also has the ESA Gallery, where artists display Southwest-inspired paintings and prints, as well as sculptures made out of bronze, clay, and chewing gum. Outside, a lush courtyard and water garden provides an idyllic location for poetry readings and performances. While guests lounge in the shade after a hard day's painting, they can catch a glimpse of the Superstition Mountains, where the government stores its good luck.

With walls stretching to heights of 30 feet and more than 15,000 square feet of climbing surface, Phoenix Rock Gym is an impressive sight to behold. Seasoned instructors stand at the foot of ropes and bouldering walls, guiding clients of all ages who scamper up and down faces, cracks, arêtes, and chimneys within the comfort of a climate-controlled gym, safe from mountain goats that have developed a taste for human gym shorts. The gym's assortment of more than 50 courses accommodates all skill levels, from first-time climbers to the seasoned scalers of the Phoenix New Times. Staff members switch up holds and paint colors regularly to keep climbs from getting stale.

At Stratum Lasertag, light warriors leap and duck while toting phasers in an arena with 15 different levels and 90 towers, bridges, and ramps. Designed by the EME Entertainment group, who designed Universal Studios Japan, the emporium bathes warriors in the flickering of strobe lights and the neon glow of black lights as they ascend ramps and blast at one another from different angles. Throughout the space, murals of black holes, outer space, and alien creatures set the mood for bouts of intergalactic warfare. In between laser bouts, players can refuel at the concession area or keep trigger fingers nimble with a stint in the arcade room. Stratum Lasertag outfits participants with laser-tag vests and phasers during birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, graduation celebrations, and team-building events for actual builders.