Things to Do in Greensboro

Flat-screen televisions hang high above each lane at Z-Bowl, displaying a medley of scoring charts and high-definition sports broadcasts for bowlers to enjoy between frames. The alley keeps the visual banquet brimming in a sports bar with large-projection sets and an arcade containing more than 60 arcade consoles, including both classic and modern models such as skee-ball and Dance Dance Revolution. The 18-lane facility also offers billiards, shuffleboard, and darts to keep levels of healthy competition high and offer lower-impact entertainment for those with injuries such as bowler’s ear. Z-Bowl also hosts six private lanes designed to host upscale parties and corporate meetings, as well as a full kitchen that serves brick-oven pizza and certified Angus beef burgers.

Buffaloe Lanes facilitates retro entertainment by offering open bowling, leagues for all ages, and arcade games. Each lane boasts bumper capabilities, which makes games easier for younger bowlers or those with oval-shaped bowling balls. Bowlers can also host parties at Buffaloe Lanes, during which groups gather in one of the private rooms to unwrap presents and sing to cakes before eating them. The smoke-free and alcohol-free facilities also host snack bars with soft drinks and concessions.

The alligator's enormous jaws remain gaping, large white fangs ready to chomp as child after child voluntarily scampers down its gullet. It's not feeding day at the zoo—it’s a day of bouncing and exercise at Bumper Jumpers’ 14,000-square-foot indoor playground packed with mammoth inflatables and games. Loping across the padded, multicolored floor, kids bound in a giant purple inflatable to play basketball or punt footballs through air-filled field-goal poles. Big yellow slides beckon tots before they frolic through inflated landscapes of orange dinosaurs, oversize mushrooms, and jump-roping imaginary friends.

After working up an appetite, kids can gnaw on healthy treats at the refreshments area before slipping into inflatable sumo suits or tossing balls at the mini bowling game. Bumpers Jumpers offers weekly programs so parents can drop kids off for three hours of play while they go about their day, and party packages help parents to organize memorable birthdays.

Bumper Jumpers keeps kids safe by closely monitoring them with both an attentive staff and an electronic surveillance system. Additionally, regular cleaning of purple sea serpents and twisty obstacle courses with Purell sanitizer keeps the venue free of 99% of germs.

Seasoned tour guides at the nonprofit Conservators' Center acquaint guests with 19 species of rare, rescued, and endangered animals during tours, educational programs, and special events. The conservatory's mammals reside in enclosures, allowing observers to safely watch their behavior and critique their sense of interior decoration. During tours, a 3/4-mile walk down outdoor paths and roads acquaints visitors with lions, tigers, wolves, and lemurs as guides list each animal's backstory and role in the ecosystem. On treat-feeding and enrichment tours, guides carry scents, snacks, and toys to coax out timorous creatures and foster close-up views of the animals eating, playing, or arguing the merits of Austrian economics. Photography tours grant shutterbugs backstage access as they enter areas off the regular path, and twilight tours afford views of normally inconspicuous nocturnal species, such as the genets and kinkajous.

In addition to interactive tours, three membership levels net supporters discounts on special events, a photograph of one of the resident lions, and Member of the Pride gear. Membership also supports the center's commitment to rescuing animals in need, breeding animals responsibly, and stressing the importance of conservation through community education and demonstrations of animals turning off faucets while brushing their teeth.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens whisks visitors to the cozy streets of a reconstructed 18th-century Moravian town that encompasses 100 restored and reclaimed buildings and expansive, pristine gardens. As they stroll through the 90-acre homage to early Americana, visitors can interact with hands-on activities, such as the German paper-cutting art of Scherenschnitte or the colonial tradition of libeling a governor with accusations of actually governing. Old Salem's horticultural marvels include the Miksch Garden—a living illustration of Moravian subsistence farming—and the Family Gardens of Salt Street, which demonstrate the innovative practice of seed saving. In addition to year-round attractions, special exhibits rotate through town, celebrating momentous occasions, notable people, and game-changing presidential pets. After traversing the grounds, visitors can peruse souvenirs at a number of gift shops or sidle into Winkler’s Bakery for a piece of renowned Moravian sugar cake.