Griffith, IN Indoor Activities

Any martial-arts education involves hard knocks and tough falls, but U.S. Elite Martial Arts & Fitness Center cushions the blows with its 4,000 square feet of matted floors. Atop them, trainees exchange blows in boxing and muay thai kickboxing classes. Brazilian jujitsu, wrestling, and judo fighters perform takedowns as elegant as they are brutal, following up with holds and joint locks that immobilize an opponent’s body. The center also trains children in self-defense, tying their lessons into school to raise grades and impart nonviolent antibullying techniques, such as calling a playground summit.

Yoga and fitness gurus guide students of all skill levels toward slimmer silhouettes in a noncompetitive atmosphere. The spacious studio’s sage-green walls, hardwood floors, and natural lighting provide a backdrop for yoga classes such as Hatha yoga and Forrest yoga, which gently twist torsos and stretch limbs through slow-moving poses. In Pilates classes, students build firmer cores, tighten muscles, and enable tendons to produce melodious twangs by propelling their bodies through a series of isometric motions. Students are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing to all classes.

Pilates is an excellent way to kick-start a fitness routine. The challenging movements and full-body stretching are designed to increase core strength and stamina. For your two private sessions, you’ll receive guidance from FTC-certified instructor Patrick O'Brien, who will help you transition from a stale, store-bought pretzel to a soft, fresh-baked German pretzel. Work out on both the Pilates equipment and floor mat under his supervision. He will help you correct body issues from technique to alignment and tailor the lessons to your specific physical needs. FTC is one of Chicago’s longest-standing Pilates studios, having opened in 1994. Its focus is on the human form and on making sure it operates naturally and healthfully, in line with its proper structure and function. Call to schedule your sessions.

This Groupon saws the price of a magic show ticket in half—magically, without harming the ticket's vital organs and delicate skin. See The Magic Cabaret, a spectacular magic show with no showy Vegas magic-show frippery. It's an evening of "cabaret magic," an intimate type of abracadabra performed for small crowds with audience participation.

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Founded in 1856, the Chicago History Museum upholds its legacy as one of the city's oldest cultural institutions with more than 22 million artifacts blown in from the city's storied past. Permanent exhibitions include Chicago: Crossroads of America, which sends visitors on a journey through a re-created jazz club and features a replica of an original L car and the monkey bars that its passengers hung from during commutes. Collections of dioramas detail the story of the city's growth from a barren nineteenth-century trading outpost to the bustling, youthful city that hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Exhibitions centered on Abraham Lincoln offer an in-depth look at his campaign and election in 1860, and Lincoln's Chicago shows visitors a vision of the city as the 16th president saw it: from 7 feet, 6 inches in the air.