Things to Do in Grosse Pointe Park

PGA pro Alex Macko propagates sound pin-hunting form from his post at Jawor's Golf Center, which fosters year-round practice with indoor and outdoor training areas. Alex can demystify the subtle mechanics of the golf swing at the center's 44-tee driving range, which features 14 covered, heated stalls that enable practice sessions during inclement weather. With clubs and apparel from brands such as Callaway, TaylorMade, and Titleist, the full-service pro shop offers equipment upgrades as well as repair services for club shafts snapped by players who mistakenly teed up a bocce ball. Two outdoor, 18-hole mini-golf courses buttress the facility, inviting players to work on their putting form as life-size cartoon characters break the tension after a missed gimme or a dispute about whether or not an abandoned shoe is an acceptable ball marker.

Home to the state's largest freestanding bouldering island, New Jersey Rock Gym houses 12,000 square feet of vertical terrain to climb as well as 41 top roping stations. Armed with either day passes or membership, guests scamper up the gym's synthetic summits, hoping to ask questions of the learned ceiling light sequestered at the top of the mountain. While gear is included with some membership options, guests can opt to bring their own materials or rent the individual shoes ($5), harnesses ($4), or chalk bags ($2) they need from the pro shop. New Jersey Rock Gym offers a collection of educational course work in the vertical arts, teaching belay technique to beginners or advanced skills to adults. Children can also take advantage of youth climbing programs, mini camps, and birthday parties before retiring to private refreshment chambers to absorb bottles of electrolyte-infused refreshment. The nearby pro shop outfits climbers with name-brand gear for purchase, while a WiFi lounge transmits terabytes of data into nearby electronic devices or unsecured cyborg brains.

Since 2002, the instructors at Hazel Park Learn to Skate have honed hockey-skating abilities and figure-skating techniques throughout the year, regardless of outdoor temperatures. They hold court inside the Hazel Park Municipal Viking Arena, allowing students of all ages to get acquainted with a full-size, well-maintained surface. Figure-skating sessions follow the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills curriculum, whereas the hockey curriculum focuses on speed and agility, allowing athletes to win the referee's favor without learning how to care for his orchid patch. Basic-skills courses provide beginners with fundamentals required for progressing into specialized skating areas. For preschool-aged skaters, Snowplow Sam sessions help develop the basic coordination and strength necessary to maneuver on the ice.

At Silver Tee Golf Centre, golf balls frolic on the greens of a recently renovated 18-hole miniature golf course and whiz through the air at a practice range. A driving range’s heated, covered, and lighted stalls let players swing their 9 irons without hiring a cloud of lightning bugs to hover overhead, and a practice sand trap lets them practice their escape skills. Before hitting the practice green, golfers can take a turn at the Perfect Putting Machine, which lets players experience what the ideal stroke looks and feels like, and those working on their long game can step into the Explanar training system and discover their optimum swing plane as a hoop guides their stroke.

The centre’s PGA Professionals are close at hand to take over where the training equipment leaves off. They guide students toward reliable swings during private and group lessons and wrestle egg-shaped balls from nesting alligators.

With its gargantuan ballroom space, the Congress Theater is just as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the ears. The former movie palace, which boasts a curved upper deck lined with red-velvet seats, beckons concertgoers to its lushly vintage confines for country-music shows, bluegrass festivals, and electronic-music performances. Regardless of the act, audience members revel beneath an ornately decorated domed ceiling that's perfect for jetpack escapes when the dance floor gets too crowded. The theater also is branching out into its surrounding neighborhood by filling attached storefronts with restaurants, small grocers, and other community partners.

Each year on the shores of Lake St. Clair, massive bash Hottiefest celebrates the art of looking good with a weekend of professionally DJ’ed parties. Spinsmiths such as DJ Captn20 and DJ Godfather select dance-friendly jams that evoke all the beachy fun, sun, and camaraderie of a snowman that reincarnates in sand form to be near you again. In addition to dancing until body temperatures rise, guests can lounge in outdoor cabanas and take home goody bags full of neon-hued party favors; VIP visitors earn the added perks of bypassing the entry line and mingling in the waterfront VIP tent.