Things to Do in Hanover Park

Chicago Jewelry and Lapidary School's instructors have had their work shown in galleries around the world. These acclaimed artists put their experience and passion to use by equipping students with the tools and know-how to create their own art. From courses on forging rings to constructing bead sculptures, the class schedule offers a wide array of creative outlets for the curious crafter or surreptitious bead thief. After class, students can post their masterpieces in the virtual art gallery or peruse the online boutique’s selection of healthy teas, essential oils, and chi-aligning crystals.

Paintball Explosion began when a group of paintball fanatics decided to make their dreams a reality and set about designing eight different fields of movie-set quality. Located just a 40-minute drive outside of Chicago, the real-life fantasy land they created includes the sci-fi-inspired, concrete environs of Code Black Field as well as the abandoned amusement-park setting of Biohazard Field.

The expansive facility also sports indoor and outdoor speedball fields for adrenaline-fueled fastness. Between matches, gamers can prepare at heated buildings with locker rooms and showers. With an onsite sports bar and grill, Paintball Explosion makes the paintball haven a place where enthusiasts can discuss the forces of velocity, wind resistance, and the physics of splatter.

Each fall, terror descends upon downtown Elgin when Psychosis Haunted House opens its grounds to thrill-seeking visitors. The 20,000-square-foot haunted house stations its actors at unexpected intervals, building suspense and fear so that each monster elicits a scream. For an extra fee, guests can choose to be "kidnapped" and hustled inside, where they wait hidden among the shadows until their friends or the pizza delivery guy finally finds them. Psychosis Haunted House also makes live animals a part of the adventure and donates a portion of its proceeds to the Buddy Foundation, which provides care to stray, abused, and abandoned animals.

Raging Buffalo's adrenaline junkies have turned their athletic addiction into a successful enterprise by offering snowboarding and wakeboarding lessons to beginners and experienced riders. In the summer, their instructors take to the wake for lessons that start at the wakeboard school—open since 2001—before taking students on 15-minute riding sessions. When winter comes, the instructors dry-dock their boards in local bear caves and show students how to navigate the drifts with snowboard lessons at their ski park, which opened in 1992 and keeps slopes board-ready with an abundant supply of self-made snow. Additionally, Raging Buffalo plays host to a variety of events, from rail jams to USASA competitions.

Wines for Humanity's professional wine advisers lead in-home tastings that teach guests the finer points of a five-point wine-tasting technique, all while raising funds for local charities. As students sip several exclusive vintages, they learn to judge wines' colors, aromas, and voting records, as well as pick out suitable food pairings. Wine Advisors will arrive half an hour before the tasting begins bringing the tasting glasses and wine. Hosts are encouraged to prepare suggested cheese pairings and crackers to complement the wines. Wines that are selected for tasting run at an average of $20 per bottle. A portion of every bottle selected for your own enjoyment generates a donation for UMOM New Day Centers, a charity that supports the prevention of homelessness for families with children in Maricopa County.

On tours from Haunted Hometowns, each traveler clutches an EMF meter, nervously waiting for a flash that detects electromagnetic fields, thus signaling the presence of paranormal activity. Meanwhile, a seasoned storyteller imparts gripping tales of murder, local legends, and ghostly encounters. Based on the books of ghost historian and storyteller Diane Ladley, Haunted Hometowns tours build on her four decades of research, as well as her intimate knowledge of the area and its rumored spectral inhabitants. Guides encourage participants to tote along their cameras so that they’re prepared to preserve the spooky sights along the way and catch photo-bombing ghosts in the act.