Things to Do in Henderson

After noticing a lack of guided outdoor-excursion opportunities, James Dingess founded Desert Adventures in 2004 to help locals and visitors to take advantage of Nevada’s stunning natural landscapes. What began as a small paddling outfit with a handful of kayaks and a single employee has since expanded to include ATV, mountain biking, and time-travel adventures led by knowledgeable guides. Desert Adventures stays true to its kayaking roots with a fleet of 125 shells and half- to four-day Colorado River runs. Guides also lead multiday, multisport excursions combining various activities, as well as high-speed ziplining tours that careen from the top of Red Mountain to the base of Bootleg Canyon. Most adventures accommodate all skill levels, but some carry experience or age restrictions.

Arthur Murray has been a leading name in franchise dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and The Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, The Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns and timing, then progressing to more complicated patterns.

Inspired by Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! initiative, Lily Sirsy set out to do her part to fight childhood obesity and promote lifetimes of healthy habits. Her passion resulted in Jumpfit Kids, a safe, colorful space for Nevada families to play, exercise, and create. Amid the 3,000-square-foot play gym, tots can defy gravity in one of two indoor bounce houses, tell tall tales with puppet theater, or expand their palates and built-in water wings in a variety of art, cooking, and exercise classes. Junior-size cardio equipment in bright primary colors fills the kids' fitness center, encouraging whippersnappers to work up a sweat or produce enough electricity to power a gingerbread house.

Though their professional dancing careers began in Las Vegas, Debbie Carroll and Shelley Locklier's skillful steps led them to a globe-trotting stint as principal dancers for Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance. After returning to Las Vegas, Carroll and Locklier combined their expertise—and their names—to form Carrolier Academy of Irish Dance, where toe-tapping apprentices learn Irish-dance fundamentals to build their core strength, improve their performance skills, and boost their self-confidence. Furnished with a hi-tech sound system, a mirrored wall, and sprung flooring to absorb the shock of shoes and falling feathers, the studio hosts classes for all ages and experience levels, enhancing each pupil's abilities while emphasizing team-building skills and proper nutrition.

A nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities, New Vista Community hosts festive fundraisers throughout the year. Savvy to the pulse of the community, event organizers throw raucous events such as wine walks, which regale guests with the foolproof combination of fine food samples, wine and cocktails, and live music. Guests at the Brew's Best Hand-Crafted Beer festival sip free samples of regional brews, and at the lighthearted Adam & Eve's Love Fling, love-happy attendees and confused mannequin collectors bid on bachelors and bachelorettes.

Though many in the community may know New Vista Community primarily for these events, the organization dedicates its best energies to help those with disabilities. Founded in 1984 by three sets of parents with intellectually challenged kids, the charity provides group homes, assisted living, job training, and field trips to kids and adults.

Growing up in North Las Vegas, Tracy Eliason discovered that time spent bouncing on a trampoline can take a person places beyond the yard. Tracy's bouncing talents took him to the Junior Olympics, where he competed in the Trampoline and Tumbling event as a teen. The accomplished athlete knows well how trampoline bouncing can be irresistible to kids. He opened his multifaceted jumper's paradise, FLIPnOUT Fun Centers, in 2010 to serve as an outlet for youngsters and adults alike to have an enjoyable time while contributing to their fitness. The indoor gymnasium is comprised of large trampoline arenas, inflatable bouncy houses, and a video game arcade. A staff of energetic young trampoline tutors advises tykes on the art of safe jumping, supervises trampoline-enhanced games of dodgeball, and helps show gravity it's not the boss of anyone. Fundraisers and birthday parties are often held at the bounce headquarters, and the team at FLIPnOUT Fun Centers also offers Monday Night Air-obics classes.