Hilliard, OH Outdoor Activities

Originally invented by bored henchmen looking to pass the time at Doctor Berserko’s secret Antarctic lair, hockey has since overtaken polo and unicycle jousting as America's pastime. Hop on the bandwagon with today’s Groupon. For $20 to $35, you get one upper 200-level or one lower 100-level ticket to see the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets take part in one of two slap-shooting matchups: Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. vs. the New York Islanders or Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning. Depending on seating, these tickets are usually $44 or $75. The Saturday, March 27, game is also designated as Huntington Hat Night, and fans will receive a free Blue Jackets hat.

The 4,000 square feet of climbing space at Vertical Adventures encompasses terrain for top roping, bouldering, and lead climbing under the watchful supervision of a trained staff. The gym challenges wall scramblers to test both their physical endurance and problem-solving skills as they take on the top-rope courses, which represent the majority of the routes and tower as high as 25 feet. Rather than let new patrons become overwhelmed by the variety of courses or get stranded at the top without reading material, the gym’s instructors also conduct lessons for all climbing levels to help climbers improve technique and conquer fears.

Dispatch Events knows how Columbus residents cook, exercise, and flounce their kitchen curtains. Its quartet of annual expos and other special events draws from the worldly media prowess of The Dispatch Printing Company, which tailors each sprawling festival to the tastes and trends of the city and beyond. The Columbus Dispatch Home & Garden Show lures celebrities from HGTV and other outlets as guests take in home-improvement and gardening ideas, such as which shrubs best lend themselves to topiaries of neighbors' faces.

The frosty rink at Americas Ice Garden is always abuzz with wintry activity, hosting skaters ready to carve out figure eight8s during public hours or rehearse for impending competitions at freestyle skates. Athletes just breaking into the sport can attend skating and hockey classes, or commit to two weeks of drama and vocal exercises of saying "triple lutz" 10 times fast at ice-theater camps. The fun but demanding camps culminate in a production staged on the ice for a crowd of spectators. When thespians clear out, the rink is free to once again host parties or broomball matches.

Sunlight streams through 12 stories' worth of glass prisms, exploding into rainbows that dance on the trees, plants, and spouting fountains that fringe the well-chilled oval at its home in the heart of the Plaza of the as. The prisms are suspended in a next-door atrium, home to many shops and cultural attractions near the ice garden, including the Dallas Museum of Art.

Challenge Nation pioneered the urban-adventure race with a race season that includes visits to 35 cities across the country. Each scavenger hunt is personalized to the hosting city, exploring its many diverse neighborhoods with a series of clues that would test even the most skilled children's-book detective. The teams—comprised of at least two people—vie for a $300 first-place prize. The _Amazing Race_–style competition rewards quick wits and wise planning over physical fitness, so the best way to prepare is by doing logic puzzles while eating Funyuns and lounging in a La-Z-Boy. The top 25 teams qualify, the top five receiving free entry, to compete in the national championship, which rewards winning teams with a $5,000 cash prize.

At 14,000 square feet, the Bank of America City Center dwarfs the famed ice rink at New York City's Rockefeller Center and provides visitors with plenty of room to skate for hours. All winter long, the rink hosts public sessions as well as Learn-to-Skate classes for beginners and drop-in refresher classes for adults. Located in Kennedy Plaza, skaters can enjoy a day of gliding against a backdrop of Providence landmarks during open skate sessions, group skating and birthday parties. After graceful spins across the ice, guests can indulge in cocoa, coffee, and delicious eats from downtown Providence's nearby local haunts.