Things to Do in Huntsville

When Lisa Campbell and Rodney Rodriguez founded their studio, they hoped to teach the next generation to create, value, and love art. Now, the painting playground hosts a multitude of kids and adults who let loose their creative potential on blank ceramics and unpainted M&M’s using vibrant brushstrokes. With a homey atmosphere, visitors are free to relax as they experiment. The shop also hosts events such as kids' birthday parties and adult date and gathering nights.

Nestled at the southern point of Lake Conroe, Nauti-Dayz Boat Rentals facilitates fun with a fleet of nautical vessels. Outfitted with 90-horsepower Honda motors, pontoon boats welcome passengers for low-speed floats around the lake’s placid waters. MerCruiser motors send ski boats ripping across the waves, towing skiers, tubers, and wakeboarders in their frothy wakes. The shop also rents waverunners that seat up to two passengers and reproduce the high-speed thrill of riding a motorcycle across a full swimming pool. All rentals include complimentary fuel and life jackets.

Racing Humans events pit earthlings against 5 kilometers of treacherous terrain riddled with hills, hurdles, and enough mud to make a bathtub look into early retirement. During spectator-friendly adventures, racers are challenged with a strenuous course, but must conquer a series of obstacles as well, including crawling under barbed wire, swimming across lakes, and high stepping over stacks of logs. Course officials keep feet moving along the route, and afterward, an awards ceremony recognizes the day's fastest competitors and best costumes. Racing Humans also hosts 1-mile events for youngsters aged 7–14, during which kids surmount obstacles without help from their parents or answers from the back of the teacher’s book.

The reason renting kayaks from Riva Row Boat House and paddling down Lake Woodlands makes for such an appealing family outing or team-building exercise has to do with simplicity. For one thing, the activity itself is simple to master; no experience is required to rent one of the boathouse's 22 tandem kayaks or 20 single kayaks of various lengths, since staff members are happy to demonstrate paddling techniques to rookies. The activity is also easy to get into because everything is provided for you, from paddles and lifejackets to the refills of the lake that must be flown in from water factories in Denmark weekly.

Often, people make visiting the boathouse part of a whole day in the area. They can follow their time on the lake with a picnic at Town Green Park or with a trolley ride over to The Woodlands Waterway, where restaurants and shopping await.

At sunrise over Lake Conroe, beams of morning light scatter sparkling reflections off the water's placid surface. In the distance, a slight whine, audible only to the gulls and morning sunbathers, signals the end of a sleepy night and the beginning of an exciting day of water sports. The sound belongs to a Yamaha Waverunner VX110 Deluxe, just one of Fun Rentals' fleet of wave-taming watercraft. In addition to the zippy waverunners, their sturdy pontoons form a leisurely flotilla, welcoming guests in search of a calm trip along the lake's azure waves or a place to peaceful place to practice making aircraft carrier noises with their mouths. From the headquarters along one of the lake's private beaches, staffers also entices shore-bound guests with space for picnics and sunbathing.

The tri-day festival starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 29, packing The Domain with more wines, brews, tunes, artisans, and food than New Orleans, Santa Fe, Napa Valley, and Munich smashed together at high speed and compressed into a super-dense, marble-sized pellet. Check out the scheduled band list for all the info on your favorite strummers, including Rob Baird, Micky and the Motorcars, Texas Renegade, and more. The festival also offers plenty of food vendors, artisans, and craftsmen for items ranging from wood designs to gourmet pizzas.