Activities in Lake Shore

Using a curriculum based on the standards of the American Sailing Association, The Maryland School of Sailing & Seamanship's staff show aspiring aquanauts how to maneuver vessels at sea. Their lessons often integrate textbooks and hands-on training, such as DVDs and the personal blogs of kelp. The seven ongoing courses typically span two to four days, covering subjects such as coastal cruising and celestial navigation and allowing students to earn certification from the American Sailing Association. In addition to conventional class structures, the school organizes lesson-cruise packages and full-day introductory programs. The staff teaches on American-made yachts appointed with refrigeration, an equipped galley, and climate control.

Emily and Philip Vendemmia look after their students by wrangling a massive schedule of more than 72 classes per week spread over three locations. Bolstered by a strong team of certified Bikram yoga instructors, the duo guides students through Bikram’s 90-minute routine, consisting of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. Instructors crank each studio’s practice space to a hot and humid 105 degrees to help pupils’ muscles safely sink into deep, healing stretches and purge harmful toxins from the body. Each of the standing and seated poses is designed to work every muscle, ligament, and joint while sending freshly oxygenated vampire food to the organs to help support health and fitness.

Sport Fit's gold membership grants aspiring athletes and established exercisers 30 consecutive days of calisthenics, including unfettered access to fitness centers and motivational group-exercise classes. Sport Fit's Bowie location boasts basketball and tennis courts, as well as a variety of indoor pools for swimming laps, alleviating aches, and trying to find Nemo. Bowie's group-exercise schedule is brimming with brawn-boosting group classes, including Pump Fit, Zumba, and 2K Knockout Fitness. For restless gym-goers, the Laurel Fitness and Swim and the Laurel Racquet club offer two separate locations from which to lift weights, labor over lay-ups, or lounge in a whirlpool or sauna. Athletic endeavors abound at Sport Fit in Severna, where a long list of weekly workouts displays a wealth of ways to maximize musculature and tone tendons.

Youngsters descend upon Rolly Pollies, engaging in active play furnished with age-appropriate classes and open-gym time while developing motor skills and social aptitude within the multihued, bustling space. Tots ages 6 months to walking can partake in the Caterpillars class, which gathers fledgling explorers for singing, games, and dissertations on the power of community. The Gymbugs class combines free play and creative arts to impart a well-rounded session of vibrant fun for 3- to 5-year-olds, and gymnastics teaches 4- to 7-year-olds how to master staying steady on the balance beam while simultaneously balancing their checkbooks.

The muscle tutors at Fitness Together will work with you to determine your goals (drop pounds, run a marathon, get strong enough to finally confront Douglas) and develop a customized workout plan designed to help you reach your true fitness potential. They’ll supervise your squats, offer nutritional advice, and push you until you see results. Individualized attention means it’s all about you—your trainer can point out when you’re doing a stretch incorrectly, help you tone the trouble zones, and push you to keep going when you’d otherwise quit or become distracted by the fragile beauty of a passing hummingbird.

Hoping to instill a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature, EcoAdventures offers a variety of enriching programs to educate curious kids. With a number of themes to engage children in interests that range from sharks and bugs to hiking through nature and digging for fossils, programs are offered alongside weekly parent-children classes, drop-ins, and even birthday parties. With a staff of highly educated specialists ranging from marine biologists to biomedical engineers, the instructors work closely with kids to share their own knowledge, experience, and stories of being in the field with crocodiles and sharks.