Things to Do in Lake Worth

A lifelong resident of West Palm Beach, Marissa first spotted a paddleboard while thumbing through the glossy pages of a magazine. Intrigued, she scouted her hometown to sign up for a lesson and enjoyed her first experience with the sport so much that she bought her first board the next day. Not long after, Marissa launched South Florida Paddle LLC, a mobile standup paddleboard rental and tour company. Meeting up with clients at designated spots between Lake Worth Beach and Jupiter Island, Marissa leads excursions that range from shoreline ventures through ocean waves to calm glides along intracoastal waterways. Depending on the time of year, eco tours bring paddlers up close to an array of wildlife, such as manatees, spotted eagle rays, or starfish. For independent explorers, Marissa rents Cruiser ACS standup paddleboards for daytime adventures, as well as sunrise, sunset, and full-moon paddles for renters looking to hide their werewolf paws from family and friends.

Featured in an episode of the Golf Channel’s The Haney Project, Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course’s acclaimed layout blankets the breezy space right between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway. Originally designed in 1961 by famed course architect Joe Lee, the course received a facelift from Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd in 2009, adding drama to a water-kissed terrain that has hosted the LPGA Pro-Am and has been played by the likes of George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, and the Hamburglar. Stitched by the curvy trunks of vibrant palm trees, the course’s saltwater- and drought-resilient paspalum grass helps it thrive in its seashore location. With the longest hole measuring in at 196 yards, Palm Beach Par 3 provides ample opportunity for players to snag a coveted hole-in-one or humble egotistical drivers by making them sit out for the round. And the renovations keep coming with plans to add a new, two-story Florida-style clubhouse on the course that will house a restaurant on the second floor. It's scheduled to open November 2013.

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by Joe Lee and refurbished by Raymond Floyd

• 18-hole, par 27 course

• Paspalum grass

• Length of 2,572 yards from the farthest tees

• Three tee options

• Link to scorecard

Hot Shots Paintball’s 20 acres of sprawling terrain play host to paint slingers dashing around nine outdoor fields during adrenaline-pumping speedball, woodsball, and scenario games. Strewn with tires, a maze of plywood walls, and even an old bus, the fields conceal players from advancing enemies and stealth bombers migrating south for the winter. After epic battles, Swamp House Grill serves up classic American eats Tuesday–Sunday, and the onsite pro shop plies players with extra field-paint ammunition. Paintballing friends can also plan fun paintball-team events, birthday parties, and corporate outings for effective team-building exercises that don’t involve gluing the sales staff to people in marketing.

Paintballs and airsoft ammo whiz through the air across East Coast Extreme Inc.'s 8 acres of simulated battlegrounds. On wooded fields, forest canopies cast shadows over paintball players as they weave through tree trunks, duck into ditches, and launch more acrylic salvos than a frustrated cartoonist. Elsewhere, splatterless ammo fires across 2 acres of airsoft fields. East Coast Extreme Inc.'s pro shop helps players stock up for these friendly battles. Its rich blue walls enclose a sea of airsoft and paintball gear, including guns with flashlights and laser scopes as well as safety gear.

The late artist Joe LaPierre often dreamed of opening a studio where anyone could come in and learn to paint with the help of friendly, experienced instructors. The artist's children, Sarah and Jesse, realized his legacy with Alla Prima Creations—named for the Italian phrase for works of art that are begun and finished in a single session. The center offers classes five days a week where students learn to replicate a bright, cheerful painting. The calendar gives pupils a wide range of artwork options, any of which students can learn to replicate on their own 16"x20" canvas. Students can tote along a favorite beverage or snack—which allows for a relaxed classroom environment as students sip on wine or nibble crackers while they create fanciful scenes of artists sipping wine and nibbling crackers. For a change of medium, lass-painting sessions give students the opportunity to customize champagne, margarita, and wine goblets with abstract designs.

The faithful and tattooed crew members of the Coast Guard–certified Black Sparrow pirate ship tell stories and sing to buccaneers of all ages during adventures that set sail from the Riviera Beach Marina. In the mysterious waters surrounding the 79-acre Peanut Island, they lead a scavenger hunt for buried treasure and defeat the evil Pirate Jack. Once the ship falls under attack, they call kids to man the water cannons, after which they dole out handfuls of loot when the treasure is recovered. Before returning to the docks, they keep little ones busy with face painting and lessons on the proper way to greet each other and request copies of their tax records in pirate lingo.