Things to Do in Lakewood

From its beginnings as an online store, Rockin’ Bead has taken its products back into the physical world with the opening of its Aurora store constructed from brick, mortar, calk, and two heaping fistfuls of beads. Seeing a wide selection of beads and stones and settings online is an experience only as wide as your computer screen, but seeing a 20-foot wall lined with over a thousand decorative pieces has caused numerous awe-induced fainting spells.

Gayle Lynne first took to the sky when she was 53, and was instantly hooked. Her dancing and ice-skating experience hadn’t prepared her for the joys of careening through the air on silks and hoops, but she quickly picked up on the skills, and was inspired to create a studio in which adults and children of all ages could also explore the sky. So Aerial Dance Over Denver was born, hosting air-borne maneuvers with 35 rigging points and seven aerial stations.

Gayle handpicked a fleet of experienced instructors, each primed with a background in dance, to lead students through classes and camps that introduce them to silk fabrics, trapeze work, and contortions—in which patrons increase their flexibility and learn to cram into small spaces, such as an unsuspecting family member's lunch box. Dangling from their material of choice, students perform a routine that builds strength and flexibility, scaled to suit beginners with slow and low maneuvers or veteran airborne artists with high-flying choreography.

Lucky Strike Lanes Belmar's 16 synthetic lanes gleam under a healthy collection of neon lights and high-definition television screens as leather sofas at each lane cradle guests who patiently wait their turn. When not bowling, bowlers can play foosball or billiards at the onsite pub or order from a full menu of pizzas, sandwiches, and other grilled items. The pub’s wooden accents add to the alley’s decor, which harks back to midcentury lounge styling without vintage drawbacks such as faulty ball returns or the ghosts of failed mayoral candidates floating down the alleyways.

At Lollipop Park, kids ricocheting around the bounce house don't have to set foot on solid ground until they're good and ready. That's because the indoor amusement park doesn't impose a time limit—on rides or the length of birthday parties. Kids ages 10 and younger are free to stay on the miniature Ferris wheel for dozens of ascents or whirl around the carousel until they figure out which horse is the fastest. Of course, these are just two of the rides in the park's collection. Spinning teacups, a tiny train, and suspended swings all thrill their riders, and entry wristbands entitle everyone to unlimited go-rounds.

For more than 30 years, Lollipop Park has served as a beacon of relaxed fun, and its longstanding commitment to young smiles is evident in the thousands of grateful letters on display from children's charities that have received contributions from the park. A snack bar divvies out pizza and drinks for lunch breaks, while a lollipop stand harkens back to the golden age of carnivals.

Owner Jennifer Schroeder began crafting her own all-natural products in high school and, one career later, now heads a team of skincare mavens who give kitchen chemists the tools to create their own spa experiences. Demonstration lectures form a compact introduction to a single process and leave students with a product sample to take home and touch up aging portraits of great-great-grandparents, and workshops plunge all hands into the fundamentals of gel-based anti-aging serums, exfoliating sugar scrubs, or herbal soaps. The small-group classes focus on practicable skills and include recipes for home use, enabling perpetual plant-based pampering.

Children and teens engage their imaginations during dynamic adventures set in a fantastical time filled with dashing knights questing in the name of good. Groups of four to seven young heroes must overcome challenging puzzles and duel with foam swords as they work together to complete tasks such as saving their village, solving a mystery, or developing the technique of crop rotation. While swinging a Swasher sword, children learn how to compete and act fairly according to the rules of swordplay. The interactive play teaches kids creative problem solving and conflict-resolution skills that incorporate negotiation and compromises to solve complex disputes.