Things to Do in Lincolnia

Owned and operated by artist Kelly Hutchinson, Kelly's Art & Frame is home to a 2,800-square-foot art gallery where original paintings, watercolors, and limited-edition prints line the walls. Onsite custom framing services combine archival materials and meticulous work to properly preserve drawings, sculptures, and cherished pieces of ABC gum. With fellow artist Carol Fogelsong, Kelly also leads art classes, teaching the fundamentals to students during intimate group sessions.

Ultrazone Laser Tag might be familiar to fans of The Real World, whose cast members—fed up with drama—blew off steam by ducking colorful laser beams in the sprawling multilevel arena's fog-filled maze. There's enough space for 45 vest-clad players to face off at one time, and plasma monitors let the next wave watch the game as they eagerly await their turn. The expansive recreation center also hosts sleepover parties that grant exclusive overnight use of the laser-tag facilities, the plasma-screen theater, and the room that's inexplicably full of doorknobs. Outside the arena, an arcade keeps synapses ablaze with video games, air hockey, and golf simulators, supplemented with slices of Papa John's pizza from the cafe.

Its red roof shining from the banks of the Potomac River, historic Mount Vernon bears the torch of gentleman planter and inaugural commander in chief George Washington via the home where he lived for 40 years. It takes about three hours to explore the estate, a visit which begins with a walk through the grounds and a short film before proceeding to a guided tour of the mansion. There, time-travelers visit 1799—the year Washington died—as recreated by preserved original furnishings and detailed reproductions. The home's windows look out on 50 acres of plantation, with 12 original structures, gardens, and a forest trail hemmed with holly and laurel. The museum and education center weaves a rich audio-visual tapestry of the general's life, filled with 23 theaters and galleries and 700 original artifacts that include his famous dentures.

At Rivertowne 12 Cinemas, children’s films, supernatural thrillers, comedies, and superhero blockbusters all share equal billing. Twelve auditoriums light their silver screens with 3D and digital projections, carrying audience members to other worlds so they don't blow their savings accounts while trying to make a space elevator.

Ultrazone Family Entertainment crafts adrenaline-filled afternoons, birthday parties, and events with a laser-tag arena and myriad in-house or rentable games and carnival attractions. Neon lights cast a hazy glow over the obstacles filling the state-of-the-art laser-tag battlefield, where combatants wield light-emitting artillery in 25-minute bouts. Guests and confused mountain goats scale the rock-climbing simulator overlooking the main hall's arcade and pinball games. The facility opens up the funscapades to birthday parties, complete with soda, Papa John's pizza, and two rounds of laser tag. Shindigs get customized with carnival rentals such as themed moonwalks, portable rock-climbing walls, and inflatable suits for sumo-wrestling matchups or attending balloon-animal weddings.

You'll be led in the ways of matching and loving under director Ron "Ald" McDonald, aka Tennis the Menace, aka the Count of Volley Cristo—a US Professional Tennis Association–certified coach and 35-year veteran of successful tennis-knowledge transmission. You'll be grouped with a handful of swingers at your own skill level, allowing you to reap the benefits of group training and assign each other catchy nicknames. Through fun drills and lightly competitive scrimmaging, you'll build on fundamentals and incorporate new flourishes into your victory dance.