Things to Do in Madera

Everyone can buy up to five of today's Groupon (a total of 10 tickets), so round up ballpark fanatics of all ages for a Saturday-evening outing to the open-air Chukchansi Park, which plays host to the Fresno Grizzlies before they grow to the heights of gentle yet surprisingly man-sized San Francisco Giants. Backdropped by the downtown skyline, night games spring to life under a spectacular night sky. During slow innings or unusually long pop flies, take your anxious youngsters down for a few games at the park's Fun Zone, where kids can train like real-life baseball players by riding the carousel, rolling down the inflatable slide, and practicing in the pitching and batting zones.

Visitors traveling through Challenger Learning Center's exhibits may feel they've fallen down Alice's rabbit hole. One moment, they're as tiny as a nanobot as they gaze at nanotechnology components developed for medicine, electronics, and space elevators. The next, they're giants who could bat the whole planet around with one well-aimed jump—that is, if the planet is the NASA projection globe across whose surface features of the sun, moon, and Earth flow in vivid color.

Other exhibits take visitors far out, with images snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope or deep inside, with the Body Plaza's skeletons, x-rays, and organ models. A wide slate of interactive programming engages youngsters' problem-solving and teamwork skills with activities such as simulated space missions, where they keep the astronauts entertained over the radios at mission control or assemble probes in the spacecraft while hurtling toward Mars.

The nine holes of River Creek Golf Course are spread across the same granite-streaked foothills occupied by Yosemite National Park, which lies just 30 miles to the northwest. Snowcapped Sierra peaks hover above the trees as golfers contend with a John Hilborn–designed layout that welcomes golfers into its embrace with a 542-yard dogleg first hole, the longest on the course. Once players have holed out on the birdie-prone 349-yard ninth, they can head to the clubhouse, checking clubs at the door and instructing golf carts to sit and stay. Inside, the café and bar menu slakes hunger with lunch options, such as hamburgers, caesar wraps, and quesadillas, as well as beverages, including fountain drinks and premium beer.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par-36 course
• Total length of 3,152 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 68 from the back tees
• Course slope of 128 from the back tees
• Fives sets of tees per hole

At Freeway Lanes, families and friends bond over their shard passion for slippery shoes as they send balls careening down 18 lanes in pursuit of the elusive 300. Friday night Rock and Glow bowling sets the alley alive in a whirlwind of live DJs spinning tunes, colorful lights, and glowing pins, each activated by the superpowers of a radioactive ball. After each 10-frame game, bowlers can retire to the Starlight Lounge for savory grill fare or a round of pool.

Color Me Mine puts paintbrushes and pottery in the mitts of customers old and young. Budding Toyozo Arakawas will follow six easy steps to craft beautifully painted ceramics, first choosing a ceramic piece (most cost between $12 and $70) from Color Me Mine's selection of hundreds of seasonally changing items. After charting out the desired design from individual imagination or Color Me Mine's idea gallery, painters will select an underglaze from a cast of more than 75 colors, then apply paint with the focus of a peregrine falcon occupied by a Rockwellian spirit. Color Me Mine handles all kiln-firing work, allowing clients to take home their final products within three to five days. A studio fee of $5 for children 12 and under, $7 for teens 18 and under, and $10 for adults covers all paints, supplies, glazing, and firing.

At MetalMark Climbing & Fitness, a staff of fitness enthusiasts help guests scale 12,000 square feet of climbing terrain and 2,000 square feet of bouldering. Visitors can learn the basics or get a refresher during Intro to Climbing classes, which are offered multiple times every day. Alternately, guests can participate in one of many fitness classes they offer including yoga, Zumba, and indoor cycling.