Things to Do in Madison Heights

The collection of ramps and half pipes inside Landslide Skate Park's 22,000-square-foot indoor skate facility offers a year-round haven for skaters of all skill levels. During private, group, or open-skate lessons, students master the nuances of kick-flips as experienced skaters demonstrate tricks and retired skateboards deliver instructive lectures. The park's foam pit provides a soft, cushy landing for skaters to practice aerial maneuvers without fear of injury, and a slew of private party rooms, flush with snacks and foosball, host birthday celebrations. Serious skaters can purchase top-of-the-line gear and apparel from brands such as Zero, Habitat, and Alien Workshop in the pro shop, or invest in a park membership for discounted access to the park and lessons without having to disguise yourself as Tony Hawk's legal guardian.

The 200-foot straightaway comes to an end in one of six wheel-testing curves. The Honda 5.5-horsepower engine hums in anticipation. The moment foot touches pedal, hydraulic brakes give their answer and the racing wheels cling to the textured concrete as the go-kart deftly whips through the turn. Coming up on the end of an eight-minute streak of adrenaline, racers zip past the final stretch of the 1/5-mile race track, tearing ahead of each other as the computerized timing system clocks each score to fuel future bragging rights and rematch challenges.

From Kart 2 Kart's café and bar, applause rises as family, friends, and opponents sizing up the competition send their appreciation down to the track, which they've been watching as they nosh on a selection of snacks and beverages. Juniors, meanwhile, wait their turn to hit the blacktop in age-appropriate Formula-K karts. Before strapping in, all racers receive instruction and a safety lesson, during which they learn how to operate the equipment, then strive to set records that can earn them a spot on the website's scoreboard.

Led by studio owner and yoga enthusiast Brian Granader, Red Lotus Yoga's certified instructors move with students of all experience levels through classes in 13 yoga styles. The bright, sunny studio's robust seven-day schedule presents ample opportunities to become acquainted with foundational yoga poses and breathing techniques in slower-paced basic- and gentle-yoga classes. Beginner sessions are set to a comfortable 75 degrees, and during vigorous hot Vinyasa classes, studio temperatures are set as high as the average opossum body temperature—or 95 degrees—as students execute a sequence of poses linked from one to the next with breathing exercises to hone focus and balance. Special events deepen students’ relationships to various aspects of yoga; preregister for an in-depth study of Tibetan Buddhism or sign up for a workshop in reiki or teaching yin yoga.

Breath takes various forms at Breathe Yoga Studio. During group and private yoga classes, it centers minds as bodies pose, the light from paper lamps dancing across hardwood floors in the 75- to 90-degree studio. Experienced teachers use the flow of oxygen to bind bends, balances, and inversions during all-levels Vinyasa routines and athletic Power Vinyasa sessions. Breaths fill lungs for battle cries during the imaginary combat of Vinyasa with kickboxing classes or release tension as low sighs in Hatha sessions, which relax the body with gentle stretches, dim lighting, and tranquil music. For special occasions such as birthday parties, breaths whip across candles on cakes or propel bicycles outfitted with sails during the ride home.

Dance icon Gene Kelly once said, “The history of dance on film begins with Astaire.” Since its founding in 1947, the Fred Astaire Dance Studio has continued to turn out dancers with the aid of a pragmatic curriculum that imparts Hollywood–quality footwork. Now taught at more than 140 studios, the curriculum teaches students diverse styles ranging from ballroom to country western to popular nightclub moves, such as “The Worm,” wherein dancers reel in partners with a baited fishing rod. Stratified by skill level, classes can take students on a journey from rudimentary basics through the foundations of social dance, and then on to more advanced moves, with a trophy system delineating each student’s progress. Dancers of all skill levels and ages can expand their repertoires with group classes, personalized one-on-one instruction, or special wedding boot camps that fortify couples for their first dance as newlyweds.

At Five15's weekend bingo matches, players don't come to win a jackpot or to appease their grandmothers. They come for the drag queen hostesses and their good-natured abuse, adult humor, and vivacity. A rotating roster of queens includes Hershae Chocolatae of America's Got Talent fame, Mr. Joan Rivers, and the acerbic comedienne Queen of Mean. Clustered around round tables, sipping smoothies or chai lattes from the full coffee bar, the patrons of Drag Queen Bingo defy categorization—gay, straight, men, women, and even the occasional 90-year-old, according to the Detroit Free Press. Each patron is fair game for the hosts' humorous darts, especially when they pick up their prizes. Historically, adult-themed prizes have included mugs, T-shirts, and clippings from the Wall Street Journal. _ Detroit Free Press_ quotes a patron as observing, "It's not my mother's bingo. It's nobody's mother's bingo."