Things to Do in Manchester

When patrons step into Lanes, Trains, & Automobiles Entertainment Depot, playful noises jostle their senses: the crash of bowling pins, the decisive zaps of laser-tag guns, the thunder of colliding bumper cars. The center shelters a spectrum of friendly competition under one roof, but at the heart are 32 bowling lanes. During open-bowling hours and late-night cosmic bowling, touchscreens tally strikes and automatic bumpers shift up and down to accommodate different players in case they decide to somersault down the lane.

Nearby, up to 16 laser-tag soldiers duck behind barrels and walls splattered with neon paint in the 2,500-square-foot Lazer Station. In the Spinzone, black lights and colorful spotlights swivel around a central traffic signal, which dictates the stops, starts, and illegal U-turns of bumper cars.

In the arcade, patrons battle for champion status and pick of pizza toppings at air-hockey tables, skee-ball machines, and racing video games. Professional competitors face off on flat-screen TVs at Tailgaters, an on-site eatery slinging burgers and pizza. Eight VIP bowling lanes, a designated party zone, and a stage for live entertainment and karaoke act as peaceful dignitaries in the 4,500-square-foot restaurant as well.

Third Coast Clay Ceramic Studio pairs aspiring aesthetes with an unfinished clay form, allowing them to add pigment and pizzazz. Once a piece-to-be-masterpieced has been selected—be it a plate, vase, coffee mug, or bust of Elvis—decorators can begin applying base coats to their evolving ceramic canvas. Those who suffer from painter's block can consult Third Coast's bountiful idea books, stencils, and stamps or resolve it the old-fashioned way by pacing the studio floor with a corncob pipe. All the finished pieces are then set aside to be glazed and fired later by the studio staff. Your objet d'art will be ready for pickup in a week. Each brushwielder will be assessed a $6 studio fee along with the price of whichever starting piece he or she selects ($6–$40 depending on size).

Jose Santisteban’s artistic path has been paved with glass. He began working with it as an artistic medium in 1999 and, after earning his master of fine arts in glass sculpture in New York, chased his passion to locales around the country and globe.

Today, Jose shares his love of this ancient art at Franklin Glassblowing Studio. During lessons that focus on the basic skills of glass blowing, he demonstrates how the material can be used for more than just windows and temporary houses. Students then put theory into practice, flexing their creative muscles to create personalized keepsakes from scratch. When not hosting classes, Jose and others at the studio design their own glassy pieces, including lighting and home decor.