Mastic, NY Indoor Activities

Flanked by seven other aircraft, a Grumman F-11 hangs suspended in a shallow dive over the main entrance to Cradle of Aviation Museum’s four-story glass atrium. Three viewing levels on wraparound balconies afford views of the aircraft that only fellow pilots in close formation ever saw when it was in service. The 150,000-square foot facility’s eight exhibits grant similarly intimate glimpses of more than 75 aircraft and spacecrafts that trace the historic path of Long Island’s aviation contributions since 1870. Those artifacts include a replica of the Wright Brothers’ 1899 kite, five aircraft made in Long Island for World War II, and the Grumman Lunar Module LM-5 “Eagle”, which transported Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin to that soundstage that looked like the moon.

Patrons also get a chance to soar skywar in the X-Ride Theater, a 30-seat motion simulator whose “Fly with the Blue Angels” film mimics the piloting of a U.S. Navy squadron jet. Over in the JetBlue Sky Theater Planetarium and the Leroy R. & Rose W. Grumman Dome Theater, screens show films on subjects such as Lewis and Clark and Ernest Shackleton’s famed Antarctic journey. To reenergize after touring the museum or riding the Historic Nunley's Carousel, which was built in 1912, guests can enjoy a meal in the Red Planet Cafe, whose space station décor evokes a Martian cafeteria in the year 2040.

Dance With Me is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy of Dancing with the Stars fame. He's infused years of experience into every instructor, class, and Fantasia mop that self-cleans the studios when no one is looking. Enjoy half an hour of mirroring a flawless macarena during the introductory private dance lesson, in which an expert instructor helps each student master techniques and advance to a higher skill level. The standard private lesson will build upon moves learned during the introductory class and tutor the dancee in rhythmic jiggles like the Viennese waltz, fox trot, bolero, and Teen Vogue.

After years of avidly pursuing athletic activity, one of Laughing Buddha Yoga Center's founders, Michael Sheridan turned to Ashtanga yoga to relieve his back and hip pain, finding a rich practice he now shares with students in an accepting, nonjudgmental environment. Business partner, Donna Janeira, fell in love with not only yoga's physical benefits but also its total body and mind conditioning. The studio's location overlooks Long Island Sound, reflecting the peacefulness of the rippling water with glowing burnished-wood floors. Students work at their own pace before sleek mirrors to further their yoga or fitness training. Students can also choose to pursue the studio's ample non-yoga classes, which include barre workouts wherein students learn to perform muscle-lengthening stretches while supporting themselves with a ballet barre. During Zumba classes, Latin rhythms keep attendees engaged throughout a choreographed sequence of dance step, which torches more calories than a fire-eater at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The fresh breezes that buffet Mystic's shoreline probably feel much the same as they did 150 years ago, so it's a fitting place to find America's nautical history resurrected. Called Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea, the extensive grounds could almost qualify as a theme park. In addition to the museum proper, the complex hosts a rebuilt 19th-century sea-faring village, a working shipyard, and extensive gardens that blanket the grounds. Live museum staff lead demonstrations and performances throughout, even welcoming guests aboard the four National Historic Landmark vessels moored in port. Nearby, captains take visitors out on the water in a coal-fired steamboat to experience the river and town from a different angle. They also rent out their vessels to other licensed boaters seasonally, who can sail or row their way across the Mystic River. When tired of ship studying and naval gazing, guests can head to the Treworgy Planetarium and turn their eyes to the stars, learning how to chart courses in the manner of ancient captains, modern astronauts, and late-night deliverymen.

Bikram Yoga Shelton's certified instructors lead 90-minute classes that take place within a sultry practice space with 58% humidity and temperatures that reach as high as 103 degrees. In the therapeutic heat, they help students of all abilities achieve deeper, safer stretches and detoxifying perspiration. They walk their pupils through two breathing exercises and a powerful sequence of 26 standing and seated poses in each class to challenge muscles more effectively than bench-pressing a chakra. Each posture helps unleash torrents of oxygenating circulation throughout the body, promoting healthy organ function as the sustained stretches bolster stamina and flexibility. After class, students can rinse themselves in the onsite showers and retrieve any restless spirit animals they stashed in the studio's lockers.

If you asked someone what ballerinas and soldiers have in common, it would sound like the setup for a joke. Bad punch lines aside, "Pilates" would be a valid answer. Initially, Joseph Pilates' fitness system was used in army hospitals to rehabilitate soldiers and in dance studios to tone and stretch ballerinas. At Pilates of Stamford, Pam Giambrone applies her expertise just as broadly, strengthening and lengthening the muscles of beginner and veteran athletes alike.

Pam and her team of instructors have all been certified to impart Pilates techniques with a variety of equipment. Their mat classes cover focused stretches and the use of several props, from arm weights to stability balls and magic circles. Alternatively, Reformer classes provide highly personalized resistance-apparatus demonstrations. Whether guests drop in to a group lesson or schedule private training, teachers adjust their exercises to fit each person's pace, fostering an atmosphere of support and continual growth rather than one of competition and slap-fights.