Things to Do in Newark

Though it's been open since 1963, Sequoia Pro Bowl recently became a Columbus hot spot when owners Tim and Liz Voss turned the ordinary alley into a full-service facility that frequently hosts PBA tournaments. Seven days a week, patrons heave heavy spheres down 32 brand-new lanes, refueling between frames with Sequoia's hearty menu of filling pub-style fare. Guests can also visit the 7-10 Club, packed with arcade games, ping-pong, and karaoke singers reciting the Bowling National Anthem. During the summer months, an outdoor sports bar and 5 sand volleyball courts provide a new arena for friendly competition.

Originally invented by bored henchmen looking to pass the time at Doctor Berserko’s secret Antarctic lair, hockey has since overtaken polo and unicycle jousting as America's pastime. Hop on the bandwagon with today’s Groupon. For $20 to $35, you get one upper 200-level or one lower 100-level ticket to see the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets take part in one of two slap-shooting matchups: Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. vs. the New York Islanders or Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning. Depending on seating, these tickets are usually $44 or $75. The Saturday, March 27, game is also designated as Huntington Hat Night, and fans will receive a free Blue Jackets hat.

The Columbus Museum of Art dazzles eyes and tickles imaginations with a broad collection of 19th- and early-20th-century American and European artwork, as well as a cavalcade of traveling exhibits. Wear a realistic beast-man costume to the current exhibition Fur, Fins, and Feathers, which spotlights animal motifs within the museum's collections, from Inuit carvings to live armadillos posing as statues (runs through June 5). The permanent exhibit Old Masters captures subtleties of shadow, 19th-century American works encompass vast landscapes, and the extensive Late Modernism and Contemporary assemblage implodes luminous colors in twisting, spiraling transformations. Meanwhile, the museum’s 18,000-square-foot Center for Creativity includes a technology lab and hands-on, kid-centered artistic projects to get children interested in fine art at an impressionable age, keeping them from becoming work-a-day doctors and lawyers.

The telltale sounds of fun fill the air at either Magic Mountain Fun Center location, as friends and families careen around tracks in go-karts, compete on mind-bending mini-golf courses, or do battle in bumper cars. Piping-hot pizzas fuel days of rides and arcade games, and the park's varied birthday packages catapult parties into a fun-filled gamut of feasting, bumper boats, and laser tag. Open late, the parks afford guests the opportunity to while the night away or lure their night terrors in front of a speeding bumper car.

When owners Nancy Kanter and Julie Byrne founded Clay Café more than 14 years ago, they wanted to establish a cozy, unpretentious environment where families could spend quality time pottery-painting and embarking on other art projects. Describing what they envisioned to the Columbus Dispatch, Byrne stated, “We kind of wanted a grandma kitchen—something homey.” At Clay Café, visitors might forget they’re not relaxing in their own homes amid the studio’s popular mismatched chairs, flower tablecloths, and resident father yelling at a sports game on TV. The hospitable owners invite guests of all ages to let their artist instincts run wild during open-ended potter-painting sessions, and they host an array of special events including baby showers and birthday parties.

The 4,000 square feet of climbing space at Vertical Adventures encompasses terrain for top roping, bouldering, and lead climbing under the watchful supervision of a trained staff. The gym challenges wall scramblers to test both their physical endurance and problem-solving skills as they take on the top-rope courses, which represent the majority of the routes and tower as high as 25 feet. Rather than let new patrons become overwhelmed by the variety of courses or get stranded at the top without reading material, the gym’s instructors also conduct lessons for all climbing levels to help climbers improve technique and conquer fears.