Niagara Falls, NY Indoor Activities

Arthur Murray has been a leading name in franchise dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and The Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, The Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Clients who arrive to lessons partnerless will be paired up with other classmates as the instructors assess their current skill level and make recommendations on the most appropriate program. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns, timing, and the ability to lead or follow.

The theater at The Screening Room Cinema Cafe bears more of a resemblance to an intimate club than a multiplex, seating its guests at small tables so they can sip on beer and wine during films. The floor-level screen flashes with arthouse cinema, including new indie flicks and cult favorites, as well as classics from cinematic giants such as Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg. In addition to its usual screenings, the café also hosts poetry nights, film festivals, and high-definition broadcasts of sports games recorded by a mascot with a giant camera for a head.

A trio of 18-hole miniature-golf courses, more than 60 interactive arcade and ticket-rewarding games, and a teddy-bear factory beckon kids to all of the varied activities at Adventure Landing. Siblings can wager their Monopoly winnings on hitting below par at their choice of lushly landscaped mini-golf greens studded with tunnels and waterfalls, or challenge parents in the arcade. Before fielding slow, medium, and fast baseballs or softballs at Adventure Landing’s seven batting cages, guests can fuel their bat-swinging biceps at the themed snack bar. Creativity also comes into play at the teddy-bear factory, where visitors can make plush friends according to their personal specifications.

Kenmore Lanes is a safe haven for pin-pummeling patrons as they relish strikes and avert gutter balls on the stable of slick lanes. Participants can practice their rolling skills during open-bowl sessions or within the intergalactic realm of Friday and Saturday night moonlight bowling, where the lanes remain open until 2:30 a.m. and are entirely illumined by glowing blocks of radioactive cheese. Tykes celebrating their birthdays can launch orbs alongside friends during 90-minute party sessions, which include pizza, soda, and a gift for the guest of honor. A pro shop supplies attendees with custom-fit balls, bags, and shoes, and 10-week leagues encourage team camaraderie and passive aggressive celebrations after every strike. Kenmore Lanes' restaurant reenergizes postgame rollers with abundant eats, and visitors craving more competition can chalk up cues at the pool table or take on classic games at the arcade such as skee-ball.

Dr. Nicole Bishop's signature Mommy and Me Pilates classes were born the same time as her son, Reza, as a way to connect with him while helping women balance their fitness regimens with their brand new bundles. During the 90-minute Mamilates classes, two instructors—one for mom and one for baby—guide participants through short bursts of challenging Pilates exercises. During these drills, fun activities such as singing, massage, and dance keep growing minds entertained while women bolster their muscles. With regular practice, women may notice a reduction in physical tension around the neck and shoulders, stronger abdominals, sturdy backs, and weightlessness despite carrying 15 sacks of lead. The team strives to achieve these results specifically to aid in the recovery from the strain of carrying a baby or to make common postnatal lifting easier. The staff makes careful modifications for women still recovering from Cesarean sections.

Dr. Bishop earned her PhD in comparative literature at the University of Michigan, an academic track that involved a focus on mindfulness, meditation, and reading methodology. She incorporates these disciplines in her budding practice, along with her specialty in African and Caribbean dance, the spark for which ignited at the ripe old age of 5 years. As a kicker, Dr. Bishop also boasts certification in mat Pilates instruction and the ability to fashion a yoga mat out of a napkin.