Norman Outdoor Activities

Andy Alligator's Water Park—next to its dry-land counterpart, Andy Alligator's Fun Park—laughs in the face of heat waves with its map of maritime attractions designed for cooling down on a hot day. The Riptide Racer's towering structure sends splish-splashers rocketing down colorful slides on their stomachs, while thrill-seekers cajole their buddies into two-person tubes before shooting through the spirals of the Banzai Pipeline. Island-themed walkways and slides festoon the play space at Cowabunga Cove, and the Paradise River lazily flows in a loop for relaxing tube rides and slow-motion reenactments of Speed 2: Cruise Control. Snorkels Café and Grill serves a menu of burgers, pizza, and sandwiches to replenish the energy spent by drenched diners.

For the uninitiated, Maura Fliction, Kitty VonKlobber, Sweeney Quad, Taryn Bonesapart, and their fellow home-team derby girls will wage territorial track war for two 30-minute periods in each roller rumble, during which a designated jammer—usually the fastest, nimblest two legs on eight wheels—attempts to skate her way from the rear of the pack to lap opposing rollers. Running the gauntlet, the jammer must evade sexy but deadly hip thrusts, clotheslining arm guards, and a bank full of bounced body-checks (deemed void if cashed from behind). Points are rewarded each time the jammer passes an opposing skater, and the highest score wins the derby.

Guiding golfers along a lush chlorophyll carpet that stretches for 6,524 yards from the back tees, the course at Choctaw Creek challenges all oncomers with tight, tree-lined fairways and treacherous approaches into elevated greens. The course's titular creek snakes its way through seven holes of the front nine, demanding cautious attention from golfers wary of the unplayable lies and amphibious gophers likely hiding in its murky depths. The back nine demands precise bifurcation of narrow fairways, lest drives stray into the fairway-lining foliage or greenside bunkers. After golfers work up ravenous appetites over 18 holes, the Creekside Grill stands at the ready to refuel them with sandwiches and house-made soups.

Course at a Glance:

• Par 71

• 6,524 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 71.2 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 118 from the farthest tees

• Four tee options