Northlake, IL Indoor Activities

While the horses gallop, you needn't worry about pacing yourself at the all-you-can-eat buffet. Take endless laps around the Winner’s Circle Buffet on Thursdays (6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.) or Grand Gourmet Buffet on Fridays (6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.), then head to the dessert table (open until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays). The buffet offers a variety of succulent offerings, including ornate carving stations where you can get a hunk of meat with a lovely etching of your head on a horse's body, as well as unlimited shrimp, so when the race comes down to a photo finish, you can temper your adrenaline by slipping into a deep, shrimp-induced coma.

Marvel in a theme park-esque world dedicated to plastic blocks. See the city of Chicago made entirely out of LEGOs at Miniland. Take the factory tour and learn how LEGO bricks are made (you get one LEGO factory brick to take home). Ride on the back of a green dragon through a medieval castle full of moving characters made entirely of LEGOs, and continue the adventure through a jungle trail. Build your own LEGO cars and buildings, then test them to see if they can withstand earthquakes or set speed records on LEGO roadways. After you take in a movie at the 4-D cinema, or let your little ones spend their energy in physical play before it's time to load up the car.

Village Pilates Studio's owner, Regan Hoerster, boasts an impressive 1,000 hours of apprenticeship work, earning a master's certification with the Pilates Method Alliance. She draws from her extensive education to create a comfortable, friendly environment with class styles to accommodate patrons of all skill levels and varying needs. Hoerster offers one-on-one private lessons and semiprivate lessons with a maximum of four participants, which are especially beneficial to beginners. The small class sizes enable her to devote ample attention to each person to foster the development of proper technique. More advanced patrons can opt for gender-specific classes, large-group mat classes, or those that incorporate props such as the barre, pole, and low chair. Reformer machines—built specifically to enhance Pilates workouts by adding resistance to the exercises—line the walls of the hardwood studio, with the majority of the floor space left open for performing mat work and impressing fellow students by forming every letter in Mississippi with your body.

The Chicago Wolves, an NHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers, add an exhilarating howl to the American Hockey League with a frosty flurry of slap shots, body checks, and thoughtful, fist-based debate. Darren Hydar, Spencer Machacek, and Andre Deveaux lead the attack on enemy net, all ably assisted by Jason Krog. Goalie Peter Mannino confidently flaunts his pristine puck-stoppage by storing his entire collection of vice presidential commemorative plates in the goal behind him. The high-octane entertainment is spiced with the family-friendly shenanigans of Skates, the official sideline silly goose that looks more like a big gray wolf.

In 1987, Louise Beem and Dorothy Carpenter were early-childhood-education specialists. Based on their combined experience—gained from teaching preschool, founding the College of DuPage's early-childhood-education program, and being grandmothers—the two friends felt that traditional methods of teaching youngsters were less than optimal at the time. Their brainchild, the DuPage Children's Museum, began that same year. The pair designed the museum's colorful exhibits to incorporate interactive and open-ended elements, which they believed more closely matched the way kids learn and naturally process information, a discovery they say has now been corroborated by findings in neuroscience research.

In that vein, the three-story museum engages young neurons with interactive art, math, and science-themed attractions. Giving little hands the chance to explore, the AWESome Electricity exhibit bridges the gap between the electric-powered gadgets and lights families use every day to where all that nonbreakfast-based energy comes from. Kids learn how electricity gets from one place to another and what its basic units are while at play in the museum's signature hands-on spaces. Elsewhere, the Young Explorers exhibit is designed for children aged 2 and under, who develop math skills by learning concepts such as sorting and patterning and express their creativity by experimenting with color and light.

Helmed by grand master Fred Degerberg, Degerberg Academy of Martial Arts whips exercisers of all experience levels into shape during high-intensity karate and mixed martial arts classes. Blending 300 different types of fighting styles, MMA classes help students build strength, develop mental discipline, and establish effective defense strategies against attackers or incoming flocks of confused carrier pigeons. Xtreme Fitness classes present a range of exercise options, from boot camps to women’s boxing sessions to kids' karate classes, which blend techniques such as kickboxing, jujitsu, and tae kwon do.