Olathe Outdoor Activities

The certified trainers and divers at Big Joe Scuba wade students through all watery courses, from beginner to PADI-certified instructor. They accomplish this through classroom instruction and dips into their heated pool, where students become accustomed to breathing and maneuvering underwater. After they advance to open-water courses, the classroom extends to Beaver Lake, Arkansas, for diving practice in natural surroundings. A full-service dive center, Big Joe Scuba also rents and sells a complete line of gear and organizes diving jaunts to exotic locales such as Cozumel, Mexico.

Wild Rose Equine Center hosts horseback-riding lessons and trail rides on the bucolic expanse upon which it resides. Riders of all skill levels can learn from the expert staff during regular lessons. These sessions are tailored to each student’s goals, whether they would like to compete in shows or take a horse to the prom.

Athletes push the limits of their physical and mental fortitude during 5-kilometer Rugged Maniac races. Runners fling themselves over 12-foot walls and scuttle through swampy terrain under nets of barbed wire and over napping lumberjacks. They careen down a 50-foot water slide and soar over pits of fire, dashing through forests, fields, motocross tracks, and ski slopes along the way. Waves of 300 competitors depart at 30-minute intervals, ensuring zero wait time at obstacles where photographers snap action shots. At the finish line, survivors claim fresh fruit and a beer (for those 21 and older) on entering the after-party. At the bash, live bands and food refresh wearied minds and bodies. Athletes in training can follow Rugged Maniac's online training guide, which primes physiques for the race or interoffice cubicle-hurdling competitions.

Opened in 1989, Drop Zone Paintball Park's six fields sprawl over 89 acres of land, which play host to combat during sun or rain showers. In one field, a castle scenario corrals players into elevated turrets to defend against opponents who fire from surrounding towers across a makeshift moat. Elsewhere, trees lining ravines offer safe cover so shooters can take careful aim at their foes or draw their sweetheart's initials upon the trunks. Along with space for paintball and tournament-style speedball, the park's designers designated a special zone near the castle field where nonplayers can watch the action from a safe distance.