Things to Do in Orem

Upon entering Hee Haw Farms, kids and adults surrender to their senses as feet crunch through fallen leaves, cheeks are warmed by the sun, and nostrils fill with the aromas of warm grass and fresh produce. A plethora of outdoor activities entertains families during the warm months, including pony rides, baby-animal petting zoos, and pig races. Other attractions shift with the seasons, such as a 12-acre corn maze and haunted hayrides in the fall, sunflower planting in the spring, bushels of fresh veggies for sale in the summer, and bushels of fresh snow in the winter.

As one of America's oldest and final bastions of the pizza, arcade, and animatronic-variety-show trifecta, Chuck E. Cheese upholds an important entertainment legacy. Though their core philosophy and slogan, "Where a Kid Can Be a Kid," sounds like a simple-enough mantra to maintain, many years have passed since Atari inventor Nolan Bushnell opened the first location in San Jose.

Despite the ever-changing nature of entertainment consumption, Chuck E. Cheese has done nothing but flourish. Intrinsic to this continuing knack for capturing kids' imaginations is its incorporation of modern entertainment and adherence to the robotic act that got it started in the first place. Chuck, Jasper T. Jowls, and Helen Henny are all still there, suspending a new generation's disbelief in gargantuan singing animals. Their charms, though, have been bolstered for the appetites of modern kids with more immersive games, wilder rides, and sweeter prizes.

Skytubes traverse the ceilings as an oversize human Habitrail, offering fantastical escape for energetic kids above the lights and sounds of the arcade. Staples such as skee ball and hoops now stand alongside sense-saturating simulator rides and the latest video games. At many locations, even the variety show has been modernized for the digital era. In its place is an interactive experience dubbed Studio C, where, thanks to bluescreens and video cameras, kids get to jam with Mr. Cheese himself.

Cascade Golf Center pairs an 18-hole golf course with 54 holes of miniature golf, inviting golfers of all stripes to enjoy the challenges of the game. Sculpted into the rolling terrain of surrounding foothills, the 6,055-yard course begins with the relatively flat land of the front-nine Valley Course before plotting an oscillating path over the back-nine Mountain Course, where clubbers must contend with elevation changes and the shrill tones of displaced Bavarian yodelers during backswings. As golfers traverse the course, crests give way to scenic views of snowcapped mountains and distant Utah Lake.

The Center’s miniature-golf courses include two obstacle-ridden, 18-hole courses and an 18-hole, natural-grass putting course designed for focused practice. Those looking for conventional putt-putt pleasure can steer shots past the waterfalls and streams that hug The Falls, or sink two-putts among the inventive rock formations and evergreen corridors of The Arches. The natural-turf putting course eschews exotic obstacles in favor of sloped greens hemmed by a cut of rough that, combined, resembles a small golf course or the front lawn of an overenthusiastic landscaper.

Max Zipline's tours and expeditions illuminate the beauty of Provo Canyon from riverbed to treetop. Zip lines send airborne tourists careening over tree and field, with mid- and high-speed courses all ending at wooden platforms manned by professional guides. In the valley, the Heber Valley Railroad winds through the glacier-carved canyon as riders snap pictures of Mt. Timpanogos.

Birdman Academy takes its name from the pseudonym of its founder, Kevin Koonce. The Birdman estimates that he has trained thousands of hang-gliding lessons, and during that time he’s taught nearly 8,000 first-timers. Currently, he nests at Point of the Mountain, a spot known for what the Academy calls, "legendary conditions." This means consistently smooth winds, which are ideal for training new hang-gliders, paragliders, and baby pterodactyls recently thawed from blocks of prehistoric ice.

At 24 miles long and 13 miles wide, Utah Lake is as vast as it is beautiful, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has explored more of it than Chad Chorniak. As a yacht captain and experienced scuba diver, Captain Chad takes passengers out on his 27-foot Catalina yacht to experience the scenic lake on the water, and also helps aspiring scuba divers plunge below the water’s surface into a new hobby of underwater exploration. Though he’s known for seeking out and investigating Utah’s best diving spots, he always conducts his Discover Scuba lessons in an indoor pool. This gives students an added level of comfort as they learn to breathe properly through the scuba apparatus and grow webbing between their toes.