Things to Do in Park Forest

Each year during early spring, the frost clinging to Indiana's Calumet region thaws, clearing the way for fresh grass, budding flowers, and smooth go-kart tracks. It's along the banked turns of Zig-E's Funland's Rippin' Raceway that drivers experience the cool breezes of the freshly temperate outdoors while careening over a 1/5-mile track. Zig-E's friendly staff is on hand to point visitors in the direction of a bungee trampoline or toward the waterfall-flanked greens of the 18-hole mini-golf course that blankets the 3.4-acre property. Inside, a year-round arcade is packed with more than 50 video and redemption games that buzz and blip as players pass virtual levels and amass tokens. Throughout the day, staffers at the snack shop reenergize fun seekers with tasty snacks and drinks and tales of the day humans first came down from the mountain to play Xbox.

Open until at least midnight nightly, Dyer’s night-owl-friendly Stardust Bowl III hosts bowling face-offs in a sprawling complex with 48 lanes. Merrillville’s even larger Stardust Bowl II lets patrons scatter pins on one of 68 lanes or shoot for table pockets in the billiards room. Arcades at both alleys bolster joystick-specific agility, and after working up an appetite hefting heavy balls, bowlers can quell their hunger at Merrillville’s coffee shop or Dyer’s full-service restaurant. Birthday parties and groups garner special discounts at both alleys, and at Dyer’s partygoers can keep secret handshakes truly secret by retiring to one of five private party rooms.

Balls hurtle toward clusters of pins at Centennial Lanes during open bowl sessions scheduled seven days a week. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, a black-light system and lasers illumine the award-winning center with a neon glow during cosmic bowl bouts scored to the thumping beats of music videos and songs requested by players. The in-house Little Bear's ProShop equips participants with necessary gear for forthcoming frames, such as new bowling balls or domesticated big bad wolves that will blow down still-standing pins. After games, visitors can retire to the banquet room for a birthday feast or saunter into the lounge for rounds of karaoke or billiards.

World Domination Events boosts adrenaline levels across the country by placing guests behind the wheel of high-end exotic cars. Customers climb into sleek Lamborghinis and Ferraris and send them hurtling down the turns of a racetrack or spinning through a designated autocross course to test horsepower-handling skills. Meanwhile, corporate packages allow companies to boost employee morale or settle conference-room scheduling conflicts with invigorating laps in a luxury ride.

For more than 30 years, equestrians have sought tranquility amid the forested trails and weathered barns of A Ranch 394, Inc. They find their solace atop the healthy, gentle horses and ponies that roam the ranch's meadows and slumber or play late-night poker in boarding stalls. Employees saddle up the steeds for rides or tours on horseback, and even host parties complete with jaunts atop ponies. The staffers also channel their passion for horse care into camps that cater to the budding equestrian or disenchanted carousel operator.

Between the cheery, orange walls and cozy, carpeted floors of Your Yoga and More, a team of expert instructors leads challenging yet scalable yoga classes for groups of 32–40 people. Suitable for students of all fitness levels, their classes flow through various poses, with gentle yoga or chair yoga offering a slower pace and Vinyasa-flow and Hatha classes strengthening muscles with rigorous poses. For a cardio workout, the instructors teach high-energy Zumba classes that do away with fat via Latin-inspired cardio dance moves.

Three dedicated instructors curate the syllabus at Your Yoga and More. Allison Haugh, an import from Scotland, has practiced yoga since 1995, when many people who currently practice yoga were practicing Jonathan Taylor Thomas worship. Andy Keene first experienced yoga aboard a Hawaiian cruise ship, and he animates his training to help students achieve a unified body-and-breath rhythm. Instructor Pat Partin has 12 years of experience, and she recently became certified to teach a heart-focused version of yoga to patients with cancer and heart disease.