Things to Do in Peoria

John Flanders and Jeff Varner founded the Academy of Scuba to bring the magic of diving to the arid lands of the Southwest. They employ a team of PADI-certified instructors, who lead courses ranging from beginner and advanced open-water certification to more in-depth programs such as master diver, deep diver, underwater video and photography specialists, and professional shark imitator. Once certified, divers can stretch their new sea legs on diving excursions to exotic locales such as Belize, Mexico, and Bonaire through the academy’s partner and affiliate companies. Both of the Academy's locations rent, repair, and sell high-quality gear from reputable brands such as Sea Dive, Amphibious Outfitters, and H2Odyssey.

Recommended by Frommer's travel guide, Unicorn Balloon Company leads guided excursions through the aerial spectacles of the Sonoran Desert's landscapes and environs. Smoothly ascending sunrise and sunset tours provide an easygoing and elevated trip through the panoramic desert and mountain terrain, which includes resilient flora such as saguaro cacti, palo verde trees, and distant mountain ranges assembled by packs of Paleolithic tailgaters. The wicker baskets float above vegetation and discreetly hover over animal habitats, with occasional views of coyotes, jackrabbits, desert mule deer, and javelinas. Each 100-foot balloon drifts at heights from just above treetop levels to 3,000 feet above the ground, carefully following wind currents to prevent turbulence and stay on the scent trail of musky airplane pilots.

At Deer Valley Rock Art Center, visitors walk a quarter-mile trail that leads to thousands of Native American carvings. The ancient artwork includes more than1,500 petroglyphs, which were created between 7,000 and 500 years ago. Inside, a museum teaches about the prehistoric population who once inhabited the area.

For lunch, visitors can head over to outdoor picnic tables or an amphitheater area. They might also spot local wildlife such as roadrunners, jackrabbits, and red-tailed hawks.

Freshly splattered paint drips down the mazelike barricades and buildings that speckle Fightertown Paintball Park's five fields, each of which pose their own scenarios and challenges. Players in full complements of rental or personal gear dive behind decommissioned vehicles and helicopter hulls on Field 1, seeking advantageous flanking positions and picnicking sites by sneaking through the trenches. Players deploy from Vietnam–era helicopters onto Field 3, descending into open spaces and trench combat with a maze of claustrophobic buildings, which teams can navigate by communicating through secret messages composed of paint splatters. The arenas host open-play sessions, long scenario events, and motorized skirmishes on ATV Dogfighting Systems, a fleet of four-wheelers armed with paintball-blasting turrets.

At Ape Index Rock Climbing, instructors lovingly referred to as "apes" assist climbers of all fitness levels as they scale walls that stand at more than 32 feet tall. Owner and instructor Amos Cox designed the gym to include more than 75 top ropes, a bouldering tunnel, and a 3-D globe that challenges climbers with its rounded façade and active volcanoes. Climbing paths range in difficulty to accommodate guests of various ages and experience levels, which makes the gym an ideal place for family bonding, birthday parties, or other group activities.

Each Skateland & Great Skate location maintains an arsenal of tools for family fun: rows and rows of orange wheeled roller-skates, breezy air-hockey boards, and colorful arcade games. As skaters show their rolly-rink prowess, they whiz past colorful murals, depicting fireworks against a black backdrop or a beach populated by surfers and elderly grains of sand. When resting legs, kids operate claw machines, attempt levitating along with air-hockey pucks, or try their hands at skee-ball to win tickets that they can redeem for prizes. Add a reserved area, a party host, pop, and pizza to the equation, and the roller rinks also make for a exciting birthday.