Things to Do in Philadelphia

Looking to put a new spin on a classic family activity, the minds behind Glowgolf decided to give the game a phosphorescent update. Incandescent courses place friends and family amid a tropical-fantasy golf world of neon orange, green, and violet surroundings. Players putt luminous orbs through vibrant treasure chests and glimmering windmills while negotiating tricky obstacles near walls portraying black-light-lit aquatic scenes. With more than 20 locations spread over 10 states, Glowgolf's fluorescent labyrinths challenge human players and traveling gnomes.

Several decades of disparate architectural styles stand at the corner of 69th and Ludlow: an old-fashioned radio tower atop the Doric columns of a faux-classical cupola atop a streamlined marquee that broadcasts the year the Tower Theatre opened as a music venue: 1972. That's when it began helping introduce the world to such acts as David Bowie, Genesis, and Bruce Springsteen. Inside, red lights glow over an auditorium done up in the 1920s style of the movie palace that originally filled the venue, with marble pillars, Italianate archways, and an enormous light fixture that resembles an old film reel from the days before movies were beamed from computers into audiences' brains.

For four decades, Putt-Putt Golf and Games has hosted friendly competition with four putt-putt golf courses and an array of games. Colorful blossoms and rocky waterfalls add character to 18-hole putt-putt golf courses, and creative hole designs add challenge. Groups of partygoers can request a staff chaperone to guide them through the labyrinth and hand over a treasure map to the course’s bounty of nougat-filled golf balls.

In the Game Zone, visitors settle competitive challenges at an air-hockey table or face-off against digital emissaries in the Terminator Salvation arcade game. Outside, the Jump Shot is a trampoline basketball hoop that launches athletes toward slam-dunks in lower orbit.

Tilt Studio's tenure as a family fun center dates back to 1972, a time when the menacing Pac-Man ghosts were still very much alive. Today, the 27,000 square-foot facility greets gamers with scores of arcade and ticket-redemption games plus spacious private-event rooms for corporate gatherings and birthday parties. Visitors receive a game card that works like a debit card, replacing cumbersome quarters that could otherwise be used to enter speed-drying competitions at the laundromat. In the arcade, up to four players can experience high-octane Formula One action, careening down a simulated Indy Motor Speedway, or land strikes on four lanes of virtual bowling, with backdrops depicting Rome, Japan, and Yosemite National Park.

Abington Kids Creative Arts Studio's lively instructors foster the burgeoning minds of youngsters with classes focused on building creativity and imagination. The team allows little ones aged 4–14 to disconnect from their phones, computers, and robot teachers to engage in fun, hands-on activities during afternoon open sessions.

Two-hour sessions allow kids to express themselves artistically and exhaust internal sugar reserves through drawing, molding pottery, playing music, and acting in theater performances. My Adult & Me sessions invite grown-ups to stay-and-play with their children, while the Drop Off Program's extended studio hours free up time for parents to run errands or triathlons. As children exercise their brain biceps, adults can relax and indulge in complimentary coffee and tea.

Abington Kids Creative Arts Studio also hosts summer camps to occupy up to 15 youngsters at once when school is on break and their Miami beach house is being renovated. Weekly themes range from Fantasy Week to Music Week to Puppet Week, each filled with crafts and fun projects.

CitySolve lets citizens explore their metropolis through a one-day odyssey that tests speed, stamina, and smarts. Teams scamper through their burb as they solve clues ranging from anagrams and pop-culture trivia to deciphering graffiti written in pig Latin. Interspersed throughout the race are mettle-testing physical challenges, molding iron wills to such tasks as dodgeball, improv comedy games, or identifying ice-cream flavors. Each day's race also awards winners for best costumes and best tweet. Each urban iditarod takes between two to three hours, and jet packs are strictly prohibited.