Plainfield, CT Outdoor Activities

At Connecticut Cycle Center, indoor spinning classes or triathlon training with coach Kelli Montgomery beckon students to wheel in their own bikes and affix them to cycling apparatuses. Both classes and training sessions emulate outdoor adventures thanks to ErgVideo and CompuTrainer systems, which mimic famous routes on TV screens. Virtual Tour de France inclines or Spanish plains challenge cyclists to push their endurance to the brink as they mingle with peers. Classes, like the art of hanging out in an operating laundry machine, range from beginner base spins to high-power interval training. Feedback after each session charts your ascent to fitness. High-quality Apex bikes are available for rental and can be taken to nearby roads for an alfresco adventure.

In 1958, Ryan Family Amusements founder James A. Ryan opened a simple, eight-lane bowling alley, planting the foundation for a slew of entertainment centers throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. At 10 locations, visitors enjoy a variety of arcade and skill games in addition to traditional candlepin, tenpin, or duckpin bowling. Every Friday and Saturday evening from 9 p.m. until midnight, bowling lanes take on an incandescent glow, allowing bowlers to experience futuristic entertainment without the inconvenience of rising jetpack-fuel prices. Bumper bowling is available for younger players, and an onsite concession stand refreshes responsible adults with glasses of beer and wine.

Helmed by stalwart captain Zdeno Chara, the 2011 Bruins exercise athletic domination over friction and work out cylindrically based angst on the ice. Premium club seating (located on levels 5 and 6) grants you early access to the arena and the first pick of the freshest foam fingers. Once the puck is dropped, you can see each snapping slap shot and delicate toe pick in vivid detail as you relax in cushy comfort, complete with extra leg room and in-seat wait service. Stretch your legs midgame with a jaunt to the Insight Club Lounge or The Patrón Platinum Lounge, or restock trivia arsenals with your ticket’s included access to the sports museum.

A full quarter mile of outdoor track snakes across the grass, sending racers on an adrenaline-fueled grudge match of hairpin turns, pedal-pushing straightaways, and close finishes. A speedy fleet of go-karts sends drivers flying down the track in vehicles such as the swift 9-horsepower Interceptor, or the two-seater Tornado, which allows children to ride alongside their parents to learn proper three-point turn technique. An on-track scoreboard displays racers’ lap times with accuracy up to a 1,000th of a second, and printed results enshrine automotive achievements and bragging rights for display. Inside, a beeping, blinking arcade pits gamers head-to-head in pro-racing simulators, bouts of Guitar Hero, or rousing tournaments of air hockey.

The Staples Champions Cup brings together the timeless titans of tennis, including Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, for a round-robin tournament of fierce backhands and friendly back-talk. During the first session of the men's singles quarterfinal tournament, Borg, the former top tennis player in the world, will show off the racqueteering that won him five consecutive Wimbledon titles as he takes on Mikael Pernfors, a finalist at the 1986 French Open, in a showdown of Swedish swagger. In the second match of the first session, Mark Philippoussis, a finalist at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, will fly-swat the fuzzy yellow insect sent buzzing over the net by Olympic silver medalist Wayne Ferreira. Because there actually is a rule that says a sassy talking mule can't play tennis, the third match has been canceled.

Spooky, undead monsters and lively tunes combine to create a jovial atmosphere inside Monster Mini Golf's 10,000-square-foot, glow-in-the-dark course. As players navigate the 18 mind-boggling holes, a DJ spins tunes to awaken tone-deaf monsters, occasionally doling out prizes to golfers for reasons ranging from "craziest hair" to "smoothest celebration after a hole in eight." And after a wacky session of putting, guests can flex their thumb muscles inside a decked-out video arcade lined with both classic and modern games.