Things to Do in Plainview
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
Three years after founding Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in 1997, Louise Hopkins Underwood’s operation finally found a permanent home in the city's vacated Fire Department Administration Building. These days, her vision for a thriving contemporary-arts community has grown into a four-block campus with nine buildings spread across 64,000 square feet. The LHUCA team repurposed those structures—warehouses and former municipal buildings among them—into arts spaces that include an exhibition hall and four galleries whose nearly 5,000 square feet display local, national, and international artists. The renovated Icehouse accommodates rehearsals and performances of dance, music, and performance art, and the 159-seat Firehouse Theatre's 5.1-surround-sound mix brings films to life more effectively than hiring Dr. Frankenstein as a projectionist. Along with showcasing the work of prominent figures, the center's teachers nurture up-and-coming artists with classes in disciplines such as oil painting, bagpiping, and creative writing.
Dave's Need 4 Speed revs entertainment engines with a trio of attractions that send adrenaline juices coursing through thrill seekers of all ages. Laser-tag combatants equipped with light-blasting carbines sprint, crawl, and conga dance through a pirate-ship-themed battleground where glowing barrels and wooden bridges conceal camouflaged warriors and deflect misfires back into the darkness. The illuminated fairways of a cosmic mini-golf course unfurl amid radiating urban backdrops, challenging putters to sink holes in one beneath the shadows of the Statue of Liberty and other American landmarks. Guests who share Dave's disdain for sluggish steering can hop into a go-kart and whip around one of the center's age-appropriate tracks, which foster high-speed excitement with a fresh slathering of melted butter prior to each race.
A 1997 George Williams design, the Reese Golf Center course gives golfers of all stripes pleasant challenges as they send shots skyward off of lush bermuda grass. Water enters play on half of the holes but only crosses the fairway on two, allowing golfers to safely attack the open fairways and leave collared life preservers at home. As players make their way around the course, they chase shots inside golf carts equipped with GPS tracking systems. These systems allow riders to see their position on the course, helping them determine the exact yardage to the flagstick.
Course at a Glance:
18-hole, par 72 course
Total length of 6,367 yards from the back tees
Course rating of 69.9 from the back tees
Course slope of 120 from the back tees
US Open champ Mike Scroggins gazed anxiously at the fallen pin as it rolled slowly across the waxed wood, inching its way toward the frame's only survivor, the seven pin. Finally, the rolling pin tapped the seven, which wobbled to one side, then the other—and finally teetered over, giving Scroggins a strike and clearing the way for him to win his 45th career PBA victory.
The chronicler of this triumph was the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, and the site of it was South Plains Lanes. For nearly two decades, the alley's 40 polished lanes have set the stage for dramatic showdowns such as that one. It is little wonder then that bowlers would be tempted to vie for strikes until three in the morning on weekends, when the lanes are briefly used as shortcuts for trucking routes. Automatic scoring tracks the competition, and a snack bar fuels the bowlers. Between games, bowlers can fling darts or head to the billiards tables.
At the Lil Jungle within South Plains Mall, sock-clad kids aged 9 and younger bound about on open-air cushions, race their friends down inflatable slides, and hop around in a jungle-themed bounce house with inflatable palm trees. The family-owned Jump N Jungle entertains kids at its second indoor locale, the 10,500-square-foot Big Jungle. Along with a selection of slides similar to Lil Jungle's, the climate-controlled Big Jungle enthralls youngsters with climbing structures, an inflatable shaped like a playful tiger lying on its back, and a bounce castle where kids learn to leap and play the lute simultaneously. In the summer, Big Jungle also hosts four-day camps where attendees play games, enjoy bouncer time, and work on crafts and coloring projects.
In 1973, Jimmy and Katie Dean signed the papers to purchase Joyland Amusement Park, which had fallen into neglect after first opening in the 1940s. They thoroughly revamped the 13 attractions the park had then, and Katie still helps manage the more than 30 kiddie, thrill, family, and water rides that send guests rolling, spinning, and splashing today. From the Skyride's gondolas that sail high overhead, families take in scenic vistas of an antique carousel, the speedy Galaxi coaster, and a log flume powered by Old Faithful’s underachieving brother. Joyland opens its gates from mid-March until early fall, closing in the winter months for rollercoaster-hibernation season.
