Things to Do in Pleasant Prairie

Twin sisters and Alpaca Art owners Becky and Brenda helm the cheery studio’s kiln and ready-to-paint bisque objects. Guests of the studio sidle up to an “idea counter” stocked with stamps, stencils, and inspirational booklets before bringing patterns to life on a chosen ceramic. During a weeklong layover in the shop, each personalized curio receives a coat of clear glaze and boards the kiln, becoming immune to the heat of microwaves, dishwashers, and stewardesses who want to put tray tables in their upright and locked positions. The studio also hosts pottery-painting parties for birthdays and other special events and leads summer camps for children and workshops for adults.

In 1848, dairy cows grazed on the 30 acres that now host the Volo Auto Museum’s five showrooms. The mooing of heifers has given way to the imaginary roar of 200 collector cars and 100 gleaming autos that once graced movie and television sets—including a Batmobile from the 1966 TV series, a Herbie from the latest movie, and one of the first General Lees. After ogling the television and movie collection, guests can wander among vintage and antique vehicles and reminisce about the days when we still had to go places in person.

Nearby, the military exhibit’s realistic scenery surrounds vehicles ranging from a WWII BMW motorcycle with sidecar to a 1967 Bell helicopter shot down in Vietnam. After examining older artillery and artifacts, visitors can gaze at cases holding items retrieved from Saddam Hussein’s palace and from captured Iraqi soldiers. Those below driving age can explore kids’ attractions, including SpongeBob’s boatmobile.

Guests traverse the vast showrooms on foot or via a 1915, Victorian-style trolley, free on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Trolley tours begin by exploring autos that used to be stabled by the rich and famous alongside their unicorns. They then venture into the old dairy farm’s 19th-century barn, where activity by Civil War ghosts has drawn investigators from the Discover Channel’s Ghost Lab. Before leaving, visitors can refuel with an Angus-beef patty at the Betty Boop Burger Bar and Beer Garden or drop into four antique malls.

Single-seat Formula K go-karts sidle beside two-seaters on Kristof Entertainment Center's family-friendly driving track. After letting the wind tussle hair, friends and families compete on the 18-hole scenic miniature-golf course replete with challenging holes and flanked by waterfalls, fountains, and castles. In batting cages, baseballs and softballs hurl toward bat-wielders, and players send bowling balls careening toward pins across lanes during regular or cosmic bowling. Sports skills are further tested at seven billiards tables that leave ample opportunity for sinking in eight-balls, and the arcade's classic redemption games such as skee-ball facilitate fun and prizes. After exhausting all one's rounds of play, Kristof's Bar reenergizes visitors with Pepsi products and snacks while broadcasting sports on its many televisions.

Located less than 90 minutes from Chicago amidst Illinois's largest concentration of natural lakes, the Chain O' Lakes State Park Riding Stable sits on a 2,793-acre park neighbored by a 3,230-acre conservation area. There, horseback trail rides explore undulating hills and thick forest populated by deer, eagles, and the much-sought-after Keebler elf. Horse-drawn wagon rides—led by seasoned drivers along wooded trails—furnish especially colorful views in autumn, and the stable staff can curate optional cookouts at wooded picnic sites.

As red inflatable obstacles shield snipers on the Speedball field, the Hyperball field's blue barrels protect players from enemy fire. Tipped-over speedboats litter the greenery of the Docks, and thickets of woods shelter the wooden walls of the Amazon and colorful fragments of children's play structures scattered throughout the Playground.

Each of the six fields hosts a variety of gaming scenarios, ranging from elimination and capture-the-flag rounds to attack-and-defend sessions or multiple flag-station contests. Laser-tag players itching to compete on terrain other than H2 Paintball's 10 acres can call upon its Mobile Command Option, wherein H2 personnel convert offices or empty basement shark tanks into miniature laser-tag arenas.

Designed for mature audiences, Realm of Terror's maze winds past zombies hovering over hospital patients and masked madmen adorned in scarlet-stained clothes. A creative team of filmmakers, makeup artists, and set designers collaborates on the gory, over-the-top attraction, which uses actors, strobe lighting, startlingly loud noises, and whispered Danzig lyrics to spook guests as they duck, climb, and crawl through. While waiting in line to enter the critically lauded haunted house, guests can sip beverages from an onsite bar, which is stocked with soft drinks and alcohol for visitors of drinking age.