Things to Do in Plymouth

Strikes & Spares Entertainment Center regales visitors of all sizes with a venue chiming with clattering pins, zooming go-karts, and flashy arcade games. The dazzling array of attractions lures visitors to the emerald alleyways of nine-hole black-light mini golf, a stable of cosmic and bumper bowling, and a new stock-car-racing simulator replete with a variety of virtual tracks and a digital milk-chugging station for the victor. Kids safely navigate the twisting labyrinth of the indoor go-kart tracks on eco-friendly electric steeds, and adults decompress with billiards, darts, and frosty brews on tap at Keglers Sports Bar. After enjoying outings at the prize-laden arcade or at the slick bowling lanes, groups can settle down with pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream at the diner.

Artist Mike Buszuwski wanted to create “an inspirational place for kids to come and explore art.” Thus, Painting Fun Spot was born. He and his artistic staff equip artists of all ages with all the necessary supplies—nontoxic, USA-made plaster pieces, paints, sealants, and paintball guns—to create colorful sculptures in a relaxed, kid-friendly studio complete with booster seats and pint-sized aprons. Vibrant walls and an undersea mural inspire creativity during studio time, summer camps, and parties and help budding artists bestow blank plaster canvases with hand-painted masterpieces.

Painting Fun Spot also hosts painting fun art classes, during which instructor Tonya Warnke Buszuwski, a professional artist with works in collections throughout the U.S., instructs adults in the finer points of pigment placement. She leads students step by step through a selected canvas work, capturing the tranquility of an impressionistic Tuscan countryside, the bold hues of a cross, or a trio of tulips playing poker with a basset hound.

Kids can’t be expected to care about their health when video games, cartoons, and outdoor adventures are vying for their attention. That’s why the adult leaders of the Memorial Health Foundation devised a plan to get kids excited about health: HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum. Born of the founders’ desire to foster a healthier current and future community, the museum appeals to youngsters through educational forms of entertainment. Its exhibits incorporate amplified versions of many of kids’ favorite pastimes, including a life-sized rendition of Operation and numerous computer games. A rock-climbing wall and tree house with a slide encourage kids to learn through movement, which is exactly how adults learn how to escape charging bulls. Youngsters can explore the space with their families or partake in programs such as children's camps.

Chicago Paragliding’s instructor-adventurers catch wind from Illinois to Indiana and soar above tawny fields of grain on the Midwest’s great updrafts. They introduce students to multiple windblown sports, from paragliding to kite surfing. After familiarizing beginners with the skills needed to control each craft, they perform assisted and tandem flights to acclimate their charges to faster speeds, greater altitudes, and clouds shaped like scarier and scarier dogs. The team, with certifications from groups including the United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, is also prepared to help more advanced adventurers perfect their skills.