Things to Do in Poquoson

In 2002, Mike Southard took a leap of faith worthy of The Dukes of Hazzard. He left a career in the elevator industry and decided to pursue his true passion: stock-car driving. Southard launched Try It Racing and On Track Racing Experience, determined to share with others the thrill he had felt many times in the victory lane of late-model stock-car races. His business has grown from a few humble events and clients each year to a fully packed schedule at some of the country's longest running and most renowned racetracks. Some things haven't changed, however—you can still find Southard behind the wheel of the two-seat ride-along car, taking patrons around curves and straightaways at top speed.

Adrenaline fiends satisfy their cravings while driving or riding around tracks such as Orange County Speedway, where industry legends Jeff Gordon and Scott Riggs have burned their share of rubber. A professional photographer and in-car video cameras can capture the excitement at each event, memorializing guests' wide-open eyes, exhilarated smiles, and high-intensity games of I Spy.

From its four locations around Hampton Roads, Cinema Cafe combines old-fashioned American cuisine with first- and second-run films. The multisensory experience has garnered the movie houses a total of 11 gold medals in the Virginia-Pilot's Best of Hampton Roads 2012 awards. Thanks to a roaming wait staff, diners can place their orders mid-film and enjoy them right in the theater, a practice that discourages pizza scalpers from stalking customers in the lobby.

The friendly staffers at Bounce House's multiple Virginia locales breathe new life into the term sock hop, as well as lots of air into inflatable play surfaces. During Open Jump sessions and birthday parties, sock-clad moppets aged 1–12 can hop to their heels’ content across a cadre of themed inflatables, which catapult youngsters into TV-station simulacra and onto the surface of an air-hockey machine. As parents supervise, they can compare their children's bouncing with that of the stock market using complimentary WiFi. Each Bounce House fuels fun by keeping its snack bar fully stocked.

Anchored by a trio of experienced aces—including PGA-certified director of instruction Ed Collins and owner Dave Williams—Hampton Roads Golf Academy travels to courses throughout the greater Hampton Roads area to spread the pastime of golf. The pros wake each morning to the sound of humming lawnmowers and giggling 9-irons to keep alive their golf enthusiasm, which they impart in private, group, and on-course lessons. The academy’s V1 video analysis software helps instructors shed light on the murky abyss of pupils’ swings, playing back each shot in slow motion to pinpoint the root cause of each unsightly slice and snap hook. Hampton Roads Golf Academy holds lessons at four area courses, two of which boast covered and heated ranges to allow for lessons during chilly winters or divot hailstorms.

Though hiding from opponents deep within the jungles and cave mazes surrounding ancient Incan temple ruins would normally induce acute panic attacks, it's actually part of the fun at LazerRush. After viewing an instructional film that covers the game's rules, players equip themselves with a laser-sensitive vest and phaser. Once inside the 5,800-square-foot arena, they slalom through dark and smoky corridors on missions to defend their base, conquer their competitor's base, and confuse as many vagabond cats as possible.

After each game, scorecards reveal where participants placed, which opponents they hit, and which opponents hit them in turn. Outside the arena, meanwhile, scoreboards keep spectators abreast of the action inside, as do large plasma monitors that stream each game.

Soft waterfall lighting floods Zenya Yoga & Massage Studio's space, a holistic repository of all things relaxing. Light music skirts the earth-toned walls as a fleet of yogis guides students of all skill levels through a variety of yoga classes, including gentle flow, anusara and prenatal, using hands-on guidance to provide slight postural adjustments, easing beginners into complex poses, and ramping up the challenge for seasoned practitioners. Amber bamboo flooring meanders through the center, undergirding private rooms that house pampering body-therapy sessions that range from honey facials and body polishes to deep-tissue and Thai massage.